Story of Big Daylight Raid

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 192, 14 August 1941, Page 5

Story of Big Daylight Raid

MAIN TARGETS POWER STATIONS (British Official Wireless.) Received Wednesday, 7 p.m. RUGBY, Aug. 12. The full story can now be told of the operation on Tuesday morning in which Blenheims of the Bonioer Command in greater numbers than ever, visited Germany in dayiight and struck a blow at two strategic centres of German industry. Hampdens and fortresses were attacking as well as battling the defenders by the multiplicity of the assault. German fighters, states the Air Ministry news service, were sent scurrying hither and thither between Linden anu Cologne, between Gusuay in France ana Dekory in Holland, by conflicting messages from observation posts anu headquarters. Borne met the bombers, but more did not. The crow of one of the Fortresses—and one only—saw condensation trails thousands of feet below where the enemy lighters were searching the upper air for the unseen attackers. The bombers were guarded as far as the Dutch coast by a strong formation of our fighters, wnich again were there io meet them when they withdrew. The lighter escort w'ent all the way with the bombers over France. The main targets were two power stations in open, arid country between Cologne and Aachen — the Knapsack and Quadrith power stations. They were highly vulnerable parts of the whole industrial districts which depended largely on them for power.

At Antwerp the Blenheims left the escort of Whirlwinds and ttew' on over the Dutch fields. Most went very low'. The pilot of one Blenheim said he knew at once waen he had crossed from Holland to Germany, in Holland everyone in the field or street waved and seemed to be cheering the bombers on, but m Germany some ran like mad, someffell on their faces in ditches.

‘ ‘ Over Germany we flew below r the level of the trees,'' he continued. ** My observer called me up when we were seven minutes from the target, and at that time another squadron of Blenheims crossed our patns. They were on their way to the other power station. The air seemed alive with British bombers. We were nearly there when my rear gunner cried * follyhb, fighter to port.' l felt the aircraic. jar twice ana saw cannon shells kitting tne port wing. 1 told my flight to take evasive action then the flan became intense. I saw flashes from a gun emplacement and went straight for it. \.e passed about three fee., over the gun and f saw soldiers in a trench hit by a stream of bullets. The gun ceased fire. We could not miss the target. Tnere were the 12 chimneys staudiug dark against the sky. There was smoke and names coming from the plant, so we climoed to the attack. Tne flames were fifty feet lugli and the smoke too thick to lot us bomb accurately lrom lower. 1 flew straight between the chimneys. 1 tv as watching my observer’s elbow as lie pulled bacit the release lever, and then x heard him call 4 bombs gone.' i did a steep turn over a belt of trees down into a sandstone quarry to get away from the flak. We went about thirty feet below' the level of the ground. As we came up there was a great deal of crackling in the earphones and 1 could not quite catch something my rear gunner said. 1 heard him repeat it. It was fighter again and at the same moment a piece ol my port wing fell away. X tried more evasive action and a bullet came in behind my head and another smacked the armour plating at my back. 1 turned to the right to give the fighter a more difficult angle of fire and tY. seemed to work.

Twelve bombers and eight fighters were lost.