R.A.F.’s 23rd Attack On Stavanger, 8th In 48 Hours

Northern Advocate, 4 May 1940, Page 8

R.A.F.’s 23rd Attack On Stavanger, Bth In 48 Hours

(Received 11.30 a.m.j RUGBY, May 3. YESTERDAY MORNING’S RAID ON STAVANGER, WHICH WAS THE TWENTY-THIRD MADE ON THAT BASE BY -THE ROYAL AIR FORCE AND THE EIGHTH WITHIN 48 HOURS, WAS CARRIED OUT BY BOMBERS ATTACKING FROM AN ALTITUDE. ITigli explosive bombs dropped by the leading aircraft were seen by following sections to register most hits on the aerodrome, playing havoc with the- landing surface. Two German twin-engine fighters were sighted in the vicinity of the air base, hut did not,’attempt to intercept the British aircraft, all of which returned safely. Tn the course of 'Wednesday, night’s operations against Stavanger, there was a successful encounter between a Bomber Command aircraft and a German seaplane, apparently returning home from a minelaving expedition off the English coast. The captain of the British aircraft said: “The most important thing was to catch the seaplane before it'renched its base.”

Landing Place Lit. “A few minutes after the chase began we saw a flare being dropped, no doubt a signal to the ground staff to illuminate the water ready for landing. “Time seemed to be getting the better of us. “Another flare was dropped and five miles away we saw the seaplane’s landing place lit up. At the same time the seaplane was descending to alight. “By now we were within 600 yards of the aircraft and slightly below it. “A few minutes later we got right underneath the seaplane, and by tilting my machine’s hose upwards I was able to let them have a stream of bullets light between the floats. “After the final attack had been carried out at close range, the seaplane, now only 1000 feet above the water, tipped over on her starboard side and rapidly fell into the sea.”

Systematic. Destruction. Continuing the systematic destruction of the enemy’s principal air base in Norway, aircraft of the Bomber Command of the Royal Air Force raided Stavanger aerodrome again yesterday afternoon and in the early hours of the morning. Fornebu and Aalborg were also raided for the second night in succession, and considerable damage was inflicted on both aerodromes. The attack on Stavanger yesterday afternoon was carried out by Blenheim Bombers under a clear sky. Enemy aircraft were observed dispersed round the aerodrome, and as the Royal Air Force machines approached, several of them could be seen either taxi-ing or taking off. No Opposition, Throughout this raid there was no opposition from enemy fighters. The British bombers launched an attack along a line running across the centre of 1 the aerodrome, and the bombs were well distributed over the landing area, and were seen to strike the runways. One salvo exploded oil the edge of the aerodrome close to two stationary aircraft which immediately afterward were enveloped in a thick blanket of black smoke, evidence of a petrol-fed lire. The second attack, which began after midnight, was made by long range bombers, carrying heavy loads of high explosives and incendiary bombs. Many Hits Registered. Hits were registered on many parts of the aerodrome, and several fires were started both on the landing ground itself and In the adjoining woods, where aircraft were known tb be concealed. The first aircraft to reach the target encountered no opposition, but later arrivals found the ground defences ready to receive them, and , each release of bombs was the signal for an intense . barrage, .from the batteries around the borders of the aerodrome.

Gunfire was synchronised with searchlights, and there was a complete blackout before and after each aircraft launched an attack. As far as is known, no British aircraft were hit. Attacks at Intervals. The Fornebu air base, near Oslo, was subjected to heavy bombing by British aircraft, which attacked singly at intervals, and puzzled the defences by launching attacks from varying heights. Fine weather facilitated the task of the bombers. In addition to repeated hits on the aei’odrome. three large fires, two at the north ,end and one at the south end were started by incendiary bombs. Anti-aircraft fire, and searchlight activity were intense, but instead of searching for individual aircraft the searchlight beams came up in fixed positions, converging over the centre of the aerodrome in an attempt to blind the bombers and confuse their aim. One British Plane Hit. One British aircraft sustained a direct hit from a small calibre shell, but none of the crew were injured, and the aircraft returned safely to its base. Strong opposition from the ground defences were also encountered by the British force, which raided the aerodrome at Aalborg in the early hours of this morning, but again the Royal Air Force aircraft were successful in reaching their objective and inflicting heavy damage on the air base. In the course of this raid one British bomber was intercepted and attacked by a Messerschmitt 110 twinengined fighter, which, after flying on a parallel course to that of the bomber for several minutes, turned in behind its tail and opened fire from astern. Messerschmitts Give Up. The British rear gunner returned the fire and, as the enemy fighter moved off to one side, two more Messerschmitt 110’s appeared on the scene. One attempted to attack the bomber. Under the fire of the British rear gunner, however, the Messerschmitt broke off the engagement and the enemy fighters dispersed. No casualties were suffered by the British force throughout these extensive operations.