HEAVILY BOMBED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 22 October 1941, Page 5

HEAVILY BOMBED

PORTS IN NORTH-WEST GERMANY BREMEN TIIE MAIN TARGET FIGHTERS DESTROY 12 ENEMY PLANES (Roc. 10.0 a.m.) Rugby. Oct. 21. Ports in north-west Germany were heavily bombed bv the R.A.F. in better weather last night. Bremen was the main target but Wilhelmshaven and Emden were also strongly attacked. There were several minor raids on other points. Nine R.A.F. bombers are missing. The force engaged was a strong one —more than seven times the size of the German force operating against Britain during the night. The Coastal Command yesterday attacked a seaplane base and a factory ; i.i northern Denmark. Hits wore ' scored on buildings and an enemy aiicraft was set on fire. One Coastal ■ Command plane is missing. British fighters destroyed two enemy ! aircraft off the south- west coast of England—a Heinkel 111 late yesterday afternoon and a Messerschmitt 110 this morning. Twelve enemy fighters wore destroyed during an offensive sweep by our fighters over Northern France this morning. Nine of our fighters are missing but the pilots of at least three are safe For some time the weather ha bee" he Boi a but lar* night tlitr run of bad .ink cr.de.’. the Air M nist • new. ei vice o« F-e i hanccs of weather that must be taken into account every night weather at tine time of taking off. on the way over, over the target, on the way back and at the landing time in the morning—were no longer in combination against the offensive, and a strong force of | two and four-engined bombers was sent to north-west Germany. | Several ports were attacked. The I greatest number of bombers went to ! Bremen where the clouds wore sent - i tired and broken and visibility rea j sonably good in intervals of clear sky. : The first reports from crews describe 1 many large spreading fires in the docks | and industrial parts of the towns. The j great naval base at Wilhelmshaven and ; the port of Emden were each attacked by several squadrons.