WIDE RANGE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 23 October 1941, Page 5

WIDE RANGE

R.A.F. NIGHT ATTACKS FROM DENMARK TO BRITTANY BRFMIA AGAIN BOMBED (Rec. 9.50 a.m.) Rugby, Oct. 22. The Bomber Command last night attacked Bremen and a number of othe r objectives in north-western Germany. The Coastal Command bombed the docks at Brest, Lorient and harbours and fuel stores at Saarhus in northern Denmark. They also raided an aerodrome at Lanveoc in Brittany. The Fighter Command on a night offensive patrol attacked enemy aerodromes in Holland and northern France. Three aircraft of the Bomber Command are missing. I Describing the Coastal Commands attack on the docks at Lorient last 'night, the Air Ministry news service states that aircraft crossed and recrossed the U-boat base in searchlights and A-A fire while observers made sure of their targets—the docks. Bombs found their mark for bursts brought up sheets of crimson (lame which quickly turned to a glaring white fire. One aircraft spent 30 minutes over the target cruising around in searchlights and A-A lire. It was caught in a searchlight and the German gunner l I ceased fire as though leaving the job to night fighters. But the Beaufort slip ped out of the searchlight and got home safely. Blenheim lighters of the Coastal Command shot up an aerodrome at 'Lanveoc near Brest. A successful * attack by Hudsons of the same corn ; mand was made on a benzine store and plant at Aarhus in north Denmark. On their way over the Hudsons dropi ped leaflets on Danish towns. The first aircraft to reach the target took the defences by surprise and dropped a load of flares and high explosive and incendiary bombs without being disturbed. The eastern mole of the harbour was another of the targets hit by the Hudsons. The force of explosion shook the crews in the aircraft. It is established that a further enemy fighter making a total of thirteen was destroyed in yesterday’s offensive ‘sweep over northern France. Ten of our fighters were lost in yesterday's .operation but the pilots of four are safe. NIGHT FIGHTERS BUSY OVER ENEMY-OCCUPIED AERODROMES Rugby, Oct. 21. I Night fighters to-night were busy ever enemy-occupied aerodromes in : Holland and France, states the Air Ministry. They dropped bombs on i hangars and runways and seriously interfered with the lighting arrangements there to guide returning German bombers home. In one case ini eendiaries dropped by a Havoc caused i tires which were still burning nearly jan hour later when another Havoc passed near the same aerodrome. This second machine also started a number of fires and caused damage to runoff the south-east coast of England the pilot of a Beaufighter managed to get within Jong distance range of a Junkers 87. He fired and saw some i f his builets hit the aircraft before 1 i) turned and dived steeply away into , the cloud. —B O W. GERMAN RAIDERS TOWN ON SOUTH-EAST COAST BOMBED London, Oct. 21. German air bombers, crossing the ! Straits of Dover at dusk, dropped high explosive and incendiary bombs on a south-east coast town. Bombs damaged houses. No fatalities are reported, but rescuers are searching for two persons feared to be trapped.—U.P.A. COST OF AIRCRAFT FIGURES SHOW SHARP RISE SPEECH BY LORD MOYNE (Rec, 10.30 a.m.) Rugby. Oct.. 22. Interesting figures showing the sharp rise in the cost of aircraft since the last war were given in the House of Lords to-day when Lord Moyne staled that whereas in 1918 £ 5000 would cover most of the patterns of fighters bvilt on wooden frames and the price of the most costly bomber was £12500 to-day the latter figure about covered the cost of the latest fighter. According to a newspaper cutting he has seen Lord Moyne added, the 817 E turned out in large scale in America cost £ 70,000. The development of mechanical warfare he said, upset the proportion between the fighting services and the industries upon which they depended. There had been a huge increase in the l production of tanks, greater than anyone had contemplated at the beginning of the war when apparently Britain was not in possession of a standardised pattern. To keep pace with tanks it was neees: to have mechanised transport never dreamt of before the war. Later in his speech he said that the Germans are reputed to have more fighters on the opposite coast to Britain than on the Russian front. B OAV. FIVE HOUR RAID R.A.F. ATTACK NAPLES HEAVY DAMAGE AND lit GL I IKES (Rec. 9.15 a.m London. Oct. 22. A Rome communique stated that Naples was subjected to a livehour air raid last night. The R.A.F. came in live waves and dropped hundreds of high explosive and in eendiary bombs causing heavy damage and huge tires. Catania and Benghazi were also heavily raided. —U.P.A.