FRENCH ARMS WORKS POUNDED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 19 October 1942, Page 5

FRENCH ARMS WORKS POUNDED

CONCENTRATED K\l BOMBING HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL RESULTS London, Oct. 18, A large force of unescorted Lancasters at (Ills!, last night conecntratedly bombed for 20 minutes, for the first time, the huge arms works of Le Crcusot, 170 miles soutlieastwards of Paris. It was the Bom her Command’s heaviest daylight raid of the war, and the longest by such a large force of Lancasters since the daylight raid on Augsberg on 17th April The Air Ministry says preliminary reports show the operation was highly successful. One Lancaster has not returned. The Le Creusot arms works covei 287 acres and are the largest'and mos important of the international Schnei der cartel. They have been makinj the German pattern of guns of ver; heavy calibre, also locomotives, ma chine tools and armourplate. Compar able to Krupps in size and importance

the Germans during the battle for France avoided bombing the works. The Air Ministry says Le Creusot has no features or landmarks for night navigation, and the town is small and congested, and a night attack would have inflicted great losses on the French civilian population. MANY FIRES AND AN EXPLOSION Fuller reports on yesterday’s Lancaster raid on the Schneider Le Creusot works are announced by the Air Ministry. They reveal that the first squadron over the target was led by Wing Commander L. C. Slee. All the bombing was completed within seven minutes. In that time a great weight of bombs was dropped. Many fires broke out and shortly after the attack there was a large explosion. One formation bombed an electrical transformer station nearby, which supplies power to the Schneider works. The only aircraft missing of 94 planes which were engaged in the operation was lost ip this attack. One Lancaster was attacked by three Arando float planes and shot two of them down into the sea. DESCRIBED AS SENSATIONAL Commentators are claiming that the Lancasters’ raid on Le Creusot arms works last evening will'rank as one of the R.A.F.’s greatest achievements. Experts on the meagre details available are already describing it is sensational. Vichy radio declared that 40 French people were killed and 80 injured in the raid—B.O.W. Further describing Saturday’s daylight raid on Le Creusot the Air Ministry news service says the majority of the great force of Lancasters hedgehopped across France and climbed to the attack. The main target was bombed from between 4000 and 6000 feet. A small force was detached to bomb the transformer works which it did from 500 feet with great effect. The only one of the 94 Lancasters lost was seen to crash here beside the target. Little anti-aircraft fire was encountered.