RAIDS ON RUHR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23781, 8 October 1940, Page 7

RAIDS ON RUHR

OIL AND MUNITIONS BAD WEATHER DEFIED ATTACK ON DUTCH PORTS British "Wireless LONDON, Oct. G An Air Ministry communique states: "Our bombers on Saturday night attacked the oil plant at Gelsenkirchen, Krupps -works at Essen, goods yards at Hamm, Osnabruck and Cologne, and shipping at Rotterdam. "Aircraft of the Coastal Command attacked shipping and warehouses at Brest and barge and motor transport concentrations at Gravelines. Routine minelaying operations were also carried out. Three of our aeroplanes are missing." The weather was extremely bad over the entire operations area and bomber crews had to contend with severe icing conditions, violent electrical storms and widespread low cloud which necessitated blind flying over a great part of the route.

One raider, which penetrated into the Ruhr to carry out an attack on the railway yard at Hamm, found the whole route almost completely covered with cloud on the outward journey and when coming home ran into an electrical storm belt 5000 feet in depth. Other aircraft reported clouds to within 100 ft. of the ground, violent static which made wireless communication impossible, and temperatures well below freezing point. The raiding forces which succeeded in reaching the Ruhr locality attacked the oil plant at Gelsenkirchen. For nearly half an hour targets were repeatedly bombed.

Two tons of high-explosive bombs were dropped on Krupps armament factory at Essen in a lightning attack from a high level soon after nine o'clock. In the raid on Hamm explosions occurred after the bombs had burst.

The raiding forces operating over Holland bombed docks and harbour works at Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Flushing. Great fires, visible from 20 miles away, resulted from the bombing. Bombs were also dropped on occupied aerodromes at Schiphol, Texel, Oldebroek and Bussuin. GERMAN LOSSES WEEK'S TOTAL OF 104 NEARLY 4700 IN AGGREGATE British Wireless LONDON, Oct. 6 It is authoritatively stated that during the week ending midnight on October 5 the confirmed German aeroplane losses in battles over Britain amounted to 104, not including machines damaged or probably lost. On the basis of confirmed aeroplane losses alone, German pilot losses aro estimated to exceed 250. In the same period the Royal Air Force lost 40 machines in and around Britain, but from these 21 pilots wore saved. The total aeroplane losses to midnight, October 4, were: —British, 1437; Gorman, 4694; Italian, 211.

BALLOONS ADRIFT DAMAGE IN SWEDEN STOCKHOLM, Oct. 6 The Channel gale last night drove a new batcli of British barrage balloons over Sweden. Aeroplanes shot down some, and others were anchored, but not before electric lines had been damaged in several places and train services interrupted. AMERICANS IN BRITAIN LONDON, Oct. 7 So many Americans are serving today in Britain that an American Eagle Club is shortly to be opened in. the West End of London..