THE KIEL DOCKS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24415, 28 September 1940, Page 11

THE KIEL DOCKS

HEAVY BOMBING RAID SEVERAL BIG EXPLOSIONS OTHER BASES ATTACKED fßritish Official Wireless) (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) RUGBY. Sept. 26. “AH our aircraft returned safely from extensive bombing operations over Germany and the Channel norts last night.” states an Air Ministry communique. “In Berlin aircraft of the Bomber Command attacked power stations, railway communications, and the Tempelhof aerodrome. At Kiel Hie docks were bombed. The goods yards at Osnabruck, Eh rang. Hamm. Mannheim, and Hanover were also damaged. ShipDing. barges, quayside stores at Antwerp, Flushing, Ostend. Dunkirk, Calais and Boulogne were again attacked

“Aircraft of the Coastal Command shot down an enemy bomber into the sea yesterday afternoon.

“ Last night forces of the CoaslaJ Command bombed oil tanks at Brest. Tanks were set on fire and shipping in the harbour also severely damaged.”

The strongly-defended naval dockyard at Kiel, in .which the Scharnhorst is lying, was attacked last night by a force of heavy bombers. Attacks by individual aircraft were made at intervals over a period of two hours, and many direct hits were scored on the targets. Sticks of heavy calibre bombs fell across the northern dockyard and one shipbuilding yard, and the brilliant yellow flash of one big explosion was seen very close to the Scharnhorst. . At Ehrang bomb bursts were seen in the centre of the railwav yards, and one salvo was followed five minutes later by a violent explosion. Another great explosion with a vivid blue flash is believed to have marked a direct hit on an electrical power house. Several Big Fires Started Flames and heavy explosions in the goods yard signalled the usual nightly bombardment of Hamm, and several big fires were started in the yard at Mannheim. In an attack on Osnabruck many direct hits were scored on tracks and goods sidings, and by the light of fires started in a yard, the crew of one of our bombers saw flying debris from a tall chimney, which collapsed across the track. Over Germany bombs were also dropped on Lubeck, on railway yards near Hanover, and on the main line track at Lunen. The canal was straddled and the dock agates hit in an attack on the river port of Haltern, south-west of Munster and Rendeburg. To the west of Kiel a factory was bombed and set on fire. The Varel aerodrome and the Warnemunde seaplane base were also attacked.

In Belgium our heavy and medium bomber force raided the docks at Antwerp, and a large power station at Brussels. Bombs were seen in both cases to explode within the target area. Shipping Harassed Shipping concentrations and harbour installations at Flushing, Dunkirk, Ostend. Calais and Boulogne were again heavily bombed, raids starting in the early hours of Thursday morning, continuing until shortly before dawn. Polish crews, operating with the R.A.F, took pai't in attacks on Ostend, where hits were scored on the main wet docks and quayside basins, in which there were a number of ships of the line. The attacks were pressed home from low levels in the face of intense anti-aircraft fire and the glare of many searchlights. In addition to the damage caused by high explosive bombs, heavy fires within the docks were started by incendiary bombs. Fires and heavy explosions were also reported in Calais by medium bomber crews, who delivered a concentrated attack, lasting half an hour, on the lock and shipping basins. At Boulogne, which was raided at intervals for three and a-half hours, many violent explosions were caused One, described as terrific by an observer, momentarily lit up the whole town. Great fires were started around eight main basins. Several of these, whose flames leapt 200 feet into the air. could be seen by crews of aircraft approaching the target from 50 miles out to sea.