DEVASTATING RAID

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24432, 18 October 1940, Page 8

DEVASTATING RAID

BOMBING OF OIL REFINERY R.A.F. PILOT’S DESCRIPTION (British Official Wireless) RUGBY, Oct. 16. The bombing attack carried out by the R.A.F. on Monday night on the oil refinery at Bohlen began in weather which one pilot described as filthy, but which Improved so quickly on the journey that he had never known visibility so clear on any previous raid. “ Over the Ruhr, for instance,” he said, “we could see factory chimneys, railway bridges, and viaducts, and could even nick out streets in the towns over which we passed. We had a good look at Leipzig, then flew, south towards the oil refinery at Bohlen. One flare we dropped hampered rather than helped us because of the glare of it on the slight haze on the ground. In any case, the moon was bright enough to show us all we wanted to see. There was a railway running roughly alongside our objective, and we ran practically dead over the line, dropping bombs in one ‘ stick ’ from south to north over the target. “As we turned round we saw the bombs burst right on the target. There was. no doubt about it, for 30 seconds after they landed there were some pretty hefty explosions about 100 yards to 200 yards apart. About a minute and a-half later there was a colossal upheaval. First I saw a huge shower of sparks, then suddenly a great white column of smoke or steam shot up. It rose practically dead straight and reached about 6000 feet. It amazed everybody in the aircraft.”