NO RESPITE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24506, 15 January 1941, Page 7

NO RESPITE

VITAL EMMY BASES HEAVY BOBBING RAIDS SEVERAL SHIPS AT^GKED .(British Officiar Wireless) ; (United Press .Association'). , (By Electric Teießr'aph-i-Copyrightv; ." '.-'J- "RUGBY;, Jan.'l3; . Targets in France, Germany, and Italy were objectives : of the • R.A.F. last night. ' ' , ' / v;%-'--\;-<,''':'-; ' .!i'•' The docks at Brest were ; attacked with incendiaries? and. .high : . ; explosives. A number of heavy, bombs burst along the waterfront, and fire's'broke out; A warehouse was set/ablate, and';a. large fire' started in 'the port. . ■"'.'. Le Havre and Lorierit we'fe. also at-; I tacked, and high explosives were seen to. burst- in the docks of • both these harbours. '•• ■/•'"■;■' Sj- ' Aerodromes, . including those. at Vannes, Chartres, Evr.eux, and .Mor4aix • ;were visited;, and ..good, results were observed.: At. Vannes and. Chartres: aerodrome buildings were.set'well alight, and ; at Evreux a nurnber of hostile aircraft on 'the. .ground ; was set on fire. -From these operations over France none of: our, machines is missing. '; • .' ; . r ' ;'•.;.; ' ; Smashing Blows Throughout yesterday; during, the daylight hours and. at night, the R.A.F. maintained a vigorous offensive. . delivering smashing, blows at targets in -enemy and enemy-occupied countries. Daylight attacks made on the French and Belgian coasts, were, aimed at hampering German ' preparations " for night raids on Britain.- Aircraft of both the Bomber and. the Coastal "Commands participated in.night attacks, the Objctives" ranging* from shipping, off Norway to the U-boat base at Lorient and inland targets in France; Germany, and Italy. ■.•"-. '■■-■'-'■■ "■'-/.' . .The Air Ministry bulletin.describing last night's attacks;says that.; the dry and wet docks at: Lorient Were battered ' with heavy, bombs.. One pilot saw. a salvo explode in a crimson sheet of flame among buildings-on the-river banks. ■ ]■"■■■' .'--'". J - At the end of the., attacks storehouses and - other' buildings near the port militaire and ..the power; .station were burning fiercely.. > ■. > : . Docks and shipping."at; Brest were also attacked, arid a heavy bomb was, seen to burst near'the power station and big fires were seen in the docks. Ship Shrouded in Smoke While on patrol : ihong the- coast of Norway yesterday, •' another aircraft of the Coastal Command.borh'bfcd■■•a supply ship, and after scoring, a direct hit on the stern; flew.over the vessel and ! sprayed its deck with machine gun fire. The ship was '., left shrouded in smoke. • . _'";;'■.. i • ; <..':'-.;'4.l''- '-'v Blenheims of the..Coastal.Command were also off Norway, and attacked and hit a second large German supply ship, which opened -'fire. The Blenheims raked its deck with; machine gims. • : A small force ,of bombers; last night attacked the important oil refineries at Regensburg, and also Porto Marghera, near Venice; There were several fires at Regensburg, and at- Ostend a large explosion followed a fire. Incendiaries dropped by the first raiders set fire to the Porto Marghera objective,>and the Whole target was,' well, alight" when-the last arrived an, hour- later. Machinegun fire from, a tew. hundred feet first silenced the anti-aircraft defences,, and then a heavy bomb, released 'from a very low level, .blew •up /one; of /the large refinery buildings. More "bombs set fire to oil. storage; tanks,' and ,a second large building, was ; seen 'to collapse and fall id>pieces. Sheds/and workshops were, machine-gunned, at almost ground lfeyfel. and -the ;,■ targets were left blazing. - One of * our planes is missing, ; :-'"'' : -".-;/.?•,.•■.:.V '■ :;;;:;, .;■■■'.'■■;■■■ ; Invasion Forts Attacked

An Air Ministry' communique states: During the hours •of daylight' yesterday small. formationsi! of put fighters patrolled the French /coast .off the. Straits, of Dover, attacking from a low 'level troops in trenches near thebeach. as well, as shipping 'and'.the .defences. From these and other day operations two of our fighters are missing. Hurricanes swept low over the Belgian and French coasts, !tb; machinegun the enemy troops and shipping. The first patrol was led by a squadron leader, who came down to sea le\ r el and twice attacked an E-boat 800 yards off shore. The Hurricanes swept the deck with bullets and then attacked a drifter. Another patrol attacked a second E-boat from astern from sea level, and the boat made for the shore. The patrol continued across the coast and machine-gunned .troops in trenches near the beach. Two other small ships were machine-gunned. A third patrol attacked a large two-masted schooner and a number of,small vessels. :■ '■ Heavy and accurate anti-aircraft, fire was encountered, and Messerschmitt 109,'s were sent up to intercept and engage our planes. Two of-our pilots ,ue missing. One thought he had been hit when he looked into his mirror and saw what seemed to be damage to his elevator tip.: When he landed he found a bird entangled in his aerial. PICTURES OF OBJECTIVES TWO CAMERAS REQUIRED (British Official Wireless) // RUGBY, Jan. 13. : (Received Jan.'l4, at 7 p ; m.) . An intelligence officer describes in an Air Ministry news bulletin \the less spectacular but equally dangerous part played in'R.A.F. operations by photo reconnaissance, crews. , The pilots, observer;; air gunner, and wireless operator all co-operate in bringing home the best, obtainable 'pictures of aerodromes and other military objectives in Germany and occupied territory. Of the two cameras carried —together they weigh only 281 b, or 601 b less than the German countei*parts—one is vertical, and is worked electrically, the lens pointing through a hole in the floor, and the other is oblique and hand operated. When, the objective—an aerodrome, for example —is reached, the , control button is pressed and the camera begins: to do its work, recording, the dispositions of the Luftwaffe station with 20 or 30 aeroplanes on the tarmac or dispersed round the boundary. Regardless of signs of enemy activity, the bomber flies on while the observer works out, the time intervals necessary -for the required lap of 60 per cent. Fighting often develops, however. Making Certain of Results "To. make matters more exciting," says the intelligence officer, "there are fighters diving on their tail, but the air gunners hold their fire until the Messerschmitts close in, and then they let them have it good and hard." Meantime the vertical camera con\ tinues to run To make certain of good results, the pilot brings the aircraft down to 1000 feet. At this height they get a warm reception from the

pompoms and machine.. guns, but a further record is taken by .the oblique camera, and it is well' worth it. Two or three hours after the crew have landed in safety copies of the prints will be in the hands of experts. The stereoscope and magnifiers will tell to trained eyes and mind an amazing amount of detail. Aircraft types will be recognised as well its unusual activities, and a detailed report is soon on its way to the operational \ staff, PORTO MARGHERA RAID TARGETS LEFT IN FLAMES^ (British Official Wireless) RUGBY, Jan, 13. (Received Jan. 14, at 7.30 p.m.) The great damage done to the dockyards and petroleum works at Porto Marghera, Venice, is described in an Air Ministry news bulletin dealing with the widespread Royal Air Force raids on Sunday night, British bombers arrived '. at Porto Marghera just before 2 o'clock in the morning to find very clear weather. The last plane left an hour later, its rear gunner looking back with satisfaction at the target alight'from end to end. One pilot came down to under 1000 feet, and saw one of his .heaviest bombs fall on the roof of a large factory and burst inside the building. A cloud of smoke, reddened by fire, rose to more than half the height at which i the British machine was' flying, and the building was soon hidden by leap-■ ing flames. ■;.'.'.:. '.■•. ■' When another large building was hit the whole mass appeared, to' disintegrate in a shower of sparks and a cloud of smoke OH Storage Tanks Hit Other pilots got direct hits on oil storage tanks. The unmistakable black smoke of burning oil rolled over theport, and the fires of Porto Marghera could easily be seen,when bur bombers went back over the French Alps. .?'■'■