WEATHER DEFIED

Opotiki News, Volume III, Issue 320, 8 October 1940, Page 1

WEATHER DEFIED

BRITISH RAIDERS ACTIVE BOMBING OF GERMANY ICING CONDITIONS VIOLENT STORM ZONES. LOW-LYING CLOUD (News by Cable.) RUGBY, Oct. 6. An oil storage plant in the Ruhr, Krupps armament factory at Essen and docks at Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Flushing were among the targets successfully attacked on Saturday night by aircraft of the Bomber Command. The weather was extremely bad over the entire area of operations. The 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 w'hich peaclvitcl into the Ruhr to carry out an attack on the railway yards at Hamm found. the whole route completely covered with cloud on the outward journey, and when coming home the plane ran into an electrical storm belt 5000 ft. in depth. Other aircraft reported clouds to within 100 ft. of the ground, violent which made wireless communication impossible, and temperatures well below freezing- point. • '

Series of Explosions The raiding forces which succeeded in reaching the Ruhr located and a Mooted an oil plant a + . Gelsenkirchen. For nearly halt an u<aw the targets were repeatedly bombed. A series of minor explosions followed the bursting of heavy-cal-ibre bembs and incendiary bombs Scattered across the factory area started several fires, one of which quickly developed into a great blaze. Two tons of high-explosive bombs were dropped on Krupps’ armament factory at Essen in a lightning attack from, a high level soon after 9 o’clock. In the raid on Hamm explosions occurred after the bombs burst. The raiding forces operating over Holland bombed docks and harbour works at Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Flushing. At Rotterdam heavy calibre bombs were seen to burst along the dock-side, and buildings on the north bank opposite the dock entrance were set on fire. The dock area on the south side of the river was the chief target at Amsterdam and here great fires, visible from 20 miles away, resulted from the bombing.

At Flushing heavy calibre bombs which struck a dock started a train of explosions lasting for 10 minutes and set fires blazing which could be seen by aircraft far out at sea.

Bombs were also dropped on the German-occupied aerodromes at Schipol,. Tcxel, Oldebroek and Bussum. At Oldebroek bombs were seen to biU’st across the landing ground close to a lighted flare path.

After the attack at Bussum enemy aircraft seen circling over the aerodrome were attacked by machinegun fire and driven off.