10-HOUR RAID ON CATANIA

Southland Times, Issue 24651, 24 January 1942, Page 5

10-HOUR RAID ON CATANIA

HEAVY DAMAGE TO AXIS BASE MANY EXPLOSIONS AND ' FIRES (8.0.W.) RUGBY, January 22. For more than 10 hours on Tuesday night wave after wave of Royal Air Force Wellington bombers swept in from the sea and blasted the German and Italian forces based at Catania on the east coast of Sicily, says the Air Ministry News Service. The last bomber left just before daybreak. The air crews reported throughout the night about 20 fires from burning aircraft. It was the second night in succession that the aerodrome had been attacked, and it was the fourth raid on Sicilian air bases during the past week. A pilot officer in one of the later formations of bombers was fortunate enough to find the aerodrome illuminated. The perimeter and landing lights were switched on to enable two Junker 88’s to come in. The officer waited until he calculated that the first Junker was about to touch down. Then he released all his bombs in a stick along the runway. The Junker had just touched ground as one bomb exploded in front of it. A fire was also started at the end of the runway.

GENERAL ATTACK The general attack was opened shortly before 8 \p.m. by a flight-lieutenant whose bombs fell across the runway and in the northern corner of the Aerodrome, which was being used by the enemy as a dispersal point for bpmbers. Several fires were started, followed by at least 12 explosions. A pilot said he could still see the fires burning when (more than 40 miles away. Arriving over the target shortly afterwards, a New Zealand squadron leader reported that he saw a number of explosions in the dispersal area and fires. So heavy was the anti-aircraft fire- when he approached to make an attack that he dived several thousand feet to put off the ground gunners.

Bombs from this aircraft started two large fires which were visible from at least 50 miles away and caused a series of violent explosions. Other hits were

scored on the administration buildings at the north end of the aerodrome. More fires were started subsequently, and one air crew counted nine large explosions. A sergeant-pilot said that when he arrived over the target there were several Mulsh-white glows which were the remains of burning aircraft. ■

A Royal Air Force Middle East communique reports that on Tuesday night objectives at Salamis, in Greece, were raided but because of low cloud the results of the attack were not observed. .Bombs were also dropped at Heraklion, Crete, and objectives near Patras, in the Gulf of Corinth.