AIR FORCE RAIDS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21646, 6 May 1940, Page 7

AIR FORCE RAIDS

Ry Heavily Bombed

Two Successful

Attacks

Raiders Return Safely

United Pips? Association —By Electric

Telogisph- Copyright

LONDON, May 3

The raids which the Royal Air Force has been making on German air bases in Norway and Denmark have been continued with increased vigour. The Air Ministry announced this afternoon that the large Danish airfield at Ry, lying in open country on the shore of Lake Salten Langso in the north of Jutland, and which is known to be used extensively by the enemy in connection with operations in Norway, had been heavily and successfully boipbed by Royal Air Force aircraft.

The attacks began yesterday evening and continued during the night. A daylight attack * was also made on Stavanger on Thursday, and both this base and Fornebu were also bombed during the night. The communique entjed: "Numerous Royal Air Force aircraft were engaged throughout yesterday in providing protection against air attack for the convoy transporting the British military forces from Andalsnes. No British aircraft were lost in any of these operations.”

The attacks on Ry. announced by the Air Ministry, were the first on this nest of enemy air transports. A strong concentration of aircraft dispersed around the landing ground was subjected to two separate attacks, the first in the half light of late evening and the second after dark.

Many Hits Registered More than twenty aircraft could be seen on the first approach. Traversing the aerodrome from east to west singly and in quick succession, the first section of the raiders dropped their load of explosive and incendiary bombs on the landing ground and the woods. A salvo from the leader was seen by following aircraft to fall in the centre of the aerodrome, setting two enemy machines alight. Hits were registered in all parts of the landing area, and as the last attackers drew off fires were seen to have broken out on three sides of the aerodrome while the surrounding woods were alight and blazing fiercely. A few minutes later the rearguard of the attacking force was in action. Continuous bursts of their high explosives and incendiary bombs straddling the aerodrome and woods added to the blazing confusion on the ground below. A deep pall of flame-riddled smoke now enveloped the air base. Fifty miles from the target on the homeward journey the rear gunner of one of the raiding aircraft saw the vivid flash of an explosion from the direction of Ry, as if an ammunition dump or petrol store had been blown up. No enemy aircraft were seen during the raid and though a heavy pom-pom and machine-gun fire was encountered over the target area, none of the British aircraft were hit. Explosions and Fires Caused The second phase of the attack on Ry began soon after dark and ceased two hours after the first raiding force had left. Converging on the aerodrome singly and from different directions, the night raiders bombed their target at intervals for nearly thirty minutes, attacking from various heighs. Two hits were registered in the north-west corner of the aerodrome, a heavy bomb was seen to burst just short of the main hangar, an.l a salvo of three straddled the northern boundary of the target. Numerous explosions occurred in the woods and new fires were seen to break out. The opposition from the ground defences was again ineffective and all the British aircraft returned to their bases. Other aircraft of the Bomber Command patrolled over the Frisian Islands to prevent mine-laying aircraft tc.'ing off. They met with severe opposition from anti-aircraft guns. One British bomber was attacked by three German fighters. Although cne British rear gunner was killed in a fierce battle, he shot down one German aeroplane. The others then broke off the engagement. With both pilot and navigator wounded, the bomber was brought safely to her base. Seaplane Destroyed In the course of Wednesday night’s operations against Stavanger there \ as a successful encounter between a Bomber Command aircraft and a German seaplane, which apparently was returning home from a mine-laying expedition off the English coast. The captain of the British aircraft said: "The most important thing was to catch the seaplane before it reach-

ed its base. A few minutes after the I chase began we saw a flare being drop- ! pd, no doubt a signal to the ground ■ staff to illuminate the water ready for a landing. Time seemed to be getting ■ the better of us. Another flare was dropped and five mile away we saw ; the seaplane’s landing place lit up at i the same time that the seaplane was descending to light. By now we were r within 600 yards of the aircraft and i slightly below it. A few minutes later . we got right underneath the seaplane i and by tilting the nose upwards, I was able to lot them have a stream of bullets right between the floats. ATter • the final attack was carried out at close range, the seaplane, now only a thousand feet above the water, tipped over on the starboard side and rapidly i fell into the sea.”