TRANSPORT BADLY DISORGANISED

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21817, 21 November 1940, Page 5

TRANSPORT BADLY DISORGANISED

Krupp Production Halved Hammer Blows By R.A.F. United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received November 20, 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, November 19. The Royal Air Force has halved the production of the Krupp works at Essen, forced the closure of some departments and the removal of others, states the Air Ministry. Krupp’s have great difficulty in obtaining regular supplies of raw materials because of transport trcablcs resulting from the wrecked railway junction. Three sections of the factory are out of action. Four large buildings at the Union chemical factory at Stettin have been wrecked, the biggest oil refinery at Hanover has been destroyed and the Deutsche Vacuum Oil Company factory at Bremen is out of action. The liner Europa is reported to have been hit amidships while docked at Bremen. Damage to the power house at the Fokker works at Amsterdam is believed to have stopped production for some weeks. The harvests in many parts of Germany are rotting ungathered in the fields. The disorganisation of transport is so acute that sufficient workers

cannot be transported to the fields nor the crops conveyed to the stores. The harvesting of the wheat and potato crop in Saxony is almost at a standstill. Refugees in all parts of Germany, avoiding the official ban against movement, are attempting to escape the long arm of the R.A.F. Many are going to Austria, particularly Vienna, where the food situation is becoming acute. Vienna is not welcoming refugees and ill-feeling is apparently growing. Demonstrations against German refugees are frequently reported. The Gothenburg newspaper “Svenska Dagbladet” says that a committee of Danish architects, contractors and workers is going to Hamburg in connection with negotiations for works which are estimated to cost about £30,000,000. Raid On Oil Works “In the face of extremely adverse weather, aircraft of the Bomber Command attacked the synthetic oil works at Leuna last night,” states an Air Ministry communique. “Good results were observed and several large fires were caused, particularly in the northern end of the target area. All our aircraft returned safely.” The Royal Air Force bombers were over the target for three hours, and great damage was done to the works, which manufacture commercial fertilisers and other by-products, in addition to producing large quantities of synthetic oil. In spite of the bad weather the target was easily identified, and large explosions and fires followed the raids.