RAID ON PARIS

Timaru Herald, Volume CLI, Issue 22214, 6 March 1942, Page 5

RAID ON PARIS

Heavy Damage To French Industry

Petain Orders Day Of Mourning British Official Wireless (Rec. 8.10 p.m.) RUGBY, Mar. 4. The Secretary of State for Air ‘Sir Archibald Sinclair) told the House of Commons that operations against the Renault works were highly successful. Further details of the raid are given by the Air Ministry which says that the works occupy an area on both banks of the Seine but the most vulnerable part of the factory is on the island joined to the banks by a flying bridge. Every crew was ordered to bring their bombs back if there was any possibility of their missing. By the end of the attack, though there were many large fires entirely within the area of the works, there were only two small fires outside and there were some just on the verge of it along the river bank. The number and scale of the fires in the target area was not easily ascertained because of the great amount of inflammable material. This is proof of the effectiveneess of the attack. Every possible precaution was taken to avoid involving the lives and civilian property of the French. The Renault works is the largest in France for the production of lorries, tanks and other war material. They have for some time been wholly engaged on production for the enemy. A great part of the output has gone to the Russian front. The German controlled radios are doing their utmost to extract the full propaganda value from the R.A.F.’s mammoth attack on Paris, emphasising the civilian casualties and gory descriptions of extracting bodies from the shelters. The Vichy Minister of State, M. Moyssett, said the Renault and Salmson motor factories and the Farman plane factory were very seriously damaged. More than 100 fires in Boulognesur—Seine, including Renaults, are still burning. Admiral Darlan’s Chef de Cabinet, Captain Fontaine, said that when he left Paris at midday the casualties were estimated at 500 to 600 killed and 2000 wounded. More were being discovered as rescue work continued. Captain Fontaine added that the planes flew so low that it could be seen they would inevitably hit the rooftops. According to Paris reports the R.A.F. leaflets contained the phrase “we are coming back often.” The raid left many Paris districts without lights. Welcomed By Free French The Free French National Committee in London stated: “ Parisiennes arriving in London, without exception, emphasised that the population of Paris ardently desired Royal Air Force raids against factories and establishments in the Paris zone working for Germany. This opinion is strongly held by the workers and families' -namely, those lives exposed to the greatest danger.” The latest estimate at Vichy is that 650 were killed in the Royal Air Force raid on Paris last night. British planes were again over Paris in the afternoon, but no bombs were dropped. The planes are believed to have been reconnoitring to see the effects bf the raid last night. Joinville, which is the Holly wood of Paris, is reported to have been hit, as also was the hospital at Neuilly and the gasworks at Le Vesinet. A statement issued on behalf of Marshal Petain states: “The bloody attack, striking only the civilian population, will arouse general indignation and assume the character of a national catastrophe.” Marshal Petain issued a decree for the observance as a national day of mourning the dav when thofte killed are burled. The bodies have not been removed yet from one shelter which was hit. in which, it is believed. 180 werp taking refuge. The Berlin radio. Quoting a Wilhelmstrasse (Foreign Office) spokesman, said that the British two-hour raid on Pans was the heaviest and most successful mass bombing raid the Royal Air Force had carried out since the outbreak of war. The Paris radio stated that according to the latest reports at least 1500 were killed and several hundred injured in the raid. Whole streets and complete districts were razed. No Haphazard Excursions The tactics of Royal Air Force can-non-firing fighters attacking French factories working for the Germans ha vp been described by the leader of a Spitfire squadron. “There is nothing haphazard about these attacks.” he said. “They are not a sudden dash over the coast, blazing away with cannon and machine-guns at nothing in particular. With Snitfires a low-lying attack is essential. The target is carefullv chosen. Timn we make an extremely careful study of roads, railways, and rivers. This is most important, as once the French coast is crossed it is preferable to navigate without a man. “When all the nilots are certain of their course and target, we take off. Q nd once away from fond we go down to sea level. This makes the aircraft almost invisible. When we reach the French coast every advantage is taken of plnnd cover. VZp don’t really obiect to fighter opposition, so long as the odds are pretty fair, but anti-aircraft fire is the most serious thing we hav« to look out for on the other side. The anti-aircraft fire can be very accurate and intense, so if the target is important a surprise attack is very necessary. Value of Attacks “Usually each aircraft makes one attack and then it sneaks awav at a low level and tries to hide behind buildings and trees, while the others carry on. Our intelligence officer tplls us the best part of the factory to hit to cause the maximum damage. We concentrate on that. “The best fun of all is when there is something explosive in the factory and then one of our chaps hits the right spot. Only the other day when four of us went for a factory from different directions, firing as we came, we .saw huge sections thrown into the air. Then flames began to spread, and smoke shot up 500 feet in the air. ‘‘When our attack is over we streak for home. On the way back many a pilot offers a silent, prayer for his single engine, which may have been hit in a vulnerable spot by anti-aircraft fire. “Some people ask if these low-level attacks are worth while. From experience, I would say that though with our cannon and machine-guns we don’t pretend to do what the Bomber and Coastal Commands do with bombs, we do help to upset the German economic war effort. What is more, we believe our sudden incursions do a lot to upset the Germans’ morale, to say nothing of heartening the French.’’ The Diesel engine and petrol engine section of the Renault works in Paris are just a heap of debris and glowing ruins. When the R.A.F. left the gas and water systems serving the German controlled war factories were dislocated