VAST DAMAGE

Timaru Herald, Volume CLI, Issue 22215, 7 March 1942, Page 5

VAST DAMAGE

Bombing of Renault Works Photographic Proof British Official Wireless (Rec. 9.34 p.m.) RUGBY, Mar. 5. The accuracy of the Royal Air Force bombing of the Renault works at Billanco, near Paris, is established beyond all doubt by night photographs taken during the bombing. Much of the works is obscured by the top of the engines and the confusion of the smoke, but daylight photographs taken some hours later show that fires are still burning. The smoke has cleared away and a great stretch of damage is plain to the view It is evenly distributed over the whole area of the works. The only two sections which seem to have escaped the crippling attack are the tyre manufacturing shop, which was not in the target areas, and the diesel engine assembly shop at the extreme tip of the Island. Two of the most vital sections—the power station and the sequin tank assembly shops—have been very badly knocked about and other sections which appear to be badly damaged are the engine shops, rolling mills, chemical products department, keller tank assembly shops, western tank assembly shops, main gasometer, metal stores department, aircraft depot, administrative offices, modelling department and various repair shops and foundries. The power station shows a heavily damaged roof and it is probable that the interior suffered extensively. The north-east part of one of the tank assembly shops appears to be almost entirely destroyed by Are and when the original photographs are closely examined wrecked tanks can be seen inside the building through a hole caused by a direct hit. It is believed that this assembly shop was producing 27 tanks a week. One photograph shows great destruction in an area in which the administrative offices, engine shops and com-

ponents workshop are concentrated and .here fires were still burning when a daylight reconnaissance was made. In other photographs collapsed roofs have exposed the destroyed assembly lines. The fact that many bombs would naturally not explode until they had pierced the roofs and walls of the buildings makes it probable that damage to stocks and machinery is even greater than seen in the photographs. In an attack on a target almost totally surrounded by residential buildings it is unfortunately unavoidable that such buildings will also suffer damage. There was certainly some damage outside the Renault works — mostly occasioned by blast —but having regard to the scale of the attack this damage was astonishingly slight and provides fine testimony to the care and accuracy of the pilots. The daylight photographs were taken by a reconnaissance aircraft of the Coastal Command which came down as low as 400 feet over the city. It took off and landed in exceptionally bad weather and flew through German fighter defences.