"IMPOSSIBLE WEATHER” COUNTERED

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 84, Issue 243, 15 October 1940, Page 5

"IMPOSSIBLE WEATHER” COUNTERED

R.A.F. BOMBING OF GERMAN NAVAL BASES

FACTORIES AND AERODROMES LONDON, Oct. 13. lhe Air Ministry announces: “Adverse weather restricted operations by our bombers on Friday night. Nevertheless, widespread military objectives in Germany and enemy-occupied territory were attacked, including oil plants, factories, and docks in Kiel, ' Hamburg. Bremenhaven, Wester- . mude, and Wilhelmshaven, and sev 1 eral aerodromes. The offensive against the Channel ports from Rotterdam to Cherbourg was continued. Ail our planes returned.” A bulletin, describing the raids, says that the heavy bombers encountered • what one pilot called “impossible wea- ; ther” on the way to some of the tar- . gets. Near the Dutch coast a depth : of thick clouds, dense fog, and rainstorms hid the land and sea. In addition severe icing conditions handi- . capped the pilots. The bombers which attacked Wilhelmshaven found a patch of clear weather over the target, although ground haze prevented detailed observation. An enormous white explosion followed the release of a very heavy bomb over the dock area, and fires ; i i were seen after attacks from 1 other aircraft. Bremen was ati tacked at the same time, and at Kiel a series of explosions was observed after the raid, and three fires were blazing when the bombers left. Docks and works of the Deutsche Petroleum Company in Hamburg were also bombed, and fires were [started in the early stage of the atIsland Bases. ■ Several aerodromes on the islands I • strung along the Dutch and German 1 coast suffered severely, among them I De Kooy, Texel, Norderney, Wasgerroog. and Sylt. During the attack on De Kooy. where fires and explosions were observed, a heavy bomber was ■ attacked by two enemy fighters. The ' R.A.F. rear gunner fired three long r bursts at 150 yards, and one fighter 1 w.ent down and disappeared in the r water and the other -immediately e sheered off. At Den Fielder one pilot came down to 5000 feet to attack shipping e the quayside. Five fires followed and - from the observer’s report it is evi--3 dent that ships and sneds were hit. “ and other bombs are known to have fallen on a jetty. i The invasion ports attacked includ-

ed Antwerp, Ostend, Calais, Boulogne,! and Le Treport. A large explosion and : tires in the inner haroour at Boulogne were among the results observed. At Ostend bombs fell across the outer harbour, and fires were started in several bases.

GOOD WEEKS WORK

RAIDS ON HEAVY SCALE 1 j ONLY EIGHT PLANES LOST LIST 0E OBJECTIVES ; 1 I British Official Wireless. ] Received Oct. 14, 5.5 p.m. , RUGBY, Oct. 13. i British raids on Germany and occupied territory during the week ended at dawn on October 11 were on the same heavy scale as during the preceding week. Among the outstanding objectives were: ■] Berlin.—Power stations, gasworks, > aero engine works, an electrical 1 equipment factory, railways, and • goods yards. ’ Essen.—Krupp works, twice raided. Grevenbroich. Aluminium works and a carbon electrode factory. I Hanau. —Metal works. Seven great oil plants in Germany ■ were bombed, including the Rhenania

and Ossag works at Hamburg, with a combined annual output capacity of nearly 1,500,000 metric tons, where, it was stated, “indescribable destruction’’ resulted within a one-kilometre radius of the Hamburg objective. In Norwegian waters supply ships were sunk by the Fleet Air Arm. while at Amsterdam the Fokker aircraft factory suffered three raids. In all. 58 raids were carried out against ports, coastal defences, and shipping; 28 againts railway junctions and goods y.'.rds; 13 against factories; 35 against aerodromes and. seaplane bases; and 12 against oil plants and refineries and against public utility establishments. In all these widespread raids the R.A.F. lost only eight aircraft, while three German planes are known to 'have been destroyed.