TRAIL OF FIRE

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21220, 17 September 1940, Page 6

TRAIL OF FIRE

ENEMY BASES ATTACKED ALONG CHANNEL COAST BARGES SET ALIGHT (Official Wireless) (Received Sept. 17, 3.15 p.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 16 The invasion of bases on the Dutch, Belgian and French coast was again the chief objective of Sunday night’s raids by the bomber squadrons of the Royal Air Force. The night’s heaviest attack was directed against the docks at Antwerp, where great fleets of bar/es and many ships have been accumulated during recent weeks. In a raid which began half an hour before midnight and was kept up for close on three hours many tons of high explosives and hundreds of incendiary bombs were unloaded on docks and shipping by relays of heavy bombers. Bright moonlight in the early stages of the attack clearly revealed many barges moored in the dock basin. The barges which were struck and set ablaze exploded in flashes of flames which lit the whole dock. A goods yard caught fire and buildings were wrecked. The trail of fire following a scries of explosions spread rapidly along the quayside, engulfing warehouses and other buildings in its course. Mass of Flames By 1.30 a.m. one of the main wharfs was a mass of flames and other growing fires could be seen in all parts of the docks. At Ostend shipping docks were subjected to a series of intermitten 1 yaids by heavy and medium bombers over a period of four hours. In the first attack. launched shortly after midnight, a line of bombs burst across the docks in the outer harbour. A second stick, falling at one end of a basin, struck what appeared to be a large transport vessel, which Immediately caught lire. Following attackers straddled the basin and shipping wharf with a line of high explosive bombs and started a number of fires, which later, merging into one great blaze, lit up the clouds 5000 feet above the town. Other bombs caused heavy explosions, which were seen by one aircraft while it was still fifteen miles I'rom the target. Attacks on Boulogne were delivered by a force of medium bombers. The visibility and moonlight were good, and making full use of the available cloud, the bomber pilots attacked the targets by diving through a gap and climbing quickly back Into the clouds’ cover after dropping bombs. Repeated hits were scored alongside two of the main basins on shipping, on a jetty formerly used by the cross-channel steamers, and on the southern half of the mole. At Dunkirk extensive damage was caused by medium bombers, which scored direct hits on docks and harbour equipment. Tremendous Flash One tremendous flash, seen 20 miles away, was caused by a violent explosion, which broke out on No. 4 dock. Here a fire was still raging more than two hours later. In a raid on Calais and Flushing the bombers’ crews reported frequent hits on docks and quayside, and many outbreaks of fire. Ships along the quay at Calais are believed to have been set on fire, and a white fire which broke out on the edge of the west basin was still burning strongly 30 minutes later. Attacks On Berlin Berlin was again visited early on Monday morning by a harassing force, which bombed military objectives to the north-west of the city and the Tempelhoff airport, and also attacked a power station which had been damaged in a previous raid. The raiders, whose visit gave Berliners their first two alarms in one night, met with anti-aircraft lire, but none of the aircraft was hit. In the course of attacks on German rail centres other heavy bomber forces raided Osnabruck. where six hcavy-calibre bombs were seen to burst across the goods yard, and Soest, where a heavy explosion occurred in the railway yards some time after the bombs had been seen to strike the target. At Krefeld fires were started. A goods train standing in the yard was hit. Six buildings collapsed when six bombs fell across them at Hamm, which has been described as the nerve centre of the German rail transport. A fire started on the sidings could be seen 20 miles away. During an attack on the longrange gun emplacements at Cap Gris Nez. near Calais, the searchlights adjacent to the guns were bombed and extinguished. The surrounding woods were set an fire, and the emplacements left encircled by fire, which was visible many miles out to sea. Attacks on Shipping Successful attacks on enemy shipping were a feature of the night’s operations. A enemy cruiser was sighted off Terscnelling Island just before midnight, and was hit by a high explosive bomb from a heavy bomber, which at < .ice came under intense fire from the warship. The bomber had the leading edge of its starboard wing and part of its tail unit shot away, a landing wheel punctured, and many bullet holes in the wing but dopite the damage was brought safely to the I leu in a sinking condition alter sev-

eral direct hits had been scored on it. A 6000-ton oil tanker was seen steaming westward without lights and also was intercepted and attacked with bombs and machine-gun fire from a height of only 500 feet. Two direct hits were scored, one on the after part of the vessel and the other amidships. Britain’s Low Rate of Loss V It can authoritatively be stated that the losses sustained by Royal Air Force bombers in the intensive night raids upon vital military objectives in Germany and German-occupied territories have been much lower rates than those responsible for the long-term planning of the British air operations thought it prudent to allow for. The rate for the whole of the first year of the war is considerably below what had been anticipated. but even in the last few months, while blow after blow has been struck at German oil resources and vital communications and latterly at the invasion bases across the Channel, the rate of loss has still been much below that for which provision was made originally. Subscriptions to Cam.d.fs second - ’!i" loan so far total 243,100,000 dollar stales a message from Ottawa.