RAIDS ON BERLIN

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21243, 14 October 1940, Page 7

RAIDS ON BERLIN

HEAVY CALIBRE KRUPPS WORKS HIT OIL PLANTS RUINED iomclal Wireless) (Received Oct. 14, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, Oct. 13 An Air Ministry communique issued early this afternoon describes how last night strong forces of Royal Air Force bombers, carrying the heaviest calibre bombs yet taken over enemy territory, continued the offensive on military objectives in Germany and enemy occupied territory. It states; “In Berlin several targets, including an electric power station, gas works, and an important goods yard, were hit. “ Elsewhere industrial objectives including aluminium works at Hering. and electric power station at Waldeck, the Krupp works at Essen, a blast furnace at Torgau, metal works at Bitterfeld, and Fokker aircraft works at Amsterdam, were bombed. Oil plants at Cologne and Hanover, goods yards at Hamm and Cologne, the Dortmund-Ems aqueduct, and several enemy aerodromes were also attacked. Other forces of Royal Air Force bombers paid their nightly visit to Channel ports and the gun emplacements at Cap Cris Nez. Aircraft of the Coastal Command yesterday attacked a convoy off the Norwegian coast. An enemy supply ship was damaged and others were attacked with machine-gun lire. Last night a force of Coastal Command aircraft successfully attacked the power station at Lorient, in | enemy-occupied France. From these I operations all our aircraft returned safely. The following joint Admiralty and Air Ministry communique was issued at 4.15 p.m.: Air reconnaissance has been arried out over Cherbourg, which as ! previously announced, was heavily bombarded by both heavy and light forces of the Royal Navy, with the co-operation of the Royal Air Force, on Thursday night. Damage to Shipping Although it is not possible to give details of all the information obtained by the reconnaissance, it can be I stated that there is a considerable 1 reduction of shipping at Cherbourg ! and much damage has been done. : In the Petite Rade torpedo boats i appear to have been damaged. The • Bassin Charles now only contains a ! few vessels, and dry docks and repair | slips in the Bassin Napoleon were damaged. A vessel moored alongside the ! Gare Maritime was still burning fiercely at the time of the reconnaissance and a fire was still burning on ! the east side of the inner harbour, j The colonial infantry barracks, 1 near the outer harbour, appear to j have been severely damaged. ! The main seaplane base at Chantereyne was hit and seriously damaged. Outstanding Objectives Hit j The British raids on German- ' occupied territory during the week 1 ended at dawn on October 11 were on the same heavy scale as during the preceding week, i Among the outstanding objectives ! attacked were: | Berlin—Power stations, gasworks, i aero-engine works, electrical equipment factory, and railways goodsyards. Essen—Krupps works twice raided. Grevenbroich—Aluminium works and a carbon electrode factory. Hanau—Metal works. Seven great oil plants in Germany were bombed, including the Rhenania Ossag works in Hamburg, with a combined annual output capacity of nearly 1,500,000 metric tons, where a state of “ indescribable destruction,” resulted within one kilometre radius of the Hamburg objective. In Norwegian waters supply ships were sunk by the Fleet Air Arm, i while at Amsterdam the Fokker airj craft factory suffered three raids. | In all 58 raids were carried out ; against ports, coastal defences and j shipping, 28 against railway junctions and goods yards, 13 against j factories, 35 against aerodromes and i seaplane bases, and 12 against oil ! plants, refineries and public utility j establishments. i In all these widespread raids ‘ the Royal Air Force lost only eight aircraft, while three German planes are known to have been destroyed, Thrilling Encounter At Night A German fighter shot down lasl Friday night by a British bombei returning from operations over Germany was the third enemy machine to be destroyed in two successive ! nights by Royal Air Force bombers i according to an Air Ministry bulletin i This enemy fighter was in com- | pany with another machine, but onij j one of them attacked. The Germar ! plane came in from astern at abou' 1 500 yards, and then turned on the : British machine. The bomber tool evasive action, then the fighter closec at 150 yards. At this range the rear gunner o: j the bomber opened fire and in all h< I fired three long bursts before th< fighter had fired a single shot. Th< enemy machine was seen falling int< | the sea. Such night combats are excep tional, though in recent month, Royal Air Force crews have reportec an increase in enemy fighter activi i ties at night.