NORTHERN ITALY RAIDED

Waikato Times, Volume 129, Issue 21524, 12 September 1941, Page 5

NORTHERN ITALY RAIDED

HEAVIEST ATTACK OF WAR ROYAL ARSENAL AT TURIN BOMBED FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS—WIDESPREAD DESTRUCTION (Official Wireless) (Received Sept. 12, 11.30 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 11 Last night the Royal Air Force made an attack on Northern Italy, which was by far the most powerful yet made. Since the last attack on the night of January 12 fhe Bomber Command has been heavily reinforced by Fortress bombers, and last night Stirlings led an attack against the Royal Arsenal, factories and railways at Turin. Halifaxes came later, as well as two-engined bombers. It was the first time, states the Air Ministry, that our heaviest bombers have made the journey of 1200 miles there and back, with a double crossing of the Alps. Some of the crews in last night’s attack were over Berlin on Sunday night, and they described the journey to Italy as “like an air liner trip in peace-time.” “ We went down through France,” said a Stirling pilot. “It was as quiet as the grave. One or two searchlights poked into the clouds. We could see splashes of light on the clouds below us, but they were ineffective and soon gave up. As wr made the Alps crossing we were flying at one time at over 20,000 feet. “As soon as we crossed we lost height again and came down to Turin. Already there were three large blocks on fire in a row. We went on and the navigator found the railway station and we dropped a stick of bombs across it. We went round again and came back to drop a second stick. As we turned towards the Alps we saw the attack getting under way. There were lots of bombs being dropped.”

The pilot of a Wellington bomber came down to 2000 feet to drop his bombs. The crew planted five large fires in the town, with other smaller ones round about. Another crew counted 34 fires and from one fire in the centre of the town smoke was rising nearly 7000 feet. The crews watched the smoke pour up for fully half-an-hour. Bombs were seen to burst on a large factory building, and at once huge flames sprang up and large fires developed. Another factory building was outlined in the flames. There were enormous explosions in the heart of the fire, and, as a Wellington’s crew reported, “things seemed to burst out of the fire and explode at a height of from 2000 to 60000 feet. The flashes were visible from the French side of the Alps on the homeward journey.”

MORE AIR RAIDS FRANCE, BELGIUM. HOLLAND WAVED TO BY PEASANTS (Official Wireless) (Received Sept. 12, noon) RUGBY, Sept. 11 Despite unfavourable cloud conditions Spitfires of the Fighter Command carried out patrols over occupied territory today. They flew at 50 feet across the sea and swept inland for several miles over Northern France, Belgium and Holland. Aerodromes and hangars were attacked with cannon and machine-gun fire in France and Belgium and gun crews were dispersed. Two pilots saw some inaccurate fire from the ground but no enemy fighters came up. The pilots report that much harvesting was going on in Belgium and France. The peasants stopped their work and waved to the pilejs as they flew low over the fields. RAID ON SCOTLAND BOMBS PROVE HARMLESS (lulled Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. CopyrlfM) (Received Sept. 12, noon) LONDON, Sept. 11 During the day a single enemy aircraft dropped bombs harmlessly at one point in the north-east of Scotland, states a communique. Otherwise there Is nothing to report. UNREST IN OSLO GENERAL STRIKE PLANNED (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received Sept. 12, 11 a.m.) OSLO, Sept. 11 The German authorities say that tile Oslo workers planned a general strike on September 11, which was the principal reason for the declaration of a state of emergency. AMERICAN BOMB-SIGHT GERMANS KNOW SECRET SENSATIONAL DISCLOSURE (United Pres* Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) NEW YORK, Sept. 11 The sensational disclosure that the Germans know the secret of America’s precious Norden bombsight was made when 16 alleged members of a German spy ring were put on trial. Details of the bombsight were taken to Germany in 1938 by Hermann Lang, a naturalised German, employed as an inspector in the Norden factory, the United States Attorney (Mr Harold Kennedy) stated in the Brooklyn Federal Court. Lang’s payment was 10,000 marks, placed to his credit in Germany, and 1500 marks sent to the United States. The secret of this bombsight has been so jealously guarded by the United States that Service chiefs have been several times called on by Congress for an assurance that it has not been transferred to Britain. Mr Kennedy held back some details, but revealed the existence of a huge German spy ring using aircraft and radio. He said one defendant enrolled in a Y.M.C.A. radio school to learn how to transmit messages to Germany. He used a code based on best selling novels. The date of the message and other time elements, when totalled, gave the number of a page in a prearranged book. It was then simple to work out a message in substitution for the letters. Another defendant, Franz Steigler, hid messages for the Germans in mattresses in steamers in which he was employed. * A third defendant, Carl Reuper, was furnished with a secret ink by the Germans.

Other crews described how they saw fires “bulging and billowing” and could make out the gaunt framework of gutted buildings. Four British aircraft are missing from this raid. Docks and Ships Damaged A communique issued by the Royal Air Force Headquarters in the Middle East states: On the night of September 8 heavy bombers attacked the harbour of Palermo. Bombs were dropped on the docks and there were many hits on the three main quays and the dry dock. Three large merchant ships are believed to have been damaged. A fire broke out on the northern quay near oil storage installaion. On the same night bombs were dropped at aerodromes at Catania and Gerbini, both objectives having been machine-gunned. Heavy bombers attacked the power station, ferry, ships and landing stages at Messina during the night of September 9. Many direct hits were scored aitd fires broke out near commercial oil tanks. Another very big blaze started in the citadel area. Aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm on the same night bombed and machinegunned an aerodrome at Castel Vetrano, where a large fire was started. Aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm bombed aerodromes at Gambut and Monastir on the night of September 9. At Gambut bombs fell among aircraft on the ground, two of which were destroyed, while others were damaged. From these operations all our aircraft returned. Losses in Western Europe *An analysis of British official communiques shows that between April 1 and* September 8, 1941, 558 aircraft of the Bombejr Command have been lost in operations in Western Europe. Naval aircraft, co-operating with the Royal Air Force, have continued to take toll of enemy machines dispersed at night on the Cyrenaican airfields, the Air Ministry states: In a week they destroyed fourteen enemy aircraft without loss to themselves. The most recent raid on Gambut on September 9 yielded to one flightcommander a brace of aircraft for one stick of bombs. Two fighters were parked on each side of a tent and both machines and tent disappeared when the bombs fell. SHOW-DOWN LIKELY AMERICA AND GERMANY (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tci. Copyright) WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 The State Department has disclosed that statements from the survivors of the Sessa, sunk in the North Atlantic, show that a German submarine torpedoed and shelled the vessel without warning. The Sessa sank within two minutes. Among the crew were five British subjects and one American who were drowned. The others included Danes, Norwegians, Swedes and Portuguese. Washington sources expect that the navy may at any moment receive orders to shoot at German warships and aeroplanes on sight in waters between America and Iceland. The New York Times, commenting on the incident, says: “America is heading for a show-down with Germany as to whether we shall yield the control of the seas to the Government which seeks to destroy democracy.”

A German-born naturalised American, William Sebold, told the Court that he was a former employee of the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation. During a visit to Germany in 1939 the Gestapo threatened him unless he discussed American aircraft production and in future acted as a spy.

“The Gestapo discussed the funeic zlothes I would wear unless I agieeu to this,” Sebold said. “I pretender, to be a spy and gave them a phoney story about Consolidated Aircrait, but told the American authorities all L my action*.'’