Evening star., 1940-11-18
R. A. F. Planes Blast
War-VitaI Plants
In Ruhr Valley
GeIsenkirchen Refineries
Principal Targets for
Bombers Lost Night
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, Nov 18.-Germany's
var-vital industries in the rich Ruhr
Valley were reported attacked heav-
fly today by the Royal Air Force in
a quick folloWup Of weekend blows
at axis ports from Hamburg, Ger
many, to Mogadiscio, Somaliland.
The Air Ministry said the main
force of the British offensive last
night was directed at the oil refln-
cries of Gelsenkirchen, near the
Dutch border.
Other planes bombed the indus
trial targets in the Ruhr, it said, as
we'll as rail and river communica-
tions in the western part of the
Reich, the naval base at Lorient, in
Nazi-occupied Brittany, and air
dromes in occupied territory.
British planes struck through
southwesterly Channel gale after
dawn this morning for a bombing
attack on Cap Girls NeZ, where Ger
man long-range guns engaged in
duel across the Strait of Dover last
night with British coastal batteries.
Observers on the cliffs near Dover
could see the flashes of bombs ex-
ploding along the French coast.
Flaming Destruction Left.
The Air Ministry said yesterday
that the night-long British bonn
bardment Of Hamburg Saturday
right-Sunday morning, the second
in two nights on the greatest seaport
in Europe-left in flaming deStruc-
ton targets that ranged from big
shipyards to industries producing
synthetic but presumably edible"
fats
Returning pilots said that as they
shuttled back and forth over the
city with loads of heavy bombs they
could see the destruction below
clearly enough Ito make certain
that considerable damage was
done"
"A German communlque ad-
nlitted that some military dam
age was done at Hamburg, but
said it was very limited" Most
of the bomb hits were said 10
have been on homes. churches,
schools and hospitals. Four
teen persons were listed as killed
and many injured during the
British raids there and else
Where(
The British reported other at
tacks on Antwerp, Dunkerque and
airports in German-held territory
r, A. F. Command Shuff1ed.
Even as the British flyers struck,
the R A. F. high command was
shuf1ed to give the army and air
arm more nearly its own, concen- |
trate the fighter command on solv-
ing night raid interception and
breaking up Nazi bombers of con-
voys and possibly to coordinate
further United States and British
plane production.
The Air Ministry removed Sir
Hugh Dowding from the post as R.
A. F fighter commander in chief
for special, unexplained duty in
the United States. One source close
to the Ministry indicated his mis-
sion might be to advise the United
States of R. A. F. experiences with
the view to standardizing United
States and British planes, thus IA
cilitating mass production.
Air Vice Marshal w. S. Douglas, |
At, was assigned to Sir Hughs place
in one Of six advancements of air
force leaders, all but one under So
Air Marshal Sir Arthur Sheridan
Barratt, who commanded R. A. F.
forces in France earlier in the war,
as chosen to head the new army
cooperation command - working
18th land forces in a close approach F.
. separate air porce for the amy.
Some observers took this rs hint
Elltain is getting ready for a plane
supported land offensive ei,her next
spring in France or in the Near East, .
where a separate air commander
also was named
Creation of a separate command
for British air forces operating in
Greece also was disclosed today by
the Air Ministry.
Air Commodore John Henry
d'Albiac is directing the forces. with
r. A F. squadrons and auxiliary
army maintenance units under his
control. This command is similar
TO that maintained in France before
the collapse of France. D'Albiac
is A, one of the younger British air
commanders.
Air Vice Marshal A. T Harri- 49,
was named to replace Douglas as
ceputy chief of air staff under Chief
of Air Staff Air Marshal Sir Charles
Portal.
Air Vice Marshal o. T. Boyd, 81,
vas promoted to air marshal and
made deputy air officer command
ing the Middle East command.
Air Marshal E. L. Gossage, 40, was
made commander of the balloon
barrage in place of Vice Marshal
Boyd and Air Vice Marshal P Bar
rington, 46, was promoted to air
marshal
The air command shifts carry out
a previous arrangement to give the
army its own air force and capI-
talizes on lessons learned from
Frances collapse.
arrangements is the decision to set
up a command of the R. A. F. to
be called the army cooperation
command, which will comprise all
squadrons allotted to the army in
the United Kingdom together with
associated training units the Air
Ministry said
An agreement in principle was
reached between the army and the
R. A. F. commands several weeks
ago when the R. A F. met the army
demand for complete control of the
air force with an offer to turn over
several units"
The authoritative Press Associa-
tion described the army cooperation
command as an admirable compro-
mise"
1t said that in some quarters