Evening star., 1940-10-02
R. A. F. Roors Through Defenses
Of Berlin to Bomb War Plants;
Nozis' Planes Better at London
Fokker's Amsterdam
Factory Blasted;
Invasion Ports Hit


LONDON, Oct. 2-Heavy British
oombers, roaring past the encircling
air defenses of Berlin, pounded a
machinery manufacturing suburb
northwest of the German capital
last night, the Air Ministry said to-
day, and in at least one instance
sent parts of an electric equipment
factory sky-high. Attacks on a mu-
nitions factory in Berlin also were
reported.
In the glare of the explosions far
below, the ministry said, the R. A.
F. planes moved back and forth
across that section of Berlin, un-
loading high explosives and incen-
diary bombs on plants vital to the
NaZi prosecution of the war
North of Dusseldorf. at the little
town of Sterkrade, a large fuel
plant was set on fire. the ministry
said. and another building burst into
flames. An explosion sent blasts of
! hot air upward.
Amsterdam Plant Blasted.
A British airman, gliding high
over the region, dropped stick of
high explosives on the targets
marked out in the brilliant light
and. wheeling, made for Amster-
dam, where he emptied his load on
the Fokker airplane works, which
previously had been hit by R. A. F..
raiders.
At Gelsenkirchen. another Ruhr
Valley town hammered many times
by the R. A. F., the British flyers
said they started fires which they
could still see when they were so
miles away on their homeward
flight.
The flames lighted the way for
oncoming raiders, who hurled down
fresh loads of incendiaries.
Down on the highly important
railroad center of Cologne the
r. A. F. planes sWooped. leaving in
their wake great leaping tongues
of flames, the ministry said. Above
the drumming of their motors the
pilots said they could hear the dull
bursts of fresh explosions and over
their shoulders see new vivid bursts
against the dark sky.
Later pilots observed a large fire
on the northeast edge of the town,
the ministry said, while others saw
two big fires glowing in the darkness.
Rail Centers Hammered.
These Cologne raids also included
attacks on a power station and
railway yard.
Still carrying on their aerial de-
struction, the British hammered rail
centers at Hamm, Soest, Duisberg
and Gremberg.
Over Hamm the r. A. F. pilots
saw large fires and explosions. At
Duisberg a steady red glow, Which
marked the horizon to later ap-
preaching planes, suddenly gave
way to a bright green as bombs
crashed against the power station.
At Hammstede Airdrome and the
Veere seaplane base in Holland the
British hurled high explosives and
incendiaries, the ministry said.
From very shortly after dark last
night until we'll after midnight, the
bomber forces kept up their harass-
ing attacks against potential in
vasion bases on the Dutch and
French coasts" the ministry stated
Summary of Results.
The ministry's bulletin summed
up these results of the aerial raids
LIE Havre-Twice raided within an
hour by separate forces of bombers.
High explosives struck the Carnot
Basin and quayside of the tidal har-
Dor. A big explosion.
Dunkerque-Sticks of heavy cali
Der bombs fell across the docks and
main basin. Incendiary bombs
started fires in the dock area.
Boulogne-Direct hits on No.
and No. 7 basins NaZi aircraft
attacked a British bomber and were
repelled The bomber, hit by anti
aircraft and machine gun fire,
dropped its bombs and came home
safely.
Flushing-Docks hit with high ex-
plosives and incendiaries.
Cap Girls Nez-Long- range gun
emplacements received special at
tention." Bombs struck close to
emplacenents and near searchlight
batteries.
Four Berlin Explosions.
The successful bombing of the
electric equipment factory in Berlin
was reported by one of the British
pilots who said -four terrific explo-
sions" we're seen after he dropped
his load on the plant.
So big was the explosion, the pilot
said, that his plane was lighted
up and the factory itself was clear
ly identified"
The Air Ministrys bulletin, ampli-
flying an earlier communique, said
the r. A. F. planes flew over north
west suburb of Berlin-''That part
of the city which is chiefly concerned
in the manufacture of heavy ma
chinery"
Stations Go Of Air.
London radio listeners heard the
German stations at Hamburg,
Bremen and other cities 90 off the
air before midnight and interpreted
this as indicating raid alarms there.
The attack on close-at-hand Nazi
bases across the Strait of Dover
started before midnight.
Observers on the Kent cliffs saw
the flash of German anti-aircratt
fire and the swinging beams OF
searchights trying to pick out the
British bombers high in the clouds
overhead. The French coast was
shrouded with light mist.