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THE CHINA MAIL, JULY 7, 1941.
Blazing Beacons To Guide RAF Bombers Over Germany
300-Mile Trail Of Destruction Left By British 'Planes
R.A.F. AIRCRAFT WHICH WENT FURTHEST INTO GER- MANY ON SATURDAY WERE SIGNPOSTED ON THEIR RETURN BY HUGE BEACONS BLAZING IN HALF A DOZEN NAZI TOWNS, THE AIR MINISTRY NEWS SERVICE DECLARED YESTERDAY.
For 300 miles from Rotterdam to Mag- deburg, which is only 70 miles from Berlin, Bomber Command aircraft left a trail of destruction.
GERMAN 'PLANES STAY AWAY
Last night's British Minister of Security communique, dealing with German air activity,
At many vital points supplies and com- Home munications of Germany's western army were stated laconically: "There is noth- wrecked. At Rotterdam oil blazed furiously.ing to report."--Reuter.
Osnabruck and Biele- feld were deeply scarred by a concentrated attack on their industries, pow- er plants and railways.
Magdeburg and Rheine were lit by fires and Munster was devas- taled.
Within a few minutes of begin- ning the attack on Munster signs of devastation were evident. Ou dumps blazed and smoke rose 8,000 feet above the railway sta- tion and goodsyards.
Whole City Alight
to
Separate fires began to spread and merged until the city ар- peared to be well alight, and the bombers could БЕС cach other shining red as they circled above the furnace.
ONE CREW REPORTED THAT RHEINE WAS "ONE HUGE BLAZE."
At Blelefeld the important power station received many hits and the adjoining gas works blew up. Many fires started elsewhere
BLENHEIM FORCE BAGS FOUR
VESSELS
GERMAN
BRITISH BOMBERS smashed up German patrol vessels in the North Sea and off the Hook of Holland yesterday morning.
An Air Ministry communique states that soon after daybreak Blenheims of the Bomb- er Command made a successful low-level attack on a number of enemy patrol vessels in the North Sea.
Four of the ships were destroy-
in the town and huge industrialed and two others hit and severely buildings were seen to collapse.
At Osnabruck the railway yard was heavily bombed and elsewhere large fires started among indus- trial buildings.
Explosives Hit
The glow wae vleible as the returning aircraft crossed tho Dutch coast.
A
damaged.
Later in the morning other Blenheims bombed enemy patrol vessels off the Hook of Holland. One of these vessels was hit and probably sunk and another dam- aged.
Heavy bombers of the R.A.F., escorted by squadrons of fighters, renewed the attacks over North- ofern France yesterday.
load very substantial bombs was dropped on Magde- burg, important industrial and commercial city with many iron foundries and engineering works. 'A series of explosions after bombs had hit the railway looked By if explosives in trucks had been hit, according to one rear gunner. -Reuter.
9-MILE TRAIL OF TEA
Lille Bombing
Neighbours have a little discussion during newly organis ed gas tests In England.
R.A.F. BRAKE ON GERMANS
PILOTS OF THE R.A.F. and Dominion air forces are playing in the Middle East to-day a part almost as vital as they played in England last
NAVIGATOR'S September, when they won the first gigantic air
JOB
He
battle of Britain and smashed, for a moment at least, the threat of invasion.
By unceasing bombing and machine-gunning raids on advancing enemy columns they are put- ting a paralysing brake on the German advance.
The R.A.F.'s activities are set- ting the Germans an entirely new military problem,
The Navigator must never be
in these parts." "a stranger must know how to get from one place to another and this is briefly the whole science of navigation.
The pilot relies on his navigator
camouflage or shred of merciful Dead reckoning is for guidance. the basis of navigation, and is
air, form an ideal arena for the R.A.F.'s rain of blows, and al- worked out by reference to maps,
ready they have broken up two German attacks on in this war attempted There have been to the sun or stars, or to wireless
of lightning Tobruk by bombing and machine- four big examples communication. Map reading is
apart from the simpliest method when land-
be recognised and advances by mechanised forces- gunning, altogether
*the Germans in Poland and those repulsed by the garrison. marks identified on the map. This is
ours in Libya and "visual fix" France and of called obtaining a
The latest of these successes Я Ger- hence the
took
when importance of the Abyssinia.
place ; "blackout", which helps to rob
column form- "In each of these, offensives man motorised
for
assault was the attacking forces establishing up an enemy navigator of his "visual
ed almost from the beginning hammered so heavily that it was fix," when flying by night.
forced. to break up before It even supremacy of the air.
had time to move forward.
A steel and engineering works at Lille was hit by sticks of high explosive bombs, and bombs were also dropped on railway yards nearby, sending up tall columns
the
smoke.
two
Escorting fighters destroyed 11 German fighters. Our losses in all these operations were Blenheims and seven fighters, but the pilot of one of these fighters ls safe.
vice.
Eaglet Draws First Blood
can
But in
an
Squadron Shot Down
4.
In air battles they have been just de successful. Over Derna recently. an entire enemy #quadron was shot down, not a single plane escaping.
And our men are quite un- the need to work In
A "rádlo fix" is obtained by get- ting bearings from two wireless
the recent. German. stations. They indicate the lines on which the plane is travelling. eastern attack, for the first time, These two lines are marked n though German "planes of most the map, and where they inter-modern types were working with sect is the actual position of the the enemy, mastery of the air be
alr aircraft: Then again the naviga-longed indisputably to the Seven men stole 4
The British and Greek pilots fix" from two stars, "celestial lorry-load of tea-enough Many fighter pilots who escort- tor may obtain an "astro" or force of the defenders
made the enemy. ed the bombers give great praise using the sextant-long familiar not only
showed for 60,000 weekly rations to the accuracy of the bombing, to sailors to calculate his posi- pay heavily, but -drove it desperately for which is described as marvellous, tion. Like the sailor he also uses that, deprived of the air shield, deterred by about nine miles, then says the Air Ministry news ser a compass, a smaller edition of armoured forces are almost as overtime to hold the enemy
that used at sea and bullt to with- vulnerable to such harassing as check. had to leave the haul and Four British squadrons each stand oven rougher treatment, the soft shield of Infantry. bolt, because radio had bagged two Messerschmitts and The navigator is also aided by a the American Eagle Squadron ac radio beam which helps him to
Attacks Broken Up told a police constable all counted for one, which was shot bring his aircraft dafely home h
down by the Squadron's youngest bad weather....
The pitiless dazzling stretches It is unwise to be over-optim- about it.
member who drew his first blood The navigator's job is a full of the Libyan Desert, without astic and not impossible, that the
enemy may succeed in reinforc last week.-Reuter,
time one. He must work out his course and ground speed in for; and he must be in the closest ing his air force, but the R.A.F. mean to go without relation to the speed and direction contact with his pilot. He keeps does not get of the wind. He must be calculat-n log which is a complete record reinforcements on its side, and the present picture of the German " He saw the seven mon -out and speak to the drivor of ing the whole time, and while he of the flight. a big car, and he ran towards is checking his position the air In short the navigator is the position in Libya is that of a craft may have moved several expert who, like a good tourist powerful car roaring down a They were too quick. All miles, and this has to be taken agent, plans 'an Itinerary and not steep hill and brought at least Wind drift, only makes sure that his charges temporarily to a standstill by braking-RAF. crowded into the car and the into consideration.
breaking. driver started up and headed which drives the aircraft crabwise keep to it but get safely homo to very efficient
from its course must be allowed time. At Plaistow, E, a police con- swiftly towards London;
And all along the route a trail of 1lb. packets of tea told a nine- miles story of the thieves bum- ping flight.
The lorry, with its 7,500lb. of tea, was taken from Romford Essex. ONA
Within a few minutes the loss was discovered, the police were told, and radio messages flushed out.
stable recognised the lorry.
them.
14
One pilot made no less than 20 abrtles in "24" hours.”