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APPENDIX VII.

Air Attacks on Enemy Territory in Europe.

Extracts from recent Raid Assessment Reports.

The following reports have been received during the week from air reconnaissance and Intelligence sources :----

Germany.

Berlin. A factory near the Lehrter Station has been burnt out and two fires from the railway covered Berlin with smoke. The Brandenburg Tor has been hit and the windows of the Hotel Adlon were blown out. The Institute of Electrical Engineers has also been burnt out.

Essen.-Production at Krupps has been affected.

Politz. Reports from two sources have been received of damage to the synthetic oil plant, but it is not known what part has been affected.

The area

Rheinfelden.--The old aluminium works was not hit, but the new works which were about to start operating have been badly damaged. damaged is about a quarter of the whole of the new factory.

Leuna. Two reports of hits upon the plant have been received, one states that part of the control system has been affected.

Oberhausen.-A steel casting plant and foundry has been severely damaged. Hoescht. The central telephone exchange received a direct hit and communications are seriously affected.

Wishar. One of the hangars on the aerodrome was completely gutted and all the aircraft therein destroyed. In addition, six aircraft on the ground were destroyed.

Leipzig. One section of the railway station has been severely damaged. Harburg. Recently out of 75 cranes only 7 were functioning and a ship had to unload with its own derricks.

Railways-On occasion it has taken three to four days to get from Berlin to certain parts of the Rhineland, and at several points it is necessary to change trains, in some cases involving walks of no little distance. The disorganisation in the Ruhr has led to the greater part of supplies of coal for Italy being now sent via Vienna from coalfields in Silesia and Saxony.

General. Reports have been received of the evacuation of the civil popula- tion from Berlin, Hamburg, Rhineland and Westphalia, and Hessen-Nassau, and of transfers from Vienna of experienced workers and specialists in gas and electricity to Berlin and Kiel to replace and relieve workers in these areas.

France.

Havre.-Photographs disclose that the top storey of the Kleber Barracks has been burnt out and that considerable damage has been done to sheds at the eastern end of the Bassin Vetillart.

Dunkirk.-Photographs disclose that the centre of the town is almost completely demolished, and that part of the docks and railway sidings covered by the photograph are extensively damaged.

Lorient. The Frebault Barracks have been hit and casualties among the troops were severe. Several ships are said to have been sunk by mines at the

mouth of the estuary.

Holland.

Delfzijil-Groningen Canal.-Serious dislocation of waterborne traffic has been caused in this area.

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