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HAMBURG RAID.
RAF'S GREAT ATTACK.
MOONLIGRT VISIT.
CREWS CONGRATULATED.
(British mffcia Wireles.
LONDON, July 28.- One of the
outstandingly successhfu attacks of
the whole war," is how the Chief
of the Bomber Command (Air Mar
shal Sir Arthur Harris) describes
Sunday night's great raid on Ham
burg-at the present stage of the
war probably the most important
target In all Germany. In no other
town are so many submarines con
structed as in the shipbuilding yards
of Hamburg. The importance of the
target is obviously recognised by the
Germans. From the reports of the
crews and the calculations of experts
it is now clear that Hamburg is
without doubt the best defended
town In Germany.
The present full moon, states the
Air Ministry news service, is the first
since the spring, because the nights
since then have not been long enough
to bring Hamburg within range of a
heavy raid. The destructive attack
on Sunday night came as a climax
to a week's heavy bombing, mainly
directed against the Ruhr. For the
successive attacks on Duisburg at the
western end of the industrial Ruhr
on the nights of July 21, 23 and 25,
except on the first night the weather
was by no means favourable. Yet it
is known that heavy damage was
done in this area which has always
been considered one of the most dif
ficult to attack even when everything
is in our favour.
"Maganifcent Effrt."
For the attack on Hamburg there
was a complete change in the
weather. There was no cloud at all
none Help
and our crews were able to make the
very most 'of the moonlight. After
reading the reports on the night's
operations from all the bomber
groups Air Marshal Harris sent then
following message to his crews: "Con-'
gratulations on Sunday night's mag
nificent effort against Hamburg. One;
of the outstandingly successful at=
tacks of the -whole war. This opera
tion, together with the 3 highly
effective Duisburg-Ruhr attacks conm
pletes a week's work, in face of the
most difficult weather, which the
German enemy will long have cause
to remember." I
The attack on Hamburg began
just before 1 am. At that hour the'
first wave of heavy 'and medium
bombers came In. They were carry
ing the mnaximum load of Incendi
aries. Before they had left and to
make doubly sure a second great
wave attacked with yet another load
in which there were far more In
cendiaries than high explosives.
At this stage-that is within 35
minutes-over 175,000 incendiaries
had fallen on Hamburg. Much of the
old town was on fire: There were
fires all round Aussen-Alster Lake
and many in the dock area. Pillars
of black smoke were rising, but as
yet not drifting over the town. The
target was clearly exposed for the
attack of the last wave of bombers
and these were fully-loaded with high
explosives, including many 4,0001b
bombs. Everything was so clear in
the moonlight -that the ttack by
high explosives toci scarcely mor
than a quarter of an lhir. Fires con
tinued to spread and the last crews
to leave saw them burning when they!
were a long way from the target on
the homeward jodurney.
Losses Under 5 Per Cent.
The damage caused by the RAP's
raid on Hamburg may be judgel fromI
the fact that the Germans admit
that they dropped 120,000 Incen-I
diaries In the biggest ire raid against
London, yet we dropped 175,000 in-,
cendiaries on Hamburg which is,
about one-fifth the she of London.;
The number of bomberp over Ham
burg is not revealed, but it is stated_
that the total losses from the 3 at-!
tacks on Duisburg on the nights of
July 21,. 23, and 25, and in Sunday's
raid on Hamburg was under 5 per
cent of the total bombers employed.
We lost 63 bombers in these 4 raIdsl
so the aggregate of bombers used
must have been considerably over
1,260.
The Air Ministry states that "an
extremely strong force"-well over
300 bombers-were sent to Duisbug
on one of last--week's raids.
According to the Rome radio the
casualties in the raid on Hamburg
were very high. The raid was de
scribed as one of the heavlest-experi
enced by Germany.
The Paris radio says that the raid
may be considered a spectacular suc
cess for the British, but adds that it
will cal for reprisals by the Luft
waffe soon.
Yesterday afternoon Wellington
bombers raided objectives in north
west Germany. Two of our planes
are missing.
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