Nazis' Big Oil Plants Hit

Nazis' Big Oil Plants Hit

An article about operations over port and oil refineries.

One newspaper cutting

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NColeFIG170709-06

NAZIS' BIG OIL PLANTS HIT

LANCASTERS of R.A.F. Bomber Command have given Germany's dwindling oil supplies another pounding.

The port and oil refineries at Harburg, south of Hamburg, and home of the two largest oil refineries in Germany, and the synthetic oil plant at Dortmund, in the Ruhr, were hit on Saturday night.

For 40 minutes the Lancasters unloaded their bombs on Harburg, and fires were seen to blaze after the markers had gone down. The fires were followed by a "very large explosion", says the Air Ministry.

The enemy relied on ground defences and few enemy planes were seen. Night fighters supported the bombers and one enemy fighter was shot down in combat.

Heavy explosions were observed at Dortmund soon after the bombing started.

Seven aircraft are missing from the night's operations.