Source : National Archives UK – WP (42) 120

Air Attacks on Enemy Territory in Europe.

Extracts from Recent Raid Assessment Reports.

The following reports of damage have been received during the past week from Air Reconnaissance and Intelligence sources : –

Occupied France.

Paris.-Persons present d u r i n g the attack on the night of the 3rd / 4 th March on the Renault Works describe this attack as the most important occurrence in France since the Armistice, and as a tremendous success for Great B r i t a i n . High Nazi authorities are stated to have been enraged because the German High Command, in direct violation of their advice, had denuded P a r i s and the greater p a r t of the occupied zone of defensive equipment. In the attack the Salmson Works were destroyed, and the Renault Works, with the exception of one department, were razed to the ground. The public i n P a r i s a r e said t o have been overjoyed at the attack, p a r t i c u l a r l y because the Renault factory had become the symbol of collaboration with Germany.