FIVE PLANES DOWN.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 24, 8 November 1940, Page 5

FIVE PLANES DOWN.

ENEMY RAIDERS DESTROYED.

THE TOTAL FOR YESTERDAY

(Received This Day, 9.55 a.m.) LONDON, November 7. The Air Ministry stated early this afternoon that reports so far received showed that five enemy aircraft have been brought down to-day.—British Official Wireless!

SOME FATALITIES CAUSED.

BOMBS DROPPED ELSEWHERE.

MACHINE-GUNNING OF STREETS

LONDON, November 7.

London was : again the main objective of German raiders over Britain last night. The alert was given earlier than ever before, but the raid-was not as long as that on Tuesday'night. Some flats, shops, r 'houses and other buildings in London were hit by bombs, and some people were injured. Bombs wore also dropped at points in the Home Counties and south-east England, but most of them did little damage, and the 5 number of casualties in all areas was very small. Little damage, was done by raiders over the south-west of England and the Midlands, but in south-west Scotland a hotel and some, houses were hit and a few people were killed and injured. Just before dusk raids were made on Yorkshire and the east counties, but there was no serious damage.

In daylight raids yesterday the Gor : mans lost six planes over Britain. Four British fighters were destroyed but the pilot of one is safe. Londoners barely had time to leave offices, shops and other places of employment and darkness had scarcely fallen before the sirens heralded the most concentrated and unremitting German attack on the capital for some weeks.- The raiders, using heavy clouds as a safety curtain, flew low overhead. Anti-aircraft guns immediately went into action against the planes, the hum of which was incessant for the first few hours of the raid. The streets were completely deserted. A number of buildings were demolished, and a Roman Catholic church in the London area was practically demolished.

The Germans were apparently using bombers and fighter-bombers. Some were obviously forced to change direction to avoid the accurate anti-aircraft fire.

A" bonib wrecked a London police station, .killing several policemen. Two more policemen were killed ■when six high-explosive bombs fell in another London district, seriously damaging a number of shops and houses. A fire started in London by a salvo of seven bombs was controlled in half an hour. In a West Scotland town five persons were killed when a raider bombed and machine-gunned streets. The chief enemy attack yesterday afternoon was directed at the Southampton area. The enemy aircraft were intercepted by British fighters, and most of them were driven off before they reached the coast. Some houses and public buildings -were hit. There were some casualties and a few people were killed. One Messerschmitt 109 crashed into the sea, and- the pilot was lost. A Hudson aircraft destroyed one or two Messerschmitt 110’s.