SEVEN GERMAN PLANES DOWN

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 281, 22 August 1940, Page 9

SEVEN GERMAN PLANES DOWN

Attacks On England And Wales NO DETERMINED RAID

(British Official Wireless and Press Assn.)

RUGBY, August 20.

Air Ministry communiques received this evening up to 11 o'clockshow that seven enemy aircraft were destroyed in air fights over Britain today. It is also stated that Nazi bombers and fighters shot down by antiaircraft guns during Sunday’s air battles numbered 23. The German losses on that day were therefore 152.

A communique issued by the Air Ministry and Ministry of Home Security states:—“During this morning enemy activities over this country were comparatively slight. -Bombs were, dropped on two towns, one in Essex and the other in South Wales. In both places houses were hit and some persons injured, a small number of these casualties being fatal. Bombs were also dropped at a port in South Wales, the damage being small. “In the afternoon raiders approached the south-east coast in stronger force. An East Anglian town was attacked, but no casualties have been reported so far, and the. damage was confined to broken windows. The main objective of the afternoon attack appears to have been an aerodrome on the south coast, but the enemy showed no desire to press home his attack, and very few of his aircraft succeeded in penetrating the defences. No damage was done."

The Air Ministry earlier announced that fighters intercepted and shot down a raider into the sea when it was attacking a town on (Ik- Suffock const this morning. Welsh Town Bombed.

A daylight raid on a Welsh town caused two explosions, two people being fatally injured and several seriously wounded. House property in a working-class district was considerably damaged and streets were littered with glass. A neighbouring town was'bombed soon afterward, but no damage was done. A bomb dropped from an isolated raider in a southeastern area caused a few casualties. Two anti-aircraft shells seared off a raider which was approaching the south-east coast. Another raider flying at 20,000 feet dropped 150 bombs on south-eastern farmland, causing uo damage but providing A.R.P, workers and members of the Home Guard with excellent practice in fire-extin-guishing.

The Germans gave a fireworks display with flares over a town on the north-east coast but did not attempt bombing until the flares became extinguished. Anti-aircraft gunners shot down an enemy flying-boat off the north-east coast shortly before midnight last night. New Dornier Shot Down. (Received August 21, 7 p.m.) LONDON, August 21. The Air Ministry announced that among the raiders shot down yesterday was a tri-motored Dornier 2-1, which was seen for the first time over Britain. A single Hurricane attacked a headon formation of 39 Dornier 17’s, exploding a bomb-load of one of them. NEGLIGIBLE NIGHT ACTIVITY LONDON, August. 21. Enemy raiders were seen off the south-east coast this morning and over the Midlands. One Junkers SS bomber was shot down into the sea. An Air Ministry communique says there was negligible enemy air activity during the night. A.R.P. IN GERMANY Fundamental Changes Announced (Received August 21, 8.30 p.m.) LONDON, August 21. Tire German news agency announced that a fundamental reorganization of Germany’s air-raid precautions is bein gcarried out in spite of the efficiency of the work of 'the existing services. It added that the change was necessary because of R.A.F. attacks which were contrary to international law and as a result of which the population of western and northern Germany had suffered heavily. The German agency admitted fierce fighter and anti-aircraft opposition to today's raids over Britain and claimed attacks against munition factories and other important military targets and also the successful bombing of aerodromes in Eastehurch and Southend. LONDON. August 20. The German High Comand issued the following communique:—“Our planes, daring armed reconnoissances over England, attacked armament factories, fuel depots, railway works; aerodromes and troop camps, specially in Sussex, Norfolk and Oxfordshire. Night attacks were made against aerodromes in southern England and harbour works and large tank depots on the south and south-west coasts of England. “A U-boat stmk the armed merchantman Ampleforth (-1576 tonsUz" Another U-boat sank 6680 tons of mewhant shipping. A third U-boat sank altogether 40,000 tons of merchant shipping-