GERMAN RAIDS

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 302, 16 September 1940, Page 7

GERMAN RAIDS

Curtailed Activity At Night MASS DAY ACTIONS Big Formations Turned Back On Saturday

(British Official Wireless and Press Assn.) (Received September 15, 11.35 p.m.) LONDON, September 15. After six short day raids, Londoners were most surprised and ever, comically a little resentful when the all-clear signal sounded for the first time before dawn, upsetting their new routine of shelter life. As usual, the raids began shortly before midnight, and London s guns opened up violently, apparently newly-placed batteries Joining in the booming, which shook London from end to end. Incendiaiy bombs began to fall over wide areas of London, and the firing sometimes crashed continuously, like rolling thunder. . The planes seemed to be lower than usual. They were facing the unknown terror of a new type of balloon, which carries barrage cables considerably higher, and which has already claimed at least one victim. As the "airblitz” entered its second week, it was obvious that ’.he spirit of the Londoners, and indeed of Britons, throughout the country, is harder—tempered in the fire of German terrorization. They are prepared for anything. _ x [A Daventry bulletin, issued at 11.45 yesterday (Sunday), stated that the Germans recommenced their large-scale air attacks early in the morning. According to observers on the ground, large formations oi enemy aircraft crossed the coast heading for the London area. They were met by a terrific anti-aircraft barrage. Watchers saw 50 enemy planes twisting and turning to escape the barrage, and, two raiders ivcie blown to pieces, the wreckage dropping from a great height like falling leaves ” . ’ ’ The official communique on Saturday night’s raids stated that enemy bombers made intermittent attacks on the London area, hew aircraft penetrated to the central area, and most of the bombs were dropped in suburbs and outlying districts. Blocks of houses were hit. and in the city there was some damage, but the fires were now under control. The casualties were again less severe than previously. Bombs were also dropped in other parts of England and Wales, but the communique does not report any widespread damage. Fierce daylight fighting took place over and near London on Saturday, when large forces of raiders were engaged by fighters coming from alf directions. The enemy formations were turned back, usually without dropping any bombs. There were six alarms in the day—two in the morning, two in the afternoon, and two in the evening.]

(Received September 15, 7 p.m.) LONDON, September 14. London’s anti-aircraft barrage was intermittently in action last night throughout eight and a half hours, the warning period ending at 5.30 a.m. In South Wales high-explosive and incendiary bombs which fell in one town damaged houses and other buildings. The details of tbe casualties are not yet available. An enemy aircraft was shot down by our lighters during the night. It is officially stated that the enemy air attacks last night were mainly concentrated on the London area and a south Welsh town. The attacks on London were maintained almost throughout the night. Most of the damage was done in eastern; southern and south-western districts to dwellings and industrial premises. Fires which were caused are all under control. Today an air-raid warning in the Loudon area was in operation for 15 minutes from 9.28 a.m. At 11 a.m. the sirens sounded the alert for tbe second time today, signalling the thirtieth attempted attack since a week ago. Tbe alarm was over at 11.16 a.m. and, like the earlier one, it passed without the sound of aircraft, bombs or gunfire heard in central London. Today’s activities over Britain, which were on a small scale and intermittent but widely distributed and almost entirely terroristic in character, are described in a long communique issued shortly before midnight by the Air Ministry and. Ministry of Home Security. It stated: — “Throughout this, morning ineffectual enemy aircraft kept up a series of attacks, during one of which bombs were dropped in a London area. The other morning attacks were in the south-east of England and East Anglia. In one south coast town a hospital was hit. and several houses and buildings were damaged. The casualties both in' London and elsewhere were very slight. In the early afternoon another enemy attack penetrated to the London area and bombs were dropped in the south-west of London, but very little damage was done. “During this period several south coast towns were subjected to random bombing by the enemy. The damage and casualties were sligUt, excepting two of these towns —Brighton and Eastbourne. At Brighton several people were killed and a number injured. At Eastbourne considerable damage was done to houses and there were a small number of fatal casualties and several persons were injured. “One of the enemy attacks in the afternoon demolished, a church and several houses in Ipswich. The casualties, however, were very slight. “High-explosive bombs were dropped in a town in the north-west of England and severe damage was done in and near industrial buildings. Details of the results of this attack are not yet available, but it is feared that a number of casualties resulted. “Two further attacks were made in the London area during tbe evening. In tbe first of these a church in a southwest area was hit and there were some casualties. Fuller reports of these enemy attacks are awaited. "Tlie indications are that no extensive damage has been caused in London today and that the number of casualties has not been heavy.” Never before have there been so many British fighters over London as tliis afternoon, when thousands saw large formations race in from two directions and engage heavy concentrations of German bombers and fighters. The British fighters had spent hours patrolling the areas through which the Germans were attempting to break throughout the day. They turned back 100 raiders during tbe first desperate attempt in the afternoon to get to London from the south coast, and the raiders scattered without dropping their bombs.

Two hundred Germans in the second afternoon raid were engaged in the fiercest battle. Bombs fell on a town on the southeast coast, hitting a cinema and killing four children and two adults and injuring others. An air-raid warden and n first-aid worker were also killed.

IVlien some enemy planes penetrated the London area, hotly chased by Spitfires, the Germans dropped bombs at random, damaging houses and a children’s hospital and partly wrecking a maternity hospital, in which no casualties resulted.

Other raiders concentrated on testing the defences over widespread areas of England and Wales, particularly on the south-east coast. A pavilion in the north-west of Eng-

land, where children were holding a party, was hit. A dive-bomber demolished the pavilion and caused casualties. A wedding was interrupted in -v south-east town-when a whistling bomb fell outside the church. The ceremony was completed amid falling bond’s, which caused the church to shake and broke its windows. The couple left to find the bridal car buried under debris. One person was killed and several were injured nearby. The number of enemy aircraft destroyed last night and today is announced in an Air Ministry communique, which states: “Two enemy bombers were shot down by anti-air-craft guns in tbe early hours of this morning. This makes three during the night. Eight enemy aircraft were shot down foy fighters during tbe day. The total number of enemy aircraft destroyed up to' 8.30 p.m. is 11 since midnight. Four of our fighters were lost, but tbe pilot of one is safe.

LONDON TARGETS

Buildings Attacked On Friday LONDON, September 13. An Air Ministry communique states: “Following last night's ineffective attacks, in which bombs were dropped in London at random through heavy clouds, a small number of planes today deliberately bombed a number of conspicuous buildings in various part of London, irrespective of- their nature. It is feared that the enemy succeeded in killing or injuring a number of civilians.” Anti-aircraft guns and British fighters went into action against earlymorning raiders over London. Apparently dismayed by London’s shifting fence of exploding steel, 'which early in the night shook the capital like a n earthquake, the Germans turned their violent attention to the provinces, and several areas had very long raids. A North-east town endured the first serious attack. Two screaming bombs fell in a working-class district, damaging houses and causing casualties. Incendiary- bombs showered down in various places. As waves of raiders flew over they received a forceful welcome from anti-aircraft batteries. A high-explosive bomb damaged a casualty ward at a public assistance institution in a town on the north-east coast. An enemy plane was brought down in a street of a Welsh coastal town. Several bombers attacked a convoy off the east coast of Scotland, but tlie ships in the convoy were not damaged. A few persons were fatally injured when a bomb fell in a northern London district. Several shops were demolished and others seriously damaged. In another area bpmlbs damaged several houses and a garage. A few people who were sheltering were killed. From midnight till noon London was in a state of alarm for nine hours. The first warnings sounded , less than two hours after the all clear had sounded for the night's raid. The second alarm lasted from 9.49 a.m. till 1.50 p.m. The sirens sounded for the 'third time at 3.55 p.m. till tlie all clear sounded ar 4.15 p.m. A solitary plane, diving from the clouds, was responsible for the third warning. Pedestrians threw themselves full-length on the roadways and pavements. The plane dropped bombs which set fire to a building.

A raider dropped several incendiary bombs over a London district during the second warning, but they were promptly extinguished. Heavy explosions were heard in central London, and then a deafening barrage of gunfire broke out. The streets were quickly deserted as shrapnel pattered down on the roadways and rooftops. The sirens sounded for a fourth time at 9.10 p.m. Apparently the incendiary bombs dropped in central London today all came from one plane, and they- fell mostly on roadways and buildings. Tlie stations of the underground railways are not air-raid shelters, but today hundreds of people went .below and sat du the platforms and steps. Great interest is felt in this intensive' attack after the steadily decreasing effectiveness of the night raids. A 14-year-old girl, Mildred Castillo, was rescued alive this afternoon from the ruins of a demolished house in a south-western suburb in which she was buried on September 9. She was believed to be dead, A passerby heard her cries.