WIDE DAYTIME ATTACKS

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 109, 1 February 1941, Page 11

WIDE DAYTIME ATTACKS

Single Nazi Planes RAID ON DOVER BALLOONS Not Many Casualties

(By Telegraph.—Presa Asmi. —'Copyright.) (Received January 31, 8.50 p.m.) LONDON, January 31.

The Luftwaffe yesterday put new energy into its raids, giving the London area the worst daytime blitz for months. Single planes crossed the coast in Indian file throughout the day and swept over a wide area, including London. Anti-aircraft defences put up a strong opposition. During an afternoon alert in London a Dornier swooped down from a cloud to within 300 feet of the ground and began machinegunning people, who hurriedly sought the shelters, but no casualties were reported. The Ministry of Information reports that there were no German raiders over this country last night.

A raider yesterday afternoon dropped 200 Incendiary bombs on a working-class district in a town in the Home Counties. Tlie fires were all quickly controlled. Raiders machinegunned three East Anglian towns, and 10 bombs were dropped iu a southeastern village, but there were no victims. Four London Alerts. LONDON. January 30. German fighter aircraft tills afternoon made their biggest attack on tlie balloon barrage in Dover since tlie summer. Some of the balloons were shot down, but (lie raiders were eventually driven off by heavy gunfire. “During tlie day single enemy aircraft dropped bombs in the Rondon area and parts of south-east England and east Anglia,” states a communique. “Some houses and shops were damaged, but tlie number of casualties so far reported is small. One enemy aircraft was destroyed.” During the afternoon 'alert a raider dropped a number of fire-bombs in London but they were quickly extinguished and'did little or no damage One fire-spotter said he saw a dozen incendiaries falling through the clouds. Some fell on the roofs of buildings and oilier bombs were extinguished or smothered before they had become properly ignited. A high-explosive fell it) a caterer's premises in :i south-east London area where a large nuniber of people were lunching but only two were injured. A bomber circled a suburb during one of Hie four alerts in London, and dropped bombs, causing casualties, some of which were fatal. One bomb struck a school and several children were injured. Shops were damaged, but Hie majority of the assistants escaped injury. .Shoppers threw themselves to the ground or took refuge in doorways. So far seven people are known to have been killed and some injured in a town in tlie Thames Estuary area. Explosive bombs were dropped in the south-east London area this afternoon. One made a direct hit on a crowded restaurant, but only two people were injured. Cars in a ear park were set on fire and a number of houses in the home counties were damaged, witli a few people injured. Children Under Wreckage. A number of people are still buried under the wreckage of a house in an East Anglian town which was bombed last night. Some of them are believed to be children. A.R.I’. workers have given up hope of rescuing them. Last night in a London district tlie A.R.I’. rescued a father and his four children and searched all night for his wife, who was discovered later wandering in the streets suffering from loss of memory. „ Explosive bombs last night wrecked houses in the Thames Estuary. Some people were killed and many were, buried under wreckage. Five children were dug out alive. A woman was trapped for seven hours beneath her dead husband under a buckled Anderson shelter. A bomb damaged four houses. A son and daughter were rescued after their parents had been burnt alive. NATIONALIST SPLIT IN CAPE TOWN Manifesto By Hertzog Supporters (Received January 31, 9.40 p.m.) CAPE TOWN, January 30. Three days of parleying has terminated in It) Hertzog supporters in the Legislative Assembly and throe Senators leaving the Nationalist Party. They have issued a manifesto beginning “Unity i.s dead. Inwardly . the party is sizzling for a second eruption.” It is disclosed that the Nationalist ■leader, Dr. Maltin, objected to an expression of hope that the services of General Hertzog, who recently retired from politics. will still be available to the country. A manifesto assured (lie Englishspeaking people that the principle of racial equality would be maintained. The manifesto followed tlie resignation of Mr. Pirow and another Nationalist from a committee which lias been investigating General Hartzog's charges of disloyalty within the ranks of the party. Tlie fate of tlie new Afrikaner Party will depend on tlie forthcoming elections in tin' constituencies of General Hertzog and Mr. Havenga. REFUGE ABANDONED German Ship Sails From Chile (Received January 3.1. 11.5(1 p.m.i TALUAIIUANO (Child. Jim. 30. The German niereluiiitmaii Portland, which had taken refuge here since tlie outbreak of tlie war. sailed for an undisclosed destination witli a heavy cargo of cereals, lumber and copper. ENGLISH TROOP TRAINS BUSY RONDON. January 30. Since tlie outbreak of war to tlie end of 19-10 the Southern Railway carried 3.000.000 troops. Tlie traffic was heaviest in June, when 12,000 special trains operated.