WIDESPREAD NIGHT RAIDS

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 113, 6 February 1941, Page 7

WIDESPREAD NIGHT RAIDS

German Air Activity FIVE ENEMY PLANES DESTROYED

LONDON, February 5

German raids on this country last night were widespread, but the damage done was not considerable. One enemy bomber was destroyed by R.A.F. night patrols. Bombs were dropped in East Anglia and in the east Midlands. A few bombs were dropped in the London area. Incendiary bombs caused a certain amount of damage, but the tires were quickly put out. The number of casualties reported from all areas is not large.

Four German aircraft were destroyed during daylight hit-and-run raids directed at convoys, aerodromes, and towns in the south-east and east of Britain, states the Air Ministry news service.

A Dornier 17 which bombed an East Anglian town this morning was chased out to sea and shot down by two Huricane.s, whose pilots belong to the Burma Squadron. Three of the crew were seen swimming from the wreckage. The pilots saw the bomber trying to sneak through the clou'ds at SOW) feet, and closed in on either side. Both pilots, worrying the Dornier like terriers, scored hits which sent him crashing into the sea after jettisoning the rest of his bombs.

Two Spitfire pilots were Hying oil' the south-east coast at about 2000 feet this afternoon, when two Messerschmitt 10t)’s dived down in front of them. One Spitfire, piloted by a sergeant who won the D.F.M. a month ago, dived after them. lie got in a burst of seven seconds nt one, and blew it to pieces, an'd was alite to damage the other before it sped into the clouds. Two Messerschmitt 110’s were destroyed by Hurricanes near (he Thames Estuary. East Coast Town Suffers. An east coast town suffered its worst damage of the war this morning, when a single raider, which was later destroyed, dived from the clouds and dropped a line of about 20 boml-s across the town. A lifeboat raced out to attempt to save the crew of the bomber, while in the town tlirough which the raider bad left a line of ruin rescue squads toiled to dig out civilians buried under the wreckage Two of the German airmen are believed to have been saved. The casualties in the town are not yet known. Enemy planes made the usual morning call at an East Anglian town, but no bombs were dropped. An Air Ministry communique states that single enemy planes dropped incendiary bombs in the London area last night. The fires caused were quickly extinguished and no serious damage was done. Elsewhere the enemy operated only intermittently, and no serious attacks developed. The Milliesex Hospital and rhe National Temperance Hospital were among the London buildings damaged in recent air raids.