FIRES QUICKLY PUT OUT

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 125, 20 February 1941, Page 7

FIRES QUICKLY PUT OUT

Air Attacks On Britain LONDON, February 18. Raiders over London last night flew iu from all directions, singly and iu small groups. Scores of flares which were followed by incendiary bombs in one London district illuminated the area like daylight. Fires were quickly extinguished. There was rather more damage in some places in East Anglia than was at first supposed, though nowhere was it very heavy.

Many of those who were trapped in a bombed shelter last night were rescued after a search which lasted all night. There is still hope for the remainder. The casualties as a result of the raid are higher than was at first thought. While A.R.P. members were engaged in rescuing the people trapped a time bomb exploded twenty yards away. It destroyed a house, killed two nurses, and buried two men in a basement shelter. Nurses and doctors fought incendiaries which fell on three London hospitals last night. The patients remained in their beds and there were no casualties. An Air Ministry communique states:

“It is now known that last night iwo enemy bombers were destroyed by anti-aircraft gunlire off the east coast, a third by anti-aircraft gunfire 'in Norfolk, and one by a night patrol near London, making u total of four enemy aircraft destroyed during the night. Describing how he brought down one of the Nazi bombers which were destroyed last night, a squadron leader who was flying a night tighter said that after he bad manoeuvred himself into position lie closed in for the attack and opened fire immediately. "Tlie effect was startling," he said. “Red flashes and sparks of brilliant intensity flew in my direction and almost blinded me. I was too dazzled to see the enemy, but 1 kept on firing at tlie flashes until I felt that my machine was in tlie enemy's slip-stream and I feared I would collide. 1 pulled the stick back slightly and the enemy passed ten feet below me." Au Admiralty communique states: "An enemy aircraft was shot down in the North Sea early this morning by Hie minesweeping trawler Stella Rigel. When the enemy aircraft approached and circled the trawler the commanding officer himself opened tire. He scored hits immediately, and Hie enemy aircraft exploded in the air. There were no survivors, and no casualties were sustained by the trawler.'’ Au aircraft of the British Bomber Command is missing from a flight over enemy territory at daylight yesterday.