ENEMY POUNDS MERSEYSIDE

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 180, 28 April 1941, Page 8

ENEMY POUNDS MERSEYSIDE

Heaviest For Weeks ANOTHER QUIET NIGHT FOR LONDON

(B.v Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copv right.) (Received April 27, 11.5 p.m.) LONDON, April 27.

German night-raiders gave thq Merseyside its . heaviest pounding for weeks last night. Liverpool and a west Midlands town also came in for a share of the bombing. The casualties included many who were killed. London, however, had its fourth quiet night on end.

The main Luftwaffe attack on Friday night was directed against north-east England. A communique states that it was sharp and occurred in the early part of the night, but ended by mid night. Bombs were dropped at several points aud some damage was caused, with a considerable number of casualties, of which, however, only a small number were fatal. Some bmbs were also dropped on the east and north-east coasts of Scotland, and on isolated points in east and north-west England. These incidents did not cause any damage or casualties. Enemy daylight activity yesterday was on a very small scale. Bombs were dropped on towns on the east coast and several people were injured and a number of houses damaged. Mr. Churchill, seeing the air raid damage in Manchester yesterday, said: “It is a tragedy, but they will get it back threefold.” LONDON EVACUATION • Increase In Sponsored Parties (Received April 27, 9.30 p.m.) LONDON, April 26. As a result of the recent mass raids, sponsored evacuation from London has greatly increased, and parties of mothers and children are leaving three times a week. The average in each party in the past few months has been 200, tout last Tuesday there were 1100, and yesterday 2500. Tomorrow’s party will number 2880. AIR TRAINING CORPS Decentralized Control (British Official Wireless.) ■ ( Received April 27, 7.5 p.m.) RUGBY, April 26. The striking growth of the air training corps has necessitated decentralization of control in Scotland from London. This decision by the Air Secretary, Sir Archibald Sinclair, was announced at an Air Ministry Press conference in Glasgow. The corps within three months of launching has formed 95 squadrons in Scotland—2o more than “envisaged for the first year of the scheme.”

WEEK’S ACTIVITY BY R.A.F. Notable Successes (British Official Wireless.) (Received April 27, 7.30 p.m.) RUGBY, April 26. During the week ended April 25 heavy R.A.F. raids on Germany and Nazi-controlled Europe included the big Kiel and Wilhelmshaven raids on the night of April 24, when the docks and shipyards were heavily bombed, four raids in three nights on Brest, and attacks on Cologne; Dusseldorf, Osnabruck, Dunkirk, Ostend, Le Havre and Rotterdam. The raid ofl Osnabruck power station was specially noteworthy, since this was attacked from a low level in daylight and the main building was seen’ to be hit, debris being thrown high in the air. Particular significance attached to the Brest raids in view of the continued presence in this port of the Gneisenau and Scharnhorst. The award of the D.F.G. to Pilot Officer Ross and of the D.F.M. to Sergeant Street on April 24, revealed that in earlier raids on Brest an extremely heavy bomb, dropped from 1000 feet,scored a direct hit on one of these vessels. The week was also remarkable for the number of attacks made on enemy coastal shipping off Norway, the Low Countries and France. Nine vessels were sunk or left sinking and three more probably destroyed after direct hits, and many others were damaged. The largest of the ships sunk had an estimated tonnage of 7000, and the total tonnage of six of those sunk was approximately 27,000, the three others being two medium-sized merchant ships and an escort vessel. One ship was attacked from only 50 feet. It was hit by four bombs amidships and five direct hits were scored on another from the same height. From all these extensive operations 19 British aircraft are missing. Three German aircraft were definitely destroyed and others damaged.

NAZI AIRCRAFT LOSSES OVER BRITAIN LONDON, April 25. One hundred enemy aircraft have so far been shot down this month over Britain and around the coasts. Of those 25 have been destroyed at night..