WAR IN THE AIR

Evening Post, Issue 67, 17 September 1934, Page 9

WAR IN THE AIR

NIGHT RAID ON LONDON

HUNDRED MACHINES USED

DEFENCES PIEBCED

London lias experienced the greatest "air raid" in its history, says the "Daily Telegraph." One hundred and twenty bombing aeroplanes flew over the capital, carrying their grim cargoes to its most vital points, while ninety defending lighters, aided by anti-aircraft batteries and the civilian Observer Corps, sought to waylay and destroy them. An official communiquo announced that in tho first—daylight—attack seven targets in tho metropolitan area were reached uud bombed by the attacking forces. Thero were further attacks after dark. The "raid" was the biggest K.A.I1. manoeuvre of the year, designed to test the efficiency of London's air defences. With curious appropriateness it coincided with tho Labour Party's motion of censure on the Government's air expansion policy in the Houso of Lords, which was defeated by 54 votes to D. At times tho speech of the Air Minister, tho Marquis of Londonderry, wa3 , drowned by tho roar of tho engines of tho attacking machines. . Between tea and dinner time we had bombed London and destroyed the Jlarblo Arch, wrjtos a representative of tlio paper with the attacking machines. ' . At least, su wo believe; for it m.iy be that within the "artillery belt" Kome anti-aircraft guns accounted for us before we reached our objective. But we feel that this is unlikely. We, for the purpose of this dispatch, are No. ?.3B Squadron of "Hart" Day Bombers, to whose company I was attached for the evening's manoeuvres. It whs perfect bombing weather, i was told—a'heavy, misty day on the "round, with a hint of cloud higher up. Tho attack was launched from mid-Channel, at a height of 16,000 ft. In wooMinecl boots, fur-lined Sidcot suits, and all tho cumbrous safety apparatus proper to an observer, I stood or sat behind a Lewis gun and watched the landscape of Kent going from green and yellow to dun and finally vanish in a vast irregular plain of cloud. . CROSSED UNSEEN. The nine machines, now invisible from tho ground, made their way over the Channel at a steady 120 ni.p.h. At a signal from the leader we turned, and, still climbing, made for Dungeness at nearly three miles a minute. Far below us the vast fantastic valley of flocculcnt cloud was breaking up. But we wero still able to cross tho coast invisibly. At intervals we braved an outside wind which howled through the struts and slapped the face.

The fields, with the hedges between looking like a vein of ivy-leaf, wcro often invisible, and, when seen, were grey and indistinct. East Grinstead, oar route objective, passed unnoticed, and then we headed directly north.

"We were half through the I'artillery zone," but it could hardly bo thought that the gunners would find ua a possible target, so difficult and uneven was the visibility below. In a few minutes we were in the "interceptor zono" and on the watch for Northland's fighter aeroplanes. Suddenly wo'saw the onemy several thousand feet below to the loft—a bunch of interceptors who vanished in a matter of seconds. They had not seen us. .

Soon-afterwards wo recognised Croydon aerodrome. Tho clouds wore, drifting and now and again one caught a glimpse 'of London. By a happy chance the clouds parted just over the Marble Arch, called in official orders "Buffalo," for some reason best known to the official mind. It represented a military depot for Northland Army Reservists. There was a flashlight signal from the leader, indicating that our bombs were dropped, and, with a wide circling movement, we turned back and headed straight for the coast.

Plying over the sea from Angmering to Folkestone, over a vast thundercloud, we arrived back at Hawkinge in perfect formation. As a Londoner I could not but feel apprehensive. As an airman, if a temporary one, I enjoyed a sense of exhilaration and triumph. THE DEFENCE. I waited for "Southland's" air raiders on the roof of tho Air Ministry in Kingsway—for the purpose of the attack also the Air Ministry of. the "Northland" defending force, writes Major C. C. Turner, who was observing tho protectors of London.

Beside me on the roof was a camera obscura, manned by a few R.A.F. men who were waiting to trace on paper the course of. any aircraft overhead,' to observe the red Verey lights fired to indicate bombing, and to estimate whether a hit had been made.

Twelve minutes before 7 o'clock we sighted the first two squadrons approaching from the south-east. Thoy were about 5000 feet up, and were being dogged by a squadron of fighters. They swerved to the left, and apparently bombed Imperial Chemical House —Northland's seat of . Government. Then, making a wide sweep northwards, they came right overhead dropping "bombs," but, I believe, missing their target. On they went, twenty-one machines, with anti-aircraft "shells" bursting around them, ana, in somewhat ragged formation, disappeared towards the south-east.

A few minutes later a whole- wing of three squadrons, flying in "squadrons astern," came over London from the north-west, tombing objective after objective. There were thirty-sis machines, all "Gordon" day-bombers—a stately procession. They appeared' to bonib the Uxbridge headquarters, Imperial Chemi-. cal House, the Air Ministry, and the docks. Beturning, they made for the north, and a fighting squadron gave battle on the outskirts of London. IN ONE MINUTE. As I gazed at the expanse of London below, and looked up at those formidable fleets, it was not difficult to envisage the terrible danger to which London,is exposed unless protected by a defence system which would not only ward off the worst of such attacks, but, by counter-measures, would deter an enemy from the attempt. Earlier in the day I saw striking evidence of the speed of the defence system at one of "Northland's" aerodromes south of London. After the alarm had sounded on the big Klaxon horn it only took one minute for one squadron to take off. Very often it takes less than two minutes from the moment the squadron leader receives his instructions. The instructions are given following the receipt of a warning from an Observer Corps—which is often transmitted to headquarters in no more than four seconds. Five other raids were made by single squadrons. Tliero were further raids by seven bomber squadrons after dark on London .wl other centres. As the machines flaw over London they could In: followed for miles in Hie light of tin: ftparcblighis. Over 130 searchlights, j equipped with sttiind, units, wure at^

work. At 1.15 a.m. a solitary raider carao up from tiio south-east and for fifteen minutes hovered over the Strand and Fleet Street, apparently dropping sufficient bombs to lay the greater part of Fleet Street in ruins. OFFICIAL ACCOUNT. The official Air Ministry narrative of the air exercises reveal considerable success by Southland's attacking bombers. Tho three squadrons of thirty-six machines which made a spectacular attack on tho Air Ministry . an hour after tho opening of operations ' reached their target without being in--1 terecptcd. Out of tho seven targets in the Lon- ; don area which wero bombed, four were definitely hit. Ono of tho reasons why all the raids ' wero not intereopted was probably due ; to tho overloading of, and certain lack ■ of smoothness in, tho communications. This generally occurs in the comrncnee--1 ment of a peace exercise, but invariably rectifies itself as the exercise proceeds. : Another important contributory cause of the bombers' escape from interception was tho successful manner in which they were handled in approaching their objectives and carrying out their attacks. Tho night phase commenced shortly after 9 p.m. with perfect weather for night operations. The first attacks wero directed against the target at Coventry. Except for one of tho Southland squadrons which operated its aircraft in groups of three the attacks wero made by single aircraft. Thirty-nine separate raids wero carried out' from heights varying betwoen 4000 and 9500 ft, and twenty-nine hits were recorded, each raid comprising two attacks on the targets. Of the thirty-nine raids thirty-three were intercepted by the night fighters, and in many cases nioro than, one attack oil tho bombers was carried out. THE LAST PHASE. Three Southland Hart Squadrons carried out diving bombing attacks on Northolt, Xorth Weald, and Hornchurch (Northland occupied aerodromes) with good results during the third phase, in the morning of July 24. Attacks wero made by two special reserve squadrons on the Marble Arch and Imperial Chemical Industries, but poor visibility inado it. impossible to record results. One squadron was attacked on the way in and Northland fighters claim attacks on tho way out. A wing formation of three Southland Gordon squadrons numbering thirty-three aircraft, came ,up the Thames to Dartford, and in three separate squadron formations, attacked targets at Dagenham> West India Docks, and No. 1 Stores Depot, Kidbrooke.

Thick haze over the Dagenham area made it impossible to record results. The squadron that made this attack was not intercepted. West India Docks were hit, but the bombers were attacked by Northland fighters both on the way in and out.' The Gordon squadron attacking tho Stores Depot at Kidbrooke was heavily engaged threo times by three different Northland squadrons before they bombed. The bomber attack was only partially successful.

In peace exercises the bomber units are ordered to maintain their formations and carry on to their objectives even when intercepted by the fighters. In war, casualties would bo inflicted by the defending forces, and it is possible that the enemy boinbor formations would bo broken up with the result that the raids would be reduced materially in effect, if not altogether frustrated.