MUCH WIDER AREA GERMAN AIR RAIDS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 146, 21 June 1940, Page 7

MUCH WIDER AREA

GERMAN AIR RAIDS

OVER 100 BOMBERS USED

CIVILIANS KILLED

MATERIAL DAMAGE WOT

GREAT

(TT.P.A. .and Official Wireless.) (Received June 21, 11 a.m.) LONDON, June 20. A communique issued by the Ministry of Home Security states that enemy planes again attacked Britain last night and dropped bombs on the East Coast, Lincolnshire, South England, and South Wales. Three towns were damaged, but fires which were caused were all brought under control. Eight civilians were killed and 60 injured. Anti-aircraft guns went into action and fighters engaged the raiders. At least three German planes were shot down and others were damaged.. The anti-aircraft defences 'brought down another enemy plane. Last night's air-raid warnings embraced a much wider area than those on Tuesday night. The raiders again flew at a great height. '■ It is stated authoritatively that over a hundred, bombers participated in. last night's raid, and that they dropped more bombs than on the previous night. J ■ The Germans changed their line of attack to the bombing of industrial areas. Certain industrial and factory buildings were damaged, but considering the number of bombs dropped the damage was slightGerman raiders which escaped from the British anti-aircraft guns fled back to their bases at dawn. An Air Ministry announcement made shortly before midnight warned Britons of the approach of the raiders, which appeared in small waves. The alarm, lasted for five hours. At some points the planes,, flying high, were heard all night,, and also the intermittent thud of bombs. Residents in north-eastern districts had the longest period in the air-raid shelters. Bombs fell at regular intervals until the: searchlights cross-fixed' one bomber. The ground defences then put up a terrific barrage, after which British fighters took up the chase. A high-explosive bomb hit a house, in northern England and killed a mother and her daughter and seriously injured the father. Two other houses were completely demolished. The efficacy of the air-raid shelter was, ciemonstrate.d near a town on the south-east coast when five occupants of a house escaped unscathed in a rough home-made dugout when their house was destroyed., Bombers for the first time visited South Wales, where raid warnings | were sounded. One person died from shock in a town where two others were injured. At least three persons were killed in a north-eastern, town, where seven who> were injured included two babies. The: force of the explosion lifted some meru three feet of? the ground. The Germans, repeatedly .made dive-bomb-ing and machine-gunning ■ attacks and wrecked wooden huts. Four labourers were admitted to hospital..