WESTERN ENGLAND

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 128, 26 November 1940, Page 8

WESTERN ENGLAND

TOWN SINGLED OUT

FAIRLY HEAVY GERMAN RAID

FEWER PLANES USED

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.) (Received November 26, 2.40 p.m.) i LONDON, November 25. Although a raid last night on a town in West England was on a fairly heavy scale the enemy did not use as many plaftes as in the previous attacks in the Midlands. It isj estimated that probably 100 bombers participated. It is believed that the casualties were not heavy, considerj ing the intensity of the raid.

Eescuers are still searching the ruins of the buildings in a town in one of the Home Counties which was bpmbed last night. Five bombs fell.on an East Anglian town and demolished houses and shops.

The German news agency stated that strong bomber formations attacked Bristol last night and dropped several hundred tons of bombs. It said that 45 fires were observed and a gasometer was blown up, while warehouses suffered severely. "As a distributing centre and railway junction Bristol was wiped out," said the agency.

A German communique mentions air [attacks on Battersea and Southwark and objectives on the west and south coasts. The British dropped a few bombs' on northern Germany with no appreciable results, it adds. The British announcement that Berlin railway stations; were J plastered with bombs on the night of November 23 and 24 is described as false, and. it is stated. that no enemy plane was over the capital that night. PILOT'S EXPERIENCE. The story is told Of a Spitfire pilot who baled out over the Sussex coast after his machine had been hit by cannon fire. The pilot had been fighting off Dover and was hit after breaking away from his second combat. Flames came from the exhaust and the heat from the engines could be felt in the cockpit. . i "I gave her full, throttle, climbed to 2000 feet, rolled the aircraft over on. its | back, and baled out," said the pilot. A few seconds afterwards the aircraft blew up. j

Since dawn several enemy bombers operating singly or in small formations crossed the south-east and south coasts, and one small formation reached the outskirts of the London area. A town on the coast of -Kent was attacked shortly before noon. Several houses were-damaged, but the casualties were very small. Bombs were also dropped on a town on the south coast and two other points in south-east England. They did slight damage and caused no casualties.

A Dornier was shot down in the sea off Dover this morning. A Spitfire pilot flying at 5000 feet first saw the raider 7000 feet above him, fifteen miles off Dover. He climbed to attack and fired two short bursts, and. climbing again, dived out of the sun. Pieces fell from the Dornier, which was last seen heading slowly for France and losing height. '.; >■?. .