NIGHT RAIDERS

Evening Star, Issue 23862, 17 April 1941, Page 7

NIGHT RAIDERS

, RECORD NUMBER SHOT DOWN ENEMY BOMBING ATTACKS ON BRITAIN LONDON, April 16. (Received April 17, at 12.20 p.m.) Fifty-six night raiders have been destroyed over Britain iso far in April, nine more than in the whole of March, which was a . record month. Eight German bombers were shot down last night, six by R.A.F. fighters and two by antiaircraft guns. A number of people were killed_ and injured in a Liverpool raid last night, mostly in poor districts. Eight were killed when two houses were demolished. The’ A.F.S. prevented fires reaching serious dimensions. Raiders bombed a south-coast town and wrecked many houses, including a doctor’s, who was out on duty. His wife and child were buried under the debris, but later were rescued. Persons buried under debris in a West of Scotland town owe their rescue to the squawks of a parrot, which attracted 'rescuers. Two German airmen were found dead in a scrap metal yard in a South of, England town afteif a Heinkel crashed. Two others surrendered to civilians. “ I will get the out," said Samuel Timbrell as he struggled with a time-bomb at the bottom of a deep crater in Birmingham. He refused to 'listen to words of wisdom from a constable, who eventually forcibly rescued him. Timbrell was fined 10s for being drunk and disorderly.

ITALIANS BLUFFED

EAST AFRICAN CAMPAIGN BRITISH FORGES GREATLY OUTNUMBERED LONDON, April 15. The Addis Ababa correspondent of the ‘ Daily Telegraph ’ says that now that victory has been gained in East Africa it can be revealed that the boot might have been on the other foot but for the brilliant British policy during the opening weeks of the campaign. Although the Italian forces in East Africa were about 250,000 the British strength in the Sudan, British Somaliland, and Kenya was not comparable. The Italians at any time between Juno and September could have made a sortie with the odds heavily in favour of their getting wherever they wanted. British officials in the Sudan were worried that the Italians might have followed up the July successes after capturing Kassala, Gallabat, and other frontier; positions hy a mechanised push against Khartum and Atbara, which is the Sudan’s vital transport centre. This might have resulted in the loss of the country within days. RAPID SHIFTING OF FORCES. The secret of the British avoidance of disaster lay in the commander’s aggressive petroling and rapid shifting of small forces, leading the enemy to believe that the opposition was tenfold the actual strength. , Even while machine guns were being mounted at Khartum and tank traps were being dug around the city a British company moved to the frontier and the Italians immediately began referring to the British division opposing them. A couple of Bren gun carriers were moved up and the Italians transformed them into squadrons of tanks. A secret society of patriots in Kassala aided the bluff by exaggerating to the sky the extent of the British strength. ITALIANS UNABLE TO STRIKE. By the end of 1940 the Italians were unable to strike, which was the moment for a. British offensive. Addis Ababa was won. equally on the heights of Keren as on the* sands of Somaliland, because our pressure on the heart of Eritrea, where the Italians always thought it would be safe to make a stand, forced them to divert from Addis Ababa their complete reserves of troops and almost all their guns. POWERFUL BOMBS USED IN RAID ON KIEL THOUSANDS OF INCENDIARIES DROPPED LONDON. April 16. Kiel was hammered by the R.A.P. for the thirty-eighth time last, night, when buildings were destroyed. Bombs of the most powerful force were used, in the raid, and 30,000 incendiaries were dropped on shipyards, docks, and buildings in the canal area. They were still seen burning for -24 hours after the raid. CANADIAN PILOTS MESSAGE FROM AIR MINISTER (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, April 15. The Canadian Air Minister. Mr O, G. Power, in a message to Canadian pilots and airmen, writes: “ While yon have not yet had an opportunity of coming to grips with the enemy, thq reports I have received of the work you . are doing show that you are fulfilling your function in the broad campaign which has been mapped out, and the operations you have already carried out will show their true value when the time comes. By midsummer you will have been joined by ' 100 other Canadians trained to play Their part in achieving the victory which we know lies ahead.” SHOT BY GUNMAN NATURALISED ITALIAN IN AMERICA CHICAGO. April 16. (Received April 17, at 12.30 pan.) John Arena, editor of the Italian language newspaper ‘ La Tribuna,’ was killed by two gunmen when he was leaving a picture theatre. Arena became an American citizen six months ago. The Committee of Un-American Activities in Washington announced that Arena had supplied information to the committee on Fascist activities in the United States a few hours before he was shot. s-