RAIDERS DRIVEN BACK

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 September 1940, Page 7

RAIDERS DRIVEN BACK

BATTLE IN THE CLOUDS ■ ' ■ . —* • / TWELVE ENEMY ’PLANES CRASHED LONDON AREA CASUALTIES [BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.]

RUGBY, September 20. Although “alert” warnings were sounded in the London area, during the forenoon, raiders which had been reported crossing the south-east coast were driven back before reaching the outskirts of London. Press reports state that a protecting screen of German fighters flew below the high-flying enemy bombers of the first wave of about 30 aircraft, which were reported to have broken formation after crossing the Channel. Changing their direction to avoid fierce anti-aircraft fire, they proceeded inland, and were hotly engaged by British fighters. Most of the fighting took place above fast-moving clouds, and lasted for some 75 minutes, when the battle drifted over the Channel. Watchers state that three enemy aircraft were seen to crash into the sea. A Junkers 88, after being hit by anti-aircraft fire in last night’s raid on London, burst into flames and fell demolishing a house in Merton Park, a western suburb, whose occupants were in a shelter, and were only slightly injured. One of the airmen, who baled out, was captured three] miles away. I Another night-raiding Junker fell | near Cambridge, after being engaged by fighters, and a third was reported as being brought down in Essex. The last was a victim of anti-aircraft fire.

MANY HOUSES WRECKED. (Recd. Sept. 21, 10.25 a.m.) LONDON, September 20. The gale has dropped in the Straits, and the sea is calmer. France is easily visible. Two hundred Germans were chased back across the Channel today. Twelve are reported to have been shot down. Strong forces of German bombers and fighters crossed the Kent coast heading for London. A few reached the capital, but the attack was broken within an hour. Two hundred incendiaries fell in Essex villages. Among unexploded bombs unearthed was one 25 years old. Workmen installing an A.R.P. shelter located the bomb, and hurriedly summoned the disposal unit, which was amazed to discover it was dropped during the last war. A raider cruising over a south-east coastal town bombed a working-class district. A public house sustained ai direct hit, and the landlord, his wife, the staff, and customers, were' trapped. A second bomb wrecked three houses, killing three. A big bomb was dropped on the outskirts of London last night. It completely wrecked two houses, rendered a dozen others uninhabitable, and damaged scores of others. A formation of escorted German bombers was intercepted at a great height near a south-east town this morning. British fighters attacked from above. The Germans scurried off towards the coast. One was shot down. Three shattering explosions in the south-west, shortly before sunrise, closed London’s thirteenth night-long raid. The. raider was apparently un- ] loading ' before scurrying to escape the R.A.F. dawn patrols. j A high-explosive bomb levelled six and damaged' many houses in the! north-east. o Thousands of East-Enders sheltered in the Holborn underground. Many are homeless. Major-General and Mrs William Hugh Usher Smith were both killed when a bomb struck their hotel.

BRIGHTON AGAIN' B OMBED. RUGBY, September 20. It was stated by the Air Ministry, at 8.45 p.m.: Reports so far received show that four enemy aircraft were shot down in to-day’s fighting over Britain. Seven R.A.F. fighters were lost, but the pilots of three are safe. . A communique issued jointly with the Ministry of Home Security states: This morning, a force of enemy aircraft crossed the Kent coast. The enemy did not penetrate the London area beyond the eastern and southeastern outskirts, where a few bombs were dropped. Little damage was done, and only one slight casualty was caused. Several bombs were also dropped on. Brighton this morning, and damage was done to houses. There were a . number of casualties, some being fatal. The enemy formations were engaged by R.A.F. fighters, but cloud conditions made interceptions' difficult. The Air Ministry states that, in Thursday’s actions, five enemy bombers were shot down. None of the R.A.F. fighters was lost. EARLIER OFFICIAL REPORT LONDON, September 20. German raiders renewed their attacks over the south-east coast of Britain this morning, after a night of which enemy activity was on a smaller scale and less effective than on recent nights. . This morning strong forces of bombers, escorted by fighters, crossed the Kent coast, but up to IQ a.m. no sign had been seen of them over London. It was reported from the coast that large forces of Messerschmitts were flying below the German bombers, instead of above them as usual.

Last night’s London raiders met a blaze of searchlights over Kent and the Thames Estuary but, flying above the clouds, they proceeded north, attempting to come into the city by a new path over the north-west suburbs. Clouds hampered the searchlights, which then * suddenly went off as fighters roared up and attempted to seek out the raiders and divert them from their targets. Some of the raiders, nevertheless, penetrated to the central area of London, where the anti-aircraft barrage was as heavy as ever. The raiders divebombed and glide-bombed from low heights, stirring the anti-aircraft guns into new frenzy. An Air Ministry communique describing last night’s raids says that some persons were killed and some injured when a bomb fell on the escape hatch of a public shelter in a

park in north London. Rescue work went on throughout the night. There were raid alarms also in Lancashire? Surrey, Essex, Berkshire, Kent, and the Midlands. A bomb struck a hospital in Essex, and small fires were started in the Surrey woods. A raider brought down by antiaircraft fire in south-west London early this morning narrowly missed a hospital as it crashed to the ground where it blew up. One of the occupants bailed out and was captured. Raiders were also reported from the provinces and Wales. A number of victims of Wednesday night’s raids are still trapped under the debris of a school used by the Auxiliary Fire Service and Ambulance Service. They are nurses and girls employed in this work. About 10 people were killed, seven of them in one house, when two heavy bombs exploded within 100 yards of each other in a south-east town. None of the people took shelter of any sort. The British censorship now does not permit the publication of news as to the raid warnings and “all clears.”.

1 1 GERMAN CLAIMS. [ 5 (Recd. Sept. 21, 11.52 a.m.). ; BERLIN, September 20. A communique states: Despite difficult weather yesterday, we bombed London and south-eastern aerodromes and ports. At night, we continued the reprisals against London and military targets in western and central England. WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL RUGBY, September 20. A bomb which dropped in the grounds of Westminster Roman Catholic Cathedral, during recent raids, caused a big crater, but no damage to the cathedral buildings, or the Archbishop’s house. The Japanese Embassy in London has been evacuated, owing to the presence of a time bomb dropped during the raids. MR. EDEN’S INSPECTION RUGBY, September 20. Mr. Eden visited a number of antiaircraft gun and searchlight stations in the London area, this afternoon, i He took the opportunity of examining the new method of technique of night- [ firing. He congratulated the detachments on their excellent performance during the recent strenuous period. RESCUE INCIDENTS. RUGBY, September 20. A Hurricane squadron pilot-officer and a German sub-lieutenant, who shot each other down off the Thames Estuary, shared-the same rescue boat. During an attack on 50 enemy aircraft, the pilot-officer shot down two Messerschmitt 110 fighter-bombers. One German was hit by the fire of his own machine. “I baled out, falling into the sea three or four miles off Brightlingsea. I noticed two other parachutes coming down, and one fell close by. A German sub-lieutenant was using it.” Another Hurricane pilot, when shot down, made his way to a nearby aerodrome, and was told that the pilot of the Messerschmitt he had attacked had also baled out, and landed near the same aerodrome. AUSTRALIAN GENEROSITY. SYDNEY, September 20. Money from New South Wales is rolling into the fund for the British bomb victims at the rate of £20,000 daily. The fund has passed the hundred thousand mark. The Victoria Fund, which started earlier, is over £160,000. A cablegram received from the - Chairman of the Union Bank of Australia in London, Sir John Davidson, states that contributions from ' Australia and New Zealand for the 1 London air raids distress fund, are greatly appreciated by all in Britain.