BRISTOL AGAIN RAIDED

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 December 1940, Page 7

BRISTOL AGAIN RAIDED

FIRES AND CASUALTIES 2 GERMAN PLANES CRASHED [BY CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.] LONDON, December 7. Continuing their “one town nightly” blitz tactics, German raiders attacked Bristol for several hours, ending before midnight. Elsewhere in Britain raiding was extremely slight —the raids easing off after the Bristol blitz—with London having one of the shortest alarms recently, in which it is officially stated that no bombs were dropped. Incendiary and high explosive bombs rained down on Bristol for several hours. When a hospital was bombed, all its windows were shattered, but the patients and staff, who were sheltering in a basement, were unscathed. There were a number of casualties throughout the town, including some deaths. In one district where many high explosive bombs fell, a number of buildings were demolished. A cinema was struck and some persons were injured. Elsewhere 13 persons were trapped in one house and rescuers toiled to extricate them amid falling bombs. A church was also demolished.

It was reported early in the afternoon that all fires in Bristol had been extinguished. Rescue squads were still feverishly hacking at the debris of a cinema, undex- which a number of persons are known to be trapped and still alive. Many shops in the, working class district were damaged, together with some public buildings. The Berlin wireless reports that Bournemouth was bombed, in addition to places cabled earlier. Agency reports of the raid on a southcoast town last night show that although it lasted for some hours, it did not assume serious proportions. The anti-aircraft barrage was intense. No high explosives were dropped, but some damage was done by incendiaries to shops and private houses, although the fires were soon under control.

British fighters destroyed two enemy bombers during raids on Britain to-day, which an official communique states have been on a very small scale, and mainly confined to the east and south-east coasts. Bombs were dropped in one place in East Anglia, causing slight damage and a few minor injuries.

Two hospitals were set on fire by German raiders which attacked a south coast. town on Friday. Nurses helped to put out the fires. Attacks during the night were slight, and had ceased by midnight. There was little activity during the day. Two Portsmouth policemen have been sentenced to 10 years’ penal servitude, for looting.

SATURDAY NIGHT ALL CLEAR.

LONDON, December 8. Last night, fox’ the first time in three months, not one enemy aeroplane crossed the coasts of Britain. For the last two days German raids have been comparatively light and sporadic. To-day the weather - .over the Channel is brilliantly clear, with a light mist ovex’ the French coast. QUIET SUNDAY. RUGBY, Decembex’ 8. There were a few raiders over London, early this evening, and these were greeted by a heavy anti-aircraft barrage. The day itself has been quiet, and an Air Ministry and Home Security communique, issued this afternoon, states: “One enemy fighter-bomber was shot down in the Channel, early ■this afternoon. Otherwise, tiiere is nothing to report.” FIERCE ATTACK ON LONDON. (Received December 9, 1.45 p.m.) LONDON, December 8. Atef two days of perfect quiet, London received an unpalatably strong measure of blitz punishment, to-night. The Germans, for the first few hours, were almost incessantly overhead, bombs falling at random in the poorest districts and the mostfashionable areas. The raiders profited by the windless, clear night, but met the heaviest ground barrage for weeks. The crescendoes which some of the salvos reached indicated that London’s most formidable guns were in action. Plane aftei- plane swept in from the Thames Estuary, and lines of shells burst across the sky. The raiders were apparently pursuing the methods which proved so successful on the first day of the blitz, as incendiaries were followed by explosives, but, to-night, the* ground defenders were better prepared. R.A.F. OFFENSIVE. BRITISH LOSE FOUR PLANES RUGBY, December 8. 'An Ail’ Ministry communique states: R.A.F. bombers last night carried out effective and sustained attacks on many important industrial and military targets in the Dusseldorf area. The damage is believed to be severe. Other targets included Antwerp, Dunkirk, Calais, and Boulogne, while several enemy aerodromes • in Holland, Belgium, and France were bombed. Coastal Command aircraft attacked naval shipyards and docks at Lorient and Brest. Hits, causing fires and explosions, were, seen in the target area. Four of our machines are missing.

DUSSELDORF WORKS ABLAZE RUGBY, December 8. A fire, which one bomber crew, well experienced in raids over Germany, describes as the largest they had ever seen, was left blazing at Dusseldorf, after heavy R.A.F. raids last night. Full details are not yet available, but it is clear, states the Air Ministry news service, that the attacks on blast furnaces, steel works, gas works, and railway yards constitute a raid as heavy, and certainly as destructive, as that of last Wednesday on the armaments factory and other vital targets in the same city. There was good visibility, and the pilots had no difficulty in recognising the targets and observing the results. Railways, factory buildings, and waterways showed brilliantly beneath the moon. The roofs caved in, and 'an explosion tore the walls of the great steel works right open. BREST EXPLOSIONS. RUGBY, December 8. Details given by the Air Ministry news service, of the attacks on Brest

and Lorient, revealed that the first aircraft went in over Brest, just as daylight faded. The bright moon assisted those who followed. At the outset, fires were started around the naval school, and soon the whole area was quartered by two belongs of flame. Thirty seconds after the bursting of large-calibre bombs aimed at the power-station,, there was a vast explosion.. An observer described the explosion as being like a huge blacksmith’s forge, from which rose showers of debris from the shattered buildings.' There were more fires when incendiaries fell on the infantry barracks, and on the buildings 'between them and several naval barracks. High-explosive bombs were also dropped on the burning area. The dry dock was among the other targets bombed. . The attacks, from which one ancraft did not return, were carried out through an intense barrage of antiaircraft fire. . _ ' During the raid on Lorient, 15 fires \vere counted in one part of the nava station, also around the dry dock. Other objectives were shipbuilding yards and ordnance works. GERMAN CLAIM. (Recd. December 9, 11.15 a.m.) LONDON, December 8. A German communique, mainly a repetition of the alleged results of the air-raids on Britain on the night of December 6, says: The British, last night, flew over occupied territory, also over Western Germany. Several bombs were dropped on three factories, but caused insignificant damage. Six were killed and several wounded.

DAMAGE TO DROMES RAIDERS’ BASES BOMBED [BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.] RUGBY, December 7. Aerodromes in France and the Low Countries—the enemy’s bases for night raids on the British Isles —were successfully attacked by a strong force of Royal Air Force bombers from nightfall until several hours after midnight. The official communique adds that the Channel ports of Dunkirk, Boulogne, and Calais were also attacked. Two British aircraft are missing. Behind the announcement of the raids on aerodromes in France and the Low Countries lies a story of a whole night of successful seeking out and attacking the nests from which the enemy is sending raiders to attack Britain. For the purpose a powerful force of bombers was diverted from its more usual task of raiding Germany’s vital centres. Some aerodromes, states the Air Ministry News Service, have been attacked many times in sharp and sudden raids. At Chateaudun, in the plain of Orleans, the aerodrome was raided several times with marked success, bombs being seen to burst across the hangars and runways. There were many explosions and a number of fires. At Melun many fires sprang up, and when heavy bombs exploded a mass of debris was thrown high in the. air, and a pilot could clearly see fragments of the buildings flying in every direction. Villacoublay was twice successfully attacked. At Chartres there were direct hits on hangars in the south-west corner of the aerodrome. A spectacular’ explosion followed, and an equally impressive fire. At the Vendeville aerodrome near Lille a burst of flames followed the explosion of heavy bombs showing that a store of petrol had been hit. Many other aerodrames in occupied France were attacked. At Le Toquet a pilot came down to 500 feet so that his machine-gunners could spray the aerodrome with accurate fire.

In the Low Countries a number of aerodromes were hit. At Le Culot and Brussels bombs straddled the flarepath, and at Harskamp bombs fell on a hangar- and caused explosions and a fire. Aerodromes at Yyenburg, Rotterdam, Trond, and Eindhoven were also successfully raided.

Royal Air Force raids ovex’ enemy and occupied territories during the week ended at dawn to-day have been restricted by the weather. On two nights all operations had to be cancelled. Widespread daylight raids were made during the week, and in all 20 attacks were carried out against ports and shipping, five against, such objectives as goods yards, and 10 against factories and powex- stations? A large number of aerodrames were also attacked. Only two aircraft were lost in these operations. One of these was in a raid ovex’ Italy. The operations included a persistent attack on the submarine base at I’Orient, which was bombed on four days.

GERMANY’S NEW METHODS. ATTACK AGAINST EGYPT? (Received December 9, 12.30 p.m.) LONDON, December 8. Germany’s policy of trying to knock out the R.A.F. has apparently been abandoned, says the Aeronautical Correspondent of the “Sunday Times,” who now believes that Germany is concentrating on three methods to smash by air Britain’s ability to make war. Firstly, a direct frontal attack against British industry and ports. Secondly, blockade by stranglehold on shipping approaching British ports, particularly from America. Thirdly, diversion in the East. In«the direct frontal attack, Germany is using about 1200 planes from bases in France and Holland. Three hundred Italian planes are operating from Belgium. These forces are only a small proportion of German air strength. The scale of German night attacks may diminish, because of the highly successful R.A.F. raids on German factories, aerodromes and communications, the effect of which is greater than is generally realised. An attack against Egypt is likely. No reinforcements from Germany have arrived in North Africa, but ground preparations are going on. GERMAN NEW PLANE.

LONDON, December 7. The Bremen wireless says that the new Messerschmitt 110 ’plane has a much greater range than the Messerschmitt 109. It also is equipped with several cannon and machine-guns. It Carries two members of a crew. The construction enables it to carry very heavy bombs under the fuselage.

, N.Z. CASUALTY. WELLINGTON, December 8. The following hir casualty was announced to-night:— Sergeant John Charles Cornish, R.N.Z.A.F., missing on active service. His father is Mr J. Cornish, Tregunna Street, Castlecliff, Wanganui,