QUIET DAY AND NIGHT

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 December 1940, Page 7

QUIET DAY AND NIGHT

TWO BOMBS ON BRITAIN LITTLE HARM CAUSED [BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.] RUGBY, December 10. A quiet night has been followed by very slight air activity over Britain, during the day. A communique states: A few enemy aircraft approached our coasts singly, during the day,' and some penetrated into the east of Kent. Reports received indicate that only two bombs were dropped,' and these caused little damage and no casualties. DEMAND FOR REPRISALS. • LONDON, December 9. Between two and three hundred German bombers were raiding London on Surfday night. They unloaded cargoes of bombs upon practically every London borough. The experience and determination of the civil defence personnel, however, reduced the casualties and damage far below that in the comparable attacks in September. The raids started thousands of fires in the London area. Yet with almost miraculous speed the fires disappeared before they had a chance of gaining a hold. The wantonness and brutality of Sunday night’s' raids on London has given a fresh and wider impetus to a demand for reprisals in kind. The “Daily Mail’ ’and “The Times declare that Germany, has dropped the last pretence of aiming at military targets. The “Daily Mail says: “A point has been reached where we must ask whether our humane policy is encouraging, the Germans to bomb British civilians. It the answer is yes, then our own survival demands the bombing of the German populace, so as to teach them that their foul game does not Pa “ The Times” says: “Such an indiscriminate night attack against a great city represents the lowest depth to which the art of war can fall, it was a typical example of destruction for destruction’s sake. Herr Hitler apparently has decided that aiy weapon, even remotely affecting, the British war effort, must be tried.

R.A.F. ATTACKS

RUGBY, December 10.

An Air Ministry communique states: Last night, R-A.F. bomb ®J s bombed the aircraft factory at Bremen, the naval base at Lorient, and the docks at Boulogne. During these operations, one of the bombers sh down an enemy fighter. One of our aircraft is missing. GERMAN VERSION. (Recd. Dec. 11, 10.20 a.m.). LONDON, December 10. A German communique says: Our Air Force, yesterday and last night, m view of bad weather, restricted its activities to armed reconnaissance. Several British warplanes last night flew over occupied territories of northern Germany, and caused some damage to buildings.

FRENCH. COAST FIRES. RUGBY, December 10. Residents of the south-east coast of England had a remarkable demonstration, to-day, of the havoc wrought by the R.A.F. on the other side of the Channel, during the night. So great were the fires started by these attacks, that they were visible in daylight across the Channel. Huge columns of black and white smoke were seen intermingling with flames. Early this morning, haze and drizzle in the Straits formed a red glow, like an evening sunset, but the midday sun dispersed the haze, and the French coast was plainly visible to crowds oi people assembled on the cliffs and foreshore, looking towards the other side of the Channel. Later, the mist descended again, but it did not completely blot out the red glow.

GOEBBELS’ THREAT. (Recd. Dec. 11, 2 p.m.). BERLIN, December 10. A new blitzkrieg against Britain is threatened by Goebbels. Receiving foreign correspondents, he said: I believe the war will end in a reasonably short time, with a lightning offensive against Britain, far surpassing anything yet flung against her. Actually we already feel we have won the war, and therefore are concentrating on a new order in Europe, and economic and cultural relations with the rest of the world, particularly the Americas.

COASTAL COMMAND. RUGBY, December 10. The Prime Minister stated, in the Commons: “I have come to the conclusion that, while there is need at present for a change in the position of the Coastal Command as a part of the R.A.F., it is necessary that the Coastal Command should play a more-impoi-tant part than it-has hitherto done m trade protection, and for that purpose substantial increases, some of which have already been effected, will be necessary. Moreover, as a feature of the Coastal Command squadrons is co-operation with the Royal Navy, the operational policy of the Command must be determined by the Admiralty—of course,, m consultation with the Air Officer Command-ing-in-Chief. Excellent relations have been established since the war, between the two Services, and the closest contact exists, between the naval and air authorities.” Mr. Churchill added that the last thing the Government wanted was an inter-Service controversy.

AWARDS TO AIRMEN. RUGBY, December 9. Pilot Officer Lock, of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who has already gained the D.F.C., with bar. since September, receives the D.S.O. in the latest list of Royal Air Force awards. His latest exploit was to destroy two Messerschmitt 109’s in action with a squadron against superior forces, bringing his total of successes to 9 2 aeroplanes. Pilot Officer Lock gained the D.F.C. after a patrol action in the Dover area, where he engaged three Heinkel 113’s, shooting one down and destroying a Heinkel 126 immediately afterwards. The D.F.C is awarded to Acting--1 Squadron Leader D. S. McDonald, who has taken part in 81 missions ' against the enemy. I Sergeant A. MacDowell, who has