AIR RAIDS ON BRITAIN

Grey River Argus, 6 October 1941, Page 6

AIR RAIDS ON BRITAIN

[British Official Wireless]. (Rec. 6.30) RUGBY, October 4. An official communique stales:— During Friday night a small number of enemy aircraft flew over England and Scotland. They chiefly visited the eastern districts. A few oombs were exploded. They did little ciamage No casualties are reported. Enemy air raids on Britain on Friday night were the most severe for some time. The north-eastern districts suffered most. Eleven were killed in a south-east town and 58 were injured, of whom 26 were seriously hurt. The persons injured include a 16-year-old member of me A.R.P., who continued delivering- important messages on cycle although bombs were dropping around him. and the blast blew him off his cvcle.

i in a north-east town was fairly xeavy although there were tew casualties. LONDON, October 3. Enemy air activity over Britain last night was on a larger scale tnan for some time. The raids were chiefly over coastal districts of northeast and south-east England Bombs were dropped at a number of points causing a number of casualties and some damage. Three enemy bombers, were destroyed during the night. One was destroyed while attempting to cross the north-east coast of Scotland. Another was destroyed in the Firth of Forth. The third was destroyed over the north-east of England. One town in the south-east had its heaviest .attack so far. Damage was done to property, and among those killed were six elderly persons. More than 30 persons were admitted to hospital. Last night’s German air attack on a south-east coast town appeared in sharp contrast to the long spell of immunity. Three times raiders cressed the Straits and then dived on the town to drop bombs in several districts. A cons’iderable amount of damage was caused to small properties and a block of flats. I The attacks were methodically timed, being made at about hourly intervals. The heaviest raid took' place about midnight, when a wave of enemy aircarft swooped on the town. As the raiders returned across the Channel they cropped red Vercy lights, to prevent their own antiaircraft batteries on the French coast firing on them. Over the south-east coast town they met with very heavy anti-air-craft fire, and night fighters were also up, machine gun fire being heard. [ Between nine o’clock and midnight last night, the German Air Force lost three bombers for certain, and probably more, the Air Ministry News Service states. Two of the raidingbombers were destroyed by' the leader cf a Beaufighter squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Last night, he saw the enemy crossing the coast about nine o’clock, and attacked The Nazi took violent evasive action and the pilot encountered and returned the lire, twisting and diving to get away from the Beaufighter. The German bomber was identified at a Heinkel 111. The fighter clung to its quarry, silencing the rear-gunner and finally sending the Heinkel diving into the sea about three miles off the north-east coast. He then continued his patrol, while i the observer-gunner reloaded the Beaufighter armaments, and soon afterwards saw another enemy. The bomber, a Dornnier 17, fled towards the sea. When attacked, a terrific explosion followed, and the Dornier I disappeared. The crew of the Beau-1 fighter saw four parachutes opening against the background of the moonlit sea, three miles out from Tynemouth.

While German bombers were being destroyed over this country last night, Fighter Command pilots, flying Havocs, were attempting to aerodromes The damage to ■ residential property

in France and Holland, from which the attackers had come. At one aerodrome the flare-path and floodlights were put out as the R.A.F. aircraft

circled. Bombs were dropped on the hangars, wpich were followed by explosions and fires, aerodromes were also bombed.