RAIDS IN BRITAIN

Grey River Argus, 2 May 1942, Page 5

RAIDS IN BRITAIN

NORWICH AGAIN BOMBED “30 Minutes of Hell” LONDON, ffiprll 30. Enemy aircraft for the second time raided the historic city of Norwich on Wednesday night. Early reports said that several of the attacking aircraft were badly damaged, but their destruction has not yet been confirmed. The raid was short but very sharp. Among the casualties were seven persons who were killed in two public shelters. Two churches were hit and damage was done in shopping and residential areas. After dropping flares the raiders dropped incendiaries and high explosives for 30 minutes. A resident said that the raid was the most severe yet. One street was practically demolished. Some of the town’s historic buildings were damaged. The Berlin radio described the laid as a reprisal for the British attack on Kiel.

Many casualties resulted from the German “Baedeker” raid on Norwich last night, which an agency message describes as 30 minutes of hell. The raiders ■ flew along rows of villas, dropping high-explosives and incendiaries. Hundreds of people joined a large number already homeless. Eight mobile Church Army canteens operated without loss througEout the raid. A warden’s solicitude for a cat led to a remarkable rescue after an airraid on Bath. The warden, who was examining debris, noticed a black cat vanish into a hole. He thrust in his arm, hoping to reach the animal, and was amazed to feel bis fingers grasped by a tiny hand. A rescue party was summoned, and after hours of feverish work, a seven-yeai;-old unidentified child was brought out alive, after having been entombed for nearly four days. The child was taken to hospital, suffering from shock and loss of memory. THURSDAY NIGHT’S RAIDS. ENEMY LOSS HEAVY. (Rec. 11.55.) RUGBY, May 1. Hitler’s reprisal raids are proving highly expensive. On Thursday night, eight raiders were destroyed over Britain as well as three over bases in France. The strength of the attacking force is stated to have been, probably well under fifty machines. Thus something like a quarter of it was destroyed. This is an achievement almost certainly without precedent in night fighting. Bombs • which were dropped mainly along the north-east coast of England in no case caused extensive damage, and casualties were light. Coastal Areas Bombed (Rec. 12.47.) LONDON, May 1. German night-raiders on Thursday night apparently abandoned the "three-star” Baedeker reprisal raids. They carried out a more scattered attack, on several north-east coast areas, including on coastal towns. Raiders flew up the east coast o J England. Then they turned inland, and on the return journey they dropped the remainder of their bombs at two points in East Anglia. The damage to property was mostly done- in residential areas. The casualties were not serious. GERMAN OFFER. (Rec. 12.50) LONDON, May 1. The Geneva journal’s Berlin correspondent says: It was semi-officially announced that Germany will call off the bombing of the English towns, if the R.A.F. changes its methods in the bombin? of German cities.