RAIDS ON LONDON

Grey River Argus, 26 February 1944, Page 5

RAIDS ON LONDON

CONTINUE THURSDAY Larger Forces Come Over [Aus. & N.Z. Press Assn.J LONDON, Feb. 24. On Tuesday night 175 German bombers crossed the English coast and of these 100 penetrated to. the London area. A Royal Air Force officer said it was a somewhat larger force than that engaged in the previous raid. The Germans had undojibtedly increased their bomber’ strength on the Western Front, though this had been done at the expense of German strength on other fronts.

During last night’s raids on London, four high explosive bombs fell on a working-class estate and caused heavy casualties, when they] landed directly on two of three five-storeyed blocks of flats. A high proportion of the casualties, the total of which is not established, will be children. Few residents went to the underground shelters because it was too cold.

Members of the Pioneer Corps on Tuesday afternoon joined the rescue squads still recovering bodies from the wrecked buildings. The scene of the vicinity of the shattered flats ■ resembles a battlefield. People with bandaged heads are pushing perambulators piled with their belongings. Two large cranes are helping to shift debris, which in some places is over 12ft high. Priceless antiques and art treasures from all over the world were destroyed in' one London district during 'last night's raid. High explosives considerably damaged the area.

Stockholm “Aftonbladet” quotes military] commentators in Berlin as stating that the non-stop offensives against London has now started. Dr. Goebbdls writing in “Das Reich” says: With the boivbing the British and Americans are trying to ease the heavy task confronting the invasion troops. Their air attacks are not worrying us. We do not envy the British and Americans the risks they will be running when they attempt a large-scale, perhaps all-decisive, invasion. Military developments will reach a climax in Western Europe, where the war will probably be decided.

On Wednesday night, enemy aircraft were ever London and parts of south, and south-east England, bombs being dropped at a number of places, state’s a communique. Damage and casualties were caused in the London area and elsewhere. The bombs did slight damage and casualties were .vnall. Four enemy aircraft were destroyed. It is now known that another enemy aircraft was destroyed oyer England on Tuesday' night, making the total eleven. On Wednesday night another enemy aircraft was destroyed over its base in Belgium by one of our Intruders.

London Art Treasures BLOTTED OUT BY GERMAN BOMB

(Rec. 8.40) LONDON, Feb. 25. Thousands of pounds worth of pictures an r ] of art treasures were stored 30 feet deep in a wine cellar which was almost blotted out by a bomb during the German raid on London on Wednesday. These treasures at present are buried under a pile of rubble. A member of the firm in whose cage the pictures and other articles were, said: “Under the debris there is a wonderful pair of Candelabra, by Guthier. I have been keeping these for Queen Mary. There is also a Franz Hals painting, which is worth fifteen thousand sterling, and there are also Rembrandts and Van Dycks. Besides ten thousand sterling worth of pictures, I have been keeping two valuable tapestries for Lord Halifax, which had been removed from the Foreign Office to be cleaned. One of them has been destroyed. A Beauvais tapestry, worth six thousand sterling, belonging to M. Gubenkein, an Armenian oil king, has been saved.”

Thursday Night Raids ANTI-PERSONNEL BOMBS.

('Rec. 10.40.') LONDON, Feb. 24. German raiders came in over the London area on Thursday night As the first ones came over a heavy barrage opened. The sky at times was filled' with searchlights, flares, tracer bullets, and exploding anti-aircraft shells. Incendiaries were dropped by the raiders, and they cracked like exploding ammunition when they hit the ground. If is evident that these incendiaries are of the explosive antipersonnel type. MORE LONDON FIRES. THURSDAY NIGHT’S BOMBING. (Rec. 12.32). LONDON, Feb. 25. An enemy raider was .destroyed over Britain on Thursday night. Many fires were started by the raiders. None was of alaiming dimensions. All were soon got undel control. ' , A high explosive bomb on one district wrecked four adjoining houses. It also damaged forty others. Several families were trapped. Other buildings hit included a greyhound racing stadium. A dance hall was hit while a dance was piogresSll paris radio says: It. is emphasised, in Berlin that the recent heavy raids on London do not represent intended reprisals against Britain. BRITAIN'S A.A. ROCKETS. BEING USED AGAINST RAIDERS. (Rec. 10.10.)" "LONDON, Feb. 25. The Press Association has.disclosed some details of Britain’s anti-aircraft rockets, which for months have seen bursting, during iaids n red masses, which fill large expa ses of sky. The projectiles have accounted for a number of enemy P • They rocket into the 1 sky with a terrific rushing noise like an exp> train. The weapon was several winters ago by scie Working secretly in a shack near London. They found results could not be fully tested in Britain, r o this reason a party sailed to ‘' maicd in search of fine weather, in y then carried out a series of s i y cc ?® s L ful expericents, after which the ins rocket gun was completed. Betai s of the construction and design oi t e weapon still cannot be divulged.

Crewless Dornier Lands Perfectly SCARED GERMAN AIRMEN BALE OUT OVER LONDON (Rec. 9.10) LONDON. Feb. 25. The crew of a German Dornier 21 ( bmober which was caught in a barrage in Wednesday night’s raid over London, baled out unhurt over Wembley and Ealing. The Dornier was not damaged. It flew on for 50 miles, and after skirting a thickly populated area, it made a perfect landing. The crew, apparently, d’d not wait for their plane to be hit.