SUNDAY’S RAIDS

Hokitika Guardian, 17 September 1940, Page 5

SUNDAY’S RAIDS

A GREAT BAG 185 GERMAN PLANES LOST. (United Press Association Pei Electric Telegraph Copy right). LONDON, Sp. 13. It is now officially stated that 185 enemy planes were destroyed on. Sunday, of which 131 werd bombers. •Five British fighters which previously were reported missing, are now re.poited to be at their bases. The Biitisli losses therefore were. 25 fighter planes, but- twelve of the pilots are safe.

German air attacks on Britain were continued at night-time on Sunday by a succession of small groups ot bombers. These attacks were directed mainly against the London area and the surrounding districts. A smaller number of attacks were also made in other parts of the country, , , The attacks on London were spread over a wide area Houses, cominci cial premises and other buildings were damaged, and also three hospitals. Two houses in the south-west ei London were demolished by bombs on Sunday night. Several injured persons were extricated. It is leaied that there were some fatalities. A heavy bomb fell on a business building in Central London, -which considerably damaged tlie two top floors, and also shook a nearby hotel. Vast lumps of zinc from the ventilators on the roof of the business building were blown a distance of several hundred feet into a neighbouring street.

FURTHER, PARTICULARS. (Per British Official Wireless.)

RUGBY, Sep. 15. The . great air battles, to-day, made it one of the most costly days for the German Air Force, for nearly a month, states the Air Ministry News-service. During the day, between 250 and 500 enemy* aircraft were launched in two waves against London and the south-east coast. The great majoiity of the German raiders that escaped were chivied and liarrassed at all

stages.. , A squadron of Hurricanes, which destroyed nine of the enemy, began the fight over London and ended up over tlie cliffs at Hastings. Another squadron chased a group of bombers from the Thames at Hammersmith to B-eachv Head, shooting down five on the way. A formation of Hurricanes, which caught some of the enemy just as they were coming up the Thames, handled them ,so roughly that one pilot thought it unlikely that any oi the bombers would reach home; five Dormers being definitely shot down. Another Hurricane pilot,- who took part in the first stage of this attack, described how He Dormers broke formation, trying to dive for cloud, pursued by Hurricanes. When the lemaining Dormers began to fight to the coast, they were no longer a formation, but merely the centre of a general melee ,through which Spitfires and Hurricanes were flying at will, choosing whichever target pleased them. The Germans launched another day light raid on London about mid-day today. and were met by violent anti-air-craft fire. Watchers on the roads saw at least .50 areoplunes turning and twisting high above. In a few minutes the fragments of one raider, possibly of two, blown to pieces by antiaircraft fire, were seen falling like leaves. The “all clear” sounded after an hour and s, half. • An Air Ministry and Ministry of Home Security communique states:— This morning, a large number of enemy aircraft crossed the coast near Dover, in two waves. They were promptly met by strong formations of fighters, and an air battle ensued. In tiltcourse of this raid, two small enemy formations succeeded in penetrating the London area, where bouses were hit by bombs some fires broke out, and damage was done to gas and water mains. From the preliminary reports, it is clear that the number of casualties was small. Further reports state that a little later when more machine-gun fire v/as heard, another big German machine was seen diving, at a stoop angle towards the ground over the London area. / The third air-raid warning since i midnight was sounded at 2.13 p.m., and the warning lasted for just ovoi an hour, but the raiders failed to penetrate the central London area.

OFFICIAL REPORT. LONDON, September 1 6 - An official report states that on Sunday afternoon German raiders bombed several points in and around the London area, and many places in the south-east of England, causing small fires. The bombs damaged bouses and industrial and municipal buildings m eastern and north-eastern London. T >e casualties tvere not numerous. A heavy bomb hit one of London’s oldest, hospitals, wrecking the medical block, and injuring a medical officer, but it missed the wards on cither side. The patients bad been removed to the basement earlier.