AERIAL ATTACK

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVIII, Issue 220, 15 August 1928, Page 7

AERIAL ATTACK

LONDON’S DEFENCES. INVADING BOMBERS. START OF THE MIMIC WAR. 3 (United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) (Australian Press Association). LONDON, Aug. 13. Air attacks on London are in full s blast. The zero hour of tho manoeuvres was six o'clock this evening, but before then the enemy had sent formations of bombers which were waiting for tho declaration of mimic war 1 close to the three-mile limit. Directly afterwards they converged on London s wtih lightning rapidity, and soon were 7 humming over objectives such as “ Beckton petrol depot, Crystal Palace, 0 the Air Ministry, and the North Weald aerodrome. . , By 6.55 p.m. the umpires of the Air i Ministry announced that seven mimic “ raids wero in progress, and that all s tJie enemy aeroplanes had crossed the - coast and were engaged in an all-round attack. Six fighting squadrons wero immediately in the air to meet them, a one being in contact with the raiders 1 at Croydon, but cloudy, rainy woather o was assisting the enemy to conceal - the direction of the attacks. By 11 o’clock tho official opinion - was that out of ten raids two wo™ 1 successful and eight intercepted. But f it was emphasised that the umpires had not yet given their final decision. Tho anti-aircraft "tinners, subject to the o umpire’s ruling, claimed that thev y hfjd shot down eight bombers out of e seventy attacking. s It is estimated that 250 machines of various types were engaged in defending throughout the evening, which t eventually became fine. ii A hundred thousand spectators watched tho red lights flashing from f the invaders, indicating that they wero ] dropping bombs. At one time forty planes wero over Bromley, and thirtysix more could be counted near Red r Hill engaging in battle. (j After nightfall the attack was continued by night bombers, but subsequent to midnight tho bomb dropping was confined to targets on the outskirts of London, the night objectives being stores and depots at Croydon, Richmond Park and Wormwood Scrubbs.