ENEMY ACTIVITY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 261, 2 October 1940, Page 7

ENEMY ACTIVITY

FEW PLANES PENETRATE

ISOLATED.BOMBINGS

(United, Press Association—Copyright.)

(British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 10.13 a.m.) RUGBY, Oct. 1 “The enemy made several abortive attacks on the South of England to-day,” states an Air Ministry and Ministry of Home Security communique. ‘Tor the most part his aircraft have not penetrated far inland, and, few reports of the dropping of bombs have been received.

“A small number of aircraft reached London and dropped bombs. These caused several casualties, some fatal. Bombs have been also dropped at a point near tho Welsh Coast, causing a small number of casualties. “Four enemy aircraft have been shot down. Three of our aircraft are missing.” Two solitary planes were heard high over north-west London in the midmorning. Other planes w'ero sighted over the south-west and central districts. Explosions were later heard in North London. Other raiders were heard in the vicinity of the south-east and south-west, coast late in the morning. CIVILIAN CASUALTIES.,

South-eastern villagers saw a “Molotov breadbasket” fall and illuminate the district for miles. Eight separate fires were started hut were quickly extinguished. Four were killed and seven injured in a south-east inland town when higliexplosives fell in the residential area. Several bombs fell on an East Midland town. Five were killed and many injured when a factory was damaged by a direct hit. ... . After driving .his sick wife to hospital through the barrage, a South London resident was buried when his home was wrecked by a bomb. A raider bombed, a district after the all-clear signal, demolishing three houses in which five persons were killed and others are still buried. A number of houses were demolished in the East London outskirts, where a large house was burnt out by an oil bomb. ' ■ A “Molotov breadbasket fell in a field near a South-East London hospital containing 360 children, but there were no casualties. •' Germans bombed a thickly-populat-ed South-West London district this afternoon and some casualties are ie-To-day’s raids were in three phases. Anti-aircraft defences repulsed single raiders in North-West, South-West, and Central London.

TERRIFIC BARRAGE,

Londoners heard between 2 and 4 o’clock this morning one of the fiercest anti-aircraft barrages so tar. Tho night for minutes at a time was rendered hideous, by the deafening uproar as the raiders, apparently adopting new tactics, swooped down in defiance of the barrage.

Tho West End and Central London quivered as the big guns blazed away at the intruders, who seemed to be roaring over the housetops.; One .big fire' was started, hut was controlled before dawn. Four heavy bombs falling near a. famous Central London square caused no casualties. Houses in the neighbouring mews were demolished. One bomb destroyed a street of working-class houses in South-West London; 22 weio rescued from the wreckage, hot many are believed to have been killed. A Junkers bomber surprisingly appeared over South-East London aftei daylight and flew over the housetops firing its cannon. It then roared over a train,- which it machine-gunned. Some bullets penetrated a root, but there were no casualties. A bomber later raked two streets of a south-eastern area with machine-gun fiXG* 4. raider which crashed at Redhill after a fight with a Hurricane in the morning is believed to have’ been the machine which attacked the tram.