Raiders’ Approach from All Directions

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 44, 20 February 1941, Page 7

Raiders’ Approach from All Directions

Four Planes Brought Down At Night DAMAGE IN SOME PLACES United Press Association—By EUctrlo Telegraph-—Copyrigh t. LONDON, Feb. 18. Raiders over London last night flew in from all directions, singly and in small groups. Scores of flares which were followed by incendiary bombs in one London district illuminated the area like daylight. Fires were quickly extinguished. An Air Ministry communique states: “There was some enemy activity over this country during the night, chiefly iu London and surrounding districts and also in East Anglia. The attack on London was not on a large scale. A number of persons were killed and others injured. The activity in East Anglia was widspread, and continued all night. Reports so far show that the darnago was slight, and the casualties are likely to be small.” High-explosive bombs are known to have hit seven working-class houses and six persons arc known to have been killed. A.R.P. workers are continuing to search under the debris. A high -explosive bomb made a direct hit on a shelter, and it is feared that man/ people were killed. It is now known that last night two enemy bombers were destroyed by antiaircraft gunfire off the east coast, a third by anti-aircraft gunfire in Norfolk, and one by a night patrol near Ixmdon, making a total of four enemy aircraft destroyed during the night. Describing how he brought down one of the Nazi bombers which were de-

stroyed last night, a squadron-leader who was flying a night fighter said that after he had manoeuvred himself into position he closed in for the attack and opened fire immediately. “The effect was startling,” he said. “Red flashes and sparks of brilliant intensity flew in my direction and almost blinded me. I was too dazzled to see the enemy, but I kept on firing at the flashes until I felt that my machine was in the enemy’s slipstream and I feared I would collide. I pulled the stick back slightly and the enemy passed ten feet below me.” An Admiralty communique states: “An enemy aircraft was shot down in jthe North Sea early this morning by jthe minesweeping trawler Stella Rigel. When the enemy aircraft approached and circled the trawler the commanding officer himself opened fire. He scored hits immediately, and the enemy air- | craft exploded in the air. There wers jno survivors, and no casualties wers (sustained by the trawler.”