Few Nazi Aircraft Over Britain

Northern Advocate, 15 November 1940, Page 5

Few Nazi Aircraft Over Britain

[British Official Wireless ] (Received 11 a.m.)

RUGBY, November 14

The raiders past signal in the London area last night was one of the earliest in recent weeks, ending well before midnight.

A communique states that only a few aircraft were over Britain during the night. Bombs were dropped in a district of the London area, and in some places in the east and south-east of England. In a town in East Anglia and in the London area a few houses were damaged. There was very little damage elsewhere.

The only casualties reported were a small number of people injured.

19 Shot Down

Further R.A.F. victories were told of in a communique dealing with today’s enemy activity over Britain. Thirteen dive-bombers and one fighter were destroyed off the south-east coast before they could make any attack, and a single heavy bomber which crossed the south coast in the morning was shot down. Later reports show that four more enemy planes were shot down, making 19 in all. Two of our fighters were lost, but both pilots are safe. A few bombs were dropped in Kent during the day and some damage was done to buildings. There were few casualties. Non-Military Objectives. The clearest possible refutations of repeated German assertions that the bombing of London is confined to military objectives is contained in a long list of buildings actually hit during the past nine weeks, now officially issued. While it is noted that the Germans specifically use phrases such as “confined to,” “aimed at,” “directed only against” military objectives, the list, in fact, contains the names of eight hospitals, 23 churches, three palaces, three embassies, 29 buildings of historic and world-wide interest, 24 squares, streets, etc., all in the London area.

Zoo Among Targets,

It is found difficult in London to determine precisely what military objectives the airmen aimed at in bombing, for instance, St. Dunstan’s, the headquarters which cared for the warblinded members of the forces, St. Thomas’ and St. Bartholomew’s hospi-. tals, the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, St. Paul’s, Westminster Abbey, the American, Japanese and Spanish embassies, Buckingham, Kensington and Lambeth Palaces, the Tate Gallery, the Temple and Madame Tussauds. Nor l's it seen how direct hits scored on the London Zoo can contribute to the destruction' of the Empire’s war effort or morale. A German Report, A German communique declares that the air force plastered important military objectives in London, Liverpool, Coventry and Birmingham. British night raiders gained no appreciable success. Violent anti-aircraft fire forced back a few planes from Berlin, after a few bombs had been dropped prematurely on the outskirts of the city. The R.A.F.’s Bag

It is confirmed that during last night two enemy bombers were destroyed over Britain. Most of today’s bag of Nazi aircraft went to a single Spitfire squadron, which this afternoon, destroyed 14 enemy planes off the Kent coast. The individual record for today goes to one pilot of this squadron who shot down three. Thirteen of the enemy machines were Junkers 87 and one a Messerschmitt 109.

The largest number of Junkers 87 falling to one squadron is still the 15 which a Hurricane squadron accounted for a week ago. One Junkers 88 was shot down off the south coast during the morning.