Blitz Atmosphere Returns In Britain

Northern Advocate, 28 June 1944, Page 2

Blitz Atmosphere Returns In Britain

(Special.) LONDON, June 27. The flying bomb has resulted into a return of something like a blitz atmosphere, although with not the same intensity. There have been several incidents' recalling that period. One bomb fell on a group of houses, killing small children riding scooters down the street. It buried an elderly woman. Rescue squads and first aid parties were soon on the scene digging out those buried and taking them to hospital. In another incident a baby's cry guided rescue workers. Several bodies had been removed from a house, then a faint cry was heard. Alter seven hours of tunnelling the rescue squad leader moved a brick and saw a tiny arm, then moved more bricks and saw a two-year-old child lying in an armchair. Later at a hospital the baby was said to be absolutely unharmed. One man was standing outside an Anderson shelter when he. was blown inside and killed by blast. His wife and son were taken to hospital. Four more women were killed when a bomb destroyed a house above their shelter.

A bomb which fell near a maternity clinic was heard in time to get a number of expectant mothers into shelter. Nobody was injured, though windows were blown in. These are typical incidents.

Ead Blood: Army v. Luftwaffe

The air correspondent of “The Times” says that Goebbeis no doubt will be surprised and somewhat hurt at the attitude of German troops in Normandy towards flying bomb raids on Southern England.

Ear from sharing his enthusiasm, prisoners brought in during the last few days complained bitterly that, because of the diversion of productive capacity to these missiles, they are being denied fighter cover. Even soldiers long accustomed to fighting without adequate help from the Luftwaffe are angry at the almost entire absence of German fighters which could help to keep Allied bombers and fighter-bombers away. For some time there have been rumours of bad blood between the German Army and the Luftwaffe, each accusing the other of not pulling its weight. The effect of German propaganda stories of mass raids on England by pilotless aircraft has been to increase this acrimony.

Cherbourg Sites Captured

A correspondent of the Associated Press at Cherbourg says that the Americans storming Cherbourg yesterday captured two more sites from which the Germans planned to launch flying-bombs, revealing the extent to which they intended to use Normandy as a firing-point against Britain. A 1 least half a dozen of these concrete installations have now been captured on Cherbourg Peninsula, none of which had been completed. The German news agency claimed that the flying-bombs’ accuracy of aim had improved as a result of recent experience and added that a large number of flying-bombs had been aimed at armament and industrial areas in Britain. Shot Down Two Flying-Officer A. N. Same*. D.P.C., of Auckland, who shot down two flyingbombs during cm* patrol, said: “My first was pretty exciting. I was patrolling over the sea when I intercepted it and gave it a short burst. It immediately spun in and hit the water. Later I had an uncomfortable moment when I sa w a second flying-bomb coming up behind me very fast. I did a wide turn and quickly caught up with it. gave it a short burst, and it dived straight into a field.” Anti-aircraft gunners scored .many successes against flying-bombs in Southern England throughout last night. Numbers were shot down as they approached or passed over the coast. They were still coming over at noon. Flying-bombs seem io include a differ-ent-type. the engine of which cuts out. then starts up again. Some appear to carry a heavier load cf explosives. Cue which fell in cp:*n country not only produced an unusually loud explosion, but lit up the countryside with a brilliance reminiscent cf the blitz. Several incidents involving deaths and injuries are reported.