GERMANS GLOAT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 5 December 1940, Page 5

GERMANS GLOAT

DAMAGE IN BRITAIN i GRANDIOSE CLAIMS FOR LUFTWAFFE 5,000,000 BOMBS DROPPED IN MONTH [U.P.A.-By Electric Telegraph-Copyright] LONDON, 3rd December. Bristol has been subjected to savage, indiscriminate bombing last week, and when last night’s bombing took place the German Press was still gloating over the damage that had been caused in the earlier attack, declaring that the bombers left Bristol a “city in ruins.” In the countries which have access to independent opportunities of assessing the damage done in recent raids there will be the usual disinclination to accept the German claims at their face value, particularly by those who recall that, in justifying the attack on Buckingham Palace, the Germans declared it to be a legitimate military target because of non-existent oil tanks near by. “Harbour installations,” of which it is innocent, were said to justify an attack some months ago on Bognor Regis, and Bexhill has also been presented with a harbour by the German radio. Londoners who are going about their affairs with litt'e interference have been surprised to learn in the words of German reports that enemy bombers on Sunday night “proceeded to London to continue the work of annihilating the British public services and supply services.” It is now stated by the official German news agency that the Luftwaffe carried out 23 large-scale attacks on England last month. More than 5,000,000 explosive bombs were dropped, the nightly weight of which ranged between 100 and 600 tons. CANNOT BREAK A COUNTRY Meanwhile the London correspondent of a Madrid newspaper sums up his vie’”~ on the air war, after having experienced the “airblitz” on London, as follows: “Air attack, at its present stage, has not sufficient power to break a country. Even the most powerful bombs break their teeth against reinforced concrete. “Of the 35 road and rail bridges over the Thames in the London area, not one has been put out of action.” An American columnist, writing in the New York “Herald-Tribune,” says that mankind owe a debt to Britain for restoring to men their lost faith in themselves. The “New York Times,” paying a tribute to the people of Southampton, says that the Germans can no more destroy the spirit of Southampton than King Canute could command the waves. EFFECTIVE A.A. FIRE BRITISH GUNS' TALLY NOW OVER 400 LONDON, 3rd December. The effectiveness of British antiaircraft fire is strikingly demonstrated by an official report, which says that up to the present anti-aircraft gunners have brought down well over 400 enemy aircraft—more than 300 by day and over 100 by night. “The supply of anti-aircraft guns is great, and growing,” the report says. “The high standard of efficiency is being increased by scientific research. “British ground defences have been planned to cover the whole of the United Kingdom and to give at all times the maximum possible protection to those '’’•cas whose safety is most vital to the war effort.” RESCUE WORKER CASUALTIES LONDON, 3rd December. It is officially announced to-day that apart from auxiliary firemen, 41 members of rescue parties had been killed and 510 injured in the London region m- to the present.

HEAVIER ARMAMENT FOR BRITISH FIGHTERS DEALING WITH ARMOUR-PLATED RAIDERS USE OF CANNON [British Official Wireless] (Received sth December, 9.40 a.m.) RUGBY, 4th December. British fighters are being fitted with cannon, the chief advantages of which are longer range and greater damaging power. The trajectory of the machine-guns used in Hurricanes and Spitfires drops sharply beyond a strictly limited range and fighters are finding it increasingly difficult to shoot down powerful armour-plated raiders. Those equipped with cannon have accounted recently for a number of raiders.

It is not permissible to state how many cannon the R.A.F. machines are carrying, but it is believed that the new armament—a Hispanosuiza gun—should prove more effective than the eight Browning machine-guns formerly carried. The French found the Hispano-suizas most effective against German tanks.