AIR ACTIVITY

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24102, 22 October 1941, Page 7

AIR ACTIVITY

NAZI RAIDS RESUMED LIVERPOOL AREA BOMBED SPITFIRES CROSS CHANNEL (Reed. 8.40 p.m.) LONDON., Oct. 21 Flying over in waves at half-hourly intervals, German raiders on Monday night bombed Liverpool. Some bombs fell in a thickly-populated area. One raider is reported to have been shot down. Other German aircraft dive-bombed a housing estate at a small north-east coastal town. Some families were buried under debris. Bombs were also dropped in North Midlands districts. Royal Air Force activity over the Continent has been maintained. An enemy anti-aircraft ship, military buildings, gun positions and a radio station on the Cherbourg Peninsula were attacked by fighters during an afternoon offensive sweep, reports the Air Ministry. A pilot who took part in the attack on the anti-aircraft ship said the boiler must have exploded, because a terrific explosion occurred amidships, throwing his Spitfire up 50ft. Pilots of the Fighter Command carried out a successful sortie into occupied France on Monday morning. They derailed and set on fire an ammunition train and damaged the tender of one goods train and the engine of a third. They shot up enemy aircraft on the ground and on the way home raked with fire groups of barges near Calais.

Soon after this operation other fighter pilots attacked a horse-drawn heavy transport column behind Dieppe. They raked the convoy from a height of 50 feet and about 100 German troops were seen to dive for the hedgerow in panic. Seven of the transports were wrecked, and the pilots claim a high percentage of casualties among the German troops.

BRITISH BOMB BREMEN (Reed. 11.40 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 21 Bomber Command aeroplanes on Monday night attacked targets in Bremen and elsewhere in north-west Germany. It was later stated that a strong force of British bombers was over Germany last night. The main objective was Bremen, but Wilhelmshaven and Emden were also heavily attacked. Smaller forces attacked other targets. Nine bombers are missing. NAZI PERSECUTION POLES AND JEWS SUFFER LONDON, Oct, 20 The Swedish newspaper Afton Bladet says 4000 Poles arrested at Vilna are alleged to be members of a sabotage organisation. All Jews in Kiev hato been deported to an unknown destination. Newspapers in Bohemia and Moravia announce that all adult Jews must leave the protectorate. SHOT WHILE ESCAPING U-BOAT COMMANDER (Reed. 11.40 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 21 It is revealed that a German escapee who was shot dead yesterday was Lieutenant Berndt, aged 25, commander of the U-boat which was captured in the Atlantic after being guarded by aircraft of the Coastal Command on September 8.