SHOWERS OF FIRE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24506, 15 January 1941, Page 7

SHOWERS OF FIRE

GERMAN INCENDIARIES THE RAIDS ON SUNDAY THAMES ESTUARY AREA , (United' Press Association)-/.- ~ > (By Electric .Telegraph—Copyright) LONDON, Jan, 13. (Received Jan. 14, at 7 p.m.) 'Fire Watchers, wardens and householders co-operated with the fife, services, to defeat the big attempt to set fire to-towns in the Thames Estuary area.last night. Incendiaries "showered down for hours/but most cf the fires were extinguished before damage was done. Explosives • followed the firebombs, considerably damaging residential property. A small number of people was killed. A bomb penethe ventilator of a suburban shelter, killing nine, pecple, including two mothers and five children. In the London area a bomb directly hit a bus, killing the driver and one soldier, and seriously injuring three other soldiers. Explosives fell between a hostel and houses, killing four and injuring a number. • . „ A search is being continued under the ruins of the London subway which was directly hit by a bomb on Sunday. Thousands viewed' the immense crater

in which 100 engineers and members of demolition squads appeared- like pigmies. Hope has been "practically abandoned for those entombed. ■; .;. All mdter buses operating in Medwaj* and the Mid-Kent area . will become mobile firefighting units from to-day. Sandbags are carried on every bus, and the drivers and conductors have been instructed to stop if they see fires and ?deal.with themi •-

GERMAN AIR LOSSES -.■(British. Official Wireless) '-'■■'■ . RUGBY, Jan, 13,; .. During the week ended midnight on January 11 seven German aircraft, 'it is confirmed, were shot down-in air battles over Britain for the loss cf only one British fighter. , • '. ; . The detailed figures are:—January 5: Two German and one British. January 7: One German. 'January 9: Two German. January 10: Two German. ... It may be ncted. that the Germans admit the loss of six planes on the night of January 10, when Portsmouth was attacked. The remaining four were presumbly destroyed without direct observation by the R.A.F,