NEW FURY

Opotiki News, Volume III, Issue 321, 11 October 1940, Page 4

NEW FURY

NAZI AIR RAIDERS VICIOUS ATTACKS BOMBING AT RANDOM FULL-SCALE FORMATIONS OVER 100 AREAS STRUCK LONDON CONCENTRATION (Ne\wj by Cable.) LONDON, Oct, l). • . Beginning by spraying incendiary ■ bombs as they raced up the Thames -estuary after dark,'German air raiders for hours maintained a particularly v.cious attack on London last night. The barrage which nightly gives raiders an increasingly hot reception shook many districts immediately the Huns arrived for .what the Newspaper Nachusgablo to-day described as "reprisals which are entering the most severe stage.” It is offical.ly stated that late yesterday evening the enemy attacked several town in south and southwest England. Slight damage was done, but there were some casualties, while several were fatal. Eight enemy bombers were shot down. Fires started in London and the suburban areas were all controlled. A number of houses and industrial premises were damaged. It is feared that there were casualties when a building in London was partially demolished. Heroic Workers As the night wore on, it became obvious that the Germans were indulging in a new fury. Whereas hitherto handsful of raiders came over at intervals all night long, fullscale formations last light were flung against the capital. Roof-top observers estimated that the waves consisted of 20 or 30 planes breaking up into smaller groups upon reaching the outskirts. Some concentrated on dropping high explosive bombs and others showered incendiaries, bombing obviously at random. Despite the hail of shrapnel and the incessant crashing of bombs, air raid precautions squads worked heroically throughout London, extricating trapped people from the wreckage. The steadily mounting death-roll from last night’s raids grimly reflects the effects of the German raid. Over 100 areas in southern England were bombed, extending from London to the coast. Despite the fact that the Germans are attacking in larger formations than before, the damage was relatively slight. No low-flying and no dive-bombing was attempted over -the London . area.

Casualties in Hospital It is learned that a hospital in London received a direct hit on a block containing 108 patients, many of whom had been rescued this morning. Almost all the patients were helpless invalids and aged persons. A bomb crashed through the roof and buried the patients under- a mass of plaster, beams and bricks. Thousands of gallons of water poured on the rescuers from a burst tank in the roof. Fifty fire engines were required to overcome the lire which was started in a warehouse by a “bread basket.” Two bombs falling within 100, yds of each other in a London market caused damage, including an hotel which was demolished. A bomb hit a shelter in a recreation ground, killing eight persons. Shortly before midnight reports of bombing were received from over eight districts outside of London, mostly in the south-east of England, where the planes cut off their engines, glided to 50ft., and raked the streets with machine-guns. A raider crashed in the Manchester ship canal in the afternoon. It 1s revealed that windows in Westminster Abbey were shattered and stonework of the Houses of Parliament brought down during recent raids. More Daylight Raids London had two alerts to-day. A number of German raiders were over London in tho afternoon. During the second alert, the enemy, flying in wide formation, was immediately scattered when attacked by fighters.

Later, a solitary raider dropped bombs on the outskirts of London. Several people were believed to ” have been trapped under the debris of demolished buildings. The raider dived through the clouds and dropped six bembs in quick succession. Another German raider dived low over a town in the home counties,

dropped several bombs, machinegunned a street, and made off with Royal Air Force lighters on its tail. Th ree yellow-nosed Messerschmitts roared low over Dover this afternoon in an attempt to shoot down balloons. Anti-aircraft defences repulsed the raiders who scored one balloon. ,

A communique states that enemyattacks on Britain to-day have again been carried out by small format.ons of high-flying fighter bombers. Most of these have not penetrated beyond the Kent and Sussex coasts, where a certain amount of minor damage was done in towns and villages on which a small number of bombs were dropped. Casualties are reported to bo very few. Several raiders crossed the cast coast and dropped bombs on a factory in the Midlands, doing little damage and -causing no serious casualties. In an attack on a. south coast town, several houses were demolished, but the number of casualties was small.

Some raiders penetrated tho London area, but the number of bombs is reported to be small. There were some casualties and a number of planes were destroyed to-day. Outbuildings were damaged. So far as is known, four Geman planes were destroyed to-day. One British fighter is missing, but- the pilot is safe.