SMALL SCALE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 220, 16 September 1940, Page 7

SMALL SCALE.

SATURDAY'S RAIDS. Almost Entirely Terroristic In Character. British Official Wireless. (Reed. 10 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 15. Activities in the air over Britain during Saturday, which -were on a small scale and intermittent but widely distributed and almost entirely terroristic in character, are described in a long communique issued by the Air Ministry and Ministry of Home Security. It stated: "Throughout Saturday, morning ineffectual enemy aircraft kept up a series of attacks 'during one ofj which bombs were dropped in a London area. Other morning attacks were in' the south-east of England and East Anglia. In one south coast' town a hospital was hit and several houses and buildings damaged. Casualties, both in London and elsewhere, were very slight. **ln the early afternoon another enemy attack penetrated to the London area. Bombs were dropped iu south-west London, but very little damage was done. During this period several south coast towns were subjected to random bombing by the enemy. Damage and casualties were slight, excepting at two of these towns, Brighton and Eastbourne. "At Brighton several people were killed and a number injured. At Eastbourne considerable damage was done to houses and there were a small number of fatal casualties, and several persons were injured. "One of the enemy attacks in the afternoon demolished a church and several houses in Ipswich. Casualties, however, were very slight. High explosive bombs were dropped in a town in north-west England and severe damage was dohe in and near industrial building*. Details of the results of this attack are not yet available, but it is feared that a number of casualties resulted. "Two further attacks were made in the London area during the evening. In the first of these a church in a southwest area was hit and there were some casualties. Fuller reports of these enemy attacks are awaited. The indications are that no extensive damage wae caused in London on Saturday and the number of casualties has not been heavy." Circumstances in which a Gcrnian bomber burst into flames and crashed during . a night raid is described in an .Air Ministry bulletin. A British fighter was over London by moonlight when a pilot saw searchlight* concentrating on a point several miles north. A Heinkel 111 was held in their beams.

For 20 minutes a fighter pilot chased the enemy. Though some searchlights had lost the enemy three or four still held him. When the fighter opened fire the Heinkel dropped his bombs to lighten his load and at the same time bullets from the Heinkel's rear guns hit the fighter's windscreen and wing, but the fighter's bullets had struck home. The Hemkel dropped flaming out of the sky. Following it down, the fighter pilot saw an explosion when it crashed. A cable message says it is officially stated that IS enemy aircraft were shot down on Saturday. Xine British fighters wer-3 lost, 'but six of the pilots are safe. "REVENGE ATTACKS." German Description Of Raids On England. NAZI TBOOP GAMP HIT. (Reed. 11.30 a.m.) BERLIX, Sept. 15. A German High Command communique states: "Yesterday and last night we continued our revenge attacks against important military targets in the Midlands and southern England, es|<eciallv London, where ilugk* and harbour equipment were hit. '"We bombed harbour equipment at Liverpool, a factory at Warringtnn and several southern aerodromes. Our 'planes sank an SOOO-ton merchant man. ■■Enemy 'planet; dropped Immhs .-it several points in Belgium, H.illim.l and western Germany, hitting a tt<•• >]• encampment whore wven were killed and l<! wounded. Tin- enemy yesterdav l»rt 30 'planes. Five of our- art- mi-sing." The Berlin radio announced this afternoon that a number of German 'planes '■ were known to have reached London and dropped many bombs. The West India docks was again their objective and fire* were started.