PILOTLESS PLANE HITS HOSPITAL

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 224, 19 June 1944, Page 5

PILOTLESS PLANE HITS HOSPITAL

Crashes In England R.A.F. ATTACKS AREA OF LAUNCHING (By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Received June 18, 8.15 p.m.) LONDON, J uue 18. German .pilotless planes were again sent over southern England on Friday night, early yesterday, and last night. A few nurses and patients were killed and others injured when one of the planes crashed on a hospital in southern England. Rescuers are still searching for nurses and patients, including children, buried in the wreckage. At least five persons were killed and a number injured when another pilotless plane crashed on some houses in south England. The houses were wrecked and an adjoining shopping centre was considerably damaged. A number of other pilotless planes crashed in southern England. Last night heavy gunfire again greeted the raiders. Flying very low, they came in singly at intervals ot a few minutes, and several passed through a very intense barrage. A piloted enemy plane was seen over one raided area at the same time as a pilotless plane, indicating that it may have been sent over for observation purposes.

Flashes which are believed to have been made at the launching of the pilotless planes were seen on the French coast in the Boulogne-Calais area, and robot raiders were seen shortly after approaching the coast of southern England. The R.A.F. last night attacked and wrecked a central supply station at Doullens, where the Germans stored and launched many of their pilotless planes. The aviation correspondent of “The Times” says the pilotless planes’ concrete launching platforms in the Pas de Calais have been attacked systematically day and night and many have been knocked out up to the time when the Allied bombers were diverated to other objectives in preparation for D-day. Since then the Germans may well have constructed more, and possibly they are also using mobile platforms. ‘ Another correspondent says the Germans have been erecting dummy runways along the French coast to deceive our bombers. moralelbuilding Hitler’s Intention (British Official Wireless.) (Received June 18, 7 p.m.) RUGBY, June 17. The pilotless aircraft offensive is regarded in London as primarily designed to stiffen the failing German morale. The Under-Secretary of iState for Air, Captain Balfour, speaking at Margate today, said: “The new German secret weapon has been hailed with all the trimmings of totalitarian thuggery. The Nazi radio has excelled itself in sadistic joy, neurotic gloating, absurd exaggeration of its air weapon. Hitler has said to the German people that this is the weapon of retaliation against England. "One moment’s logical thinking and we can be comforted by the weapon and the way it has been introduced, because Hitler still declares that he still wants to win the war. Yet he knows that this aerial bomb cannot help him one bit strategically to defeat the Allied navies, armies and air forces. He knows it cannot help him in the battle in France, where Goering admits the Luftwaffe is stretched and we have complete air superiority. Yet Hitler diverts valuable materials, of which he is not getting too great a supply, and skilled manpower, of which he has declared there is. a shortage, and scientific research, in which Germany is second to ourselves. “All these are taken away from the German forces to concentrate on a weapon whose one aim must be to prop up the decay of confidence and the dissolution of belief in a people slowly awakening to where .their leaders have led them.

•“We shall get the better of this weapon before much longer, and already we are taking its measure and a toll of its numbers. Science, combined with the skill and courage of those concerned with our ground and air defences, will evolve new counter-measures which will make Hitler soon realize that he is pretty well back where he started.” GERMAN CLAIMS (Received June 18, 8 p.m.) LONDON, June 17. A German high command communique states: "Southern England and the London area since 11.40 p.m. on Thursday, with only a few short interruptions, have been under constant attack from our new heavy high-explosive missiles. A'ery heavy damage must be expected.” The German news agency says: “German military quarters are well satisfied with the new weapon, which has exceeded all expectations and doubtless will be improved. The weapon’s range includes all of England up to the Bristol Channel.” . Paris radio states that the pilotless planes range in size from large bombers to light bombers. The German industry is now concentrating on mass production qf these weapons, which can be cheaply manufactured. , The keynote of Dr. Goebbels’s propaganda is that the pilotless raids are a reprisal for the Allied raids against German cities. A German High Command communique on Friday said : “Novel explosives of super-heavy calibre were dropped in Tjondon and southern England last night and this morning.” The German news agency quoted Herr Sunderman, the German deputy Press Chief, as saying: “The new weapon now being used against England is the beginning of our revenge. The destruction of Germany's cultural monuments won’t remain unpunished.” The German news agency’s commentator, Sertorius, said: “It is directed against invasion jumping-off points from which supplies are flowing for General Montgomery’s men who are still fighting on the fringe of the' French mainland.” ADVICE TO PEOPLE LONDON, June 16. The Home Secretary issued a statement tonight about the German use of pilotless aircraft, in attacks on Britain. Mr. Morrison said that the damage had been relatively small, and the new weapon would not interfere with Britain's war effort and the sure and steady march to victory. The enemy's aim was clear, in view of the difficulty of his military situation to try to upset our morale and interfere with our work. It was essential that, there should be the least possible interruption in all vital work, and the Government's counsel was that everyone should get on with his job in the ordinary way, and only take cover when danger was imminent. Mr. Morrison said there was no reason to think (hat raids by this weapon would be worse than, or indeed as heavy as, the raids with which the people of Britain were already familiar, and which they had borne so bravely. In order to avoid giving information to the enemv. 8.8. C. broadcast programmes are liable, for the time being, to interruption or cancellation at short notice, and for the same reason Big Ben will not be broadcast direct, but from records which will be .synchronized with the actual chimes and strokes of the clock.