LONDON RAIDS

Evening Star, Issue 23679, 12 September 1940, Page 10

LONDON RAIDS

CASUALTIES LESS SEVERE ONLY SMALL PROPORTION OF BOMBERS REACH LONDON (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, September 11. (Received September 12, at 1.40 p.m.) In Tuesday night’s enemy activity over London, although much damage was done to private properties, it was less than the previous night, and the casualties were very much less severe, according to the Ministry of Home Security. Incendiary bombs caused many fires, but only one major fire was caused and all were soon brought under control. Full reports of the number of casualties are not yet available, but 18 are known to have been killed and 280 injured in the London area. Several casualties on Monday night make the total now reported in the neighbourhood of 400 killed and 1,400 injured. The majority of the fatalities occurred when an elementary school in the East End of London affording temporary shelter to families whose homes had been destroyed, was hit and collapsed. The German ajr force again lost nearly a quarter of its raiders in a twohonr air battle over London and southeast England on Wednesday afternoon. So fiercely did the Spitfire and Hurricane pilots attack the enemy formations crossing the coast that only a small proportion of the bombers succeeded in reaching the London dock area, which apparently was the chief target. Of the 73 German raiders, the destruction of which by fighter command pilots w'as ascertained up to 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 43 were bombers, 19 fighter bombers, and 11 fighters. Anti-aircraft batteries along the Thames are also believed to have shot down several. This means that the German air command lost nearly 200 more airmen.