CONTINUOUS RAIDS

Evening Star, Issue 23685, 19 September 1940, Page 9

CONTINUOUS RAIDS

ENEMY PLANES OVER BRITAIN NIGHT ATTACKS DIRECTED ON LONDON BOMBS AGAIN DROPPED INDISCRIMINATELY (British Official Wireless.) Press Association—By Telegraph— Copyright RUGBY, September 18. (Received September 19, at 11 a.m.) A joint Air Ministry and Home Security communique states: “Enemy air activity to-day has been mainly confined to the south-eastern area. Formations of enemy aircraft crossed the coast of Kent on several occasions during the day and spread inland towards London and the Thames Estuary. Few of them reached London, and no bombs are reported to have been dropped on this area. A number of bombs were dropped, -mainly near the Thames Estuary, but damage appears to have been caused mainly to dwelling houses, and the number of casualties reported is small, though it includes some fatally injured. The enemy has been continuously engaged by our fighters and anti-aircraft guns throughout the day. One of the 46 enemy aircraft destroyed was brought down by anti-aircraft guns.” Air raid warnings have been sounded seven times in the London area since dawn. Most of the warnings were in operation only a few minutes, the exception being one after midday, which lasted one and thrce-qnarter hours. In all cases the raiders were driven off before reaching the outskirts. NIGHT RAIDS. An Air Ministry communique says that the enemy air attacks last night were again directed mainly on London. Attacks on a smaller scale were also made in some other areas. Bombs were dropped indiscriminately in the London area and the surrounding districts, destroying many dwelling houses, especially in east and south-east London. Damage was caused to industrial and commercial premises, including several large shopping stores in central London.' It is feared that the casualties may be heavier than in receht nights. GLASGOW AREA BOMBED. Houses and buildings were damaged in a Merseyside town, where a number of fatalities occurred. A few enemy planes bombed the Glasgow area, where slight damage to industrial premises is reported. A north-western town suffered its heaviest casualties yet, when a number of bombers made a surprise attack during the night. One plane machinegunned women and children hurrying to a shelter. A number of policemen and auxiliary firemen were killed or injured by bombs. YESTERDAY S DAYLIGHT RAIDS FIVE SEPARATE WAVES OF BOMBERS (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY; September 18. (Received September 19, at 1.20 p.m.) A description of Wednesday’s daylight attacks by the German air force on south-east England was given late on Wednesday night by the Air Ministry news service. Five separate waves of bombers and fighters were sent over at intervals between 9.30 a.m. and 8 p.m. with the apparent object of -wearing down the. R.A.F. fighter defence. The assaults were strenuous, but the results were disappointing to the enemy, who lost 46 aircraft as aeertained up to 10 p.m. Forty-five were shot down by R.A.F. fighters and one by anti-aircraft fire.

Each wave of German aircraft followed roughly the same course, crossing the Kent coast between Dungeness and the North Foreland, and each was met by Hurricanes and Spitfires. One raid' of 15 bombers surrounded, as one R.A.F. pilot said, by a sphere of Messerchmitt 109 fighters, was dispersed so quickly when Spitfires met them near the Kentish coast that only three British pilots got a chance to fire. A patrol of Hurricanes met a formation of ertemy bombers heavily protected by Messerchmitts stepped up in tiers above them. Near the Isle of Sheppey, on the way up the Thames Estuary, Hurricanes made a head-on attack on bombers. “ They jettisoned their bombs even before we attacked,” one of the Hurricane pilots said, “ and went straight out over Folkestone.”

The third and fourth attacks came in quick succession. Soon alter 4 p.m. another 100 enemy planes came in over Kent, again making for the Thames Estuary, and before this was over another 250 bombers and fighters were already on their way, ono formation of' 100 coming in by Dungeness. It was these two attacks which took the roughest handling from British fighters. A squadron,of Spitfires over Kent shot down five bombers and one fighterbomber, as well as sharing in the destruction of another Heinkel. Better was to come. A single squadron of Hurricanes near the Thames Estuary shot down eight Dormers and three Junkers, as well as sharing'in the destruction of three more. In the same fight two other Hurricane patrols accounted for nine more bombers alone.

HUNDREDTH RAID GERMAN ATTACKS ON SOUTHEAST ENGLAND EIGHT FIGHTERS FOR EACH BOMBER Press Association—l’- Telegraph—Copyright LONDu-v September 18. (Received September 19, at 11.16 a.m.) The seventh air raid warning in London to-day, and incidentally the hundredth since the outbreak of war, was given at 5.58 p.m. Three hundred raiders crossed the south-east coast in an endless stream for 15 minutes during the afternoon. Eight fighters esfcorted each bomber. The gale has dropped over the Straits of Dover, but a big sea is still running. The sirens sounded for the eighth time at 7.58 p.m. Night raiders’ bombs hit the Lambeth Walk market and three well-known Oxford street stores —namely, John Lewis, Bourne and Hollingsworth, and D. H. Evans. Hundreds of people sheltering under the stores were unhurt. One large bomb uprooted the trees and tombstones in a central graveyard. Five bombs falling on a building adjoining the ißank of New South Wales set fire to the bank, but the fire was extinguished after the premises bad been damaged by fire and water. An incendiary bomb slightly damaged the Spanish Embassy. During tha third’ warning of the morning the roar of battle was heard over the Thames Estuary. Numerous high explosives considerably damaged one estuary town, with eight casualties. A Junkers plane shot down by antiaircraft guns at Maidstone last night crashed into two houses, the four members of the crew and one elderly invalid were killed. —' LAMBETH WALK BOMBED HEART OF COCKNEY LONDON

STREET MARKET GARRIES OH (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, September 18. (Received September 19, at 9.35 a.m.) The Lambeth Walk street market was one of the targets that suffered two direct hits by enemy bombs in a recent night raid. This humble street is best known as having given its narpo to the popular song and dance which has been sung, whistled,' and danced in almost every country in the world since nearly three years ago it scored an immediate success in the musical play ‘ Me and My Girl,’ which, until indiscriminate bombing necessitated suspension, was still running at the London theatre where it was originally performed. This 'narrow little street, along the. centra of which runs a quarter of a mile of market stalls lined on each side with small shops, is the very heart of Cockney London. The true Cockney spirit displayed itself when soon after daylight following the night of bombing shopkeepers and stallholders were clearing away the debris, preparing to carry on, and customers from the surrounding streets were crowding in to make their purchases. BOMB IN ABBEY GROUNDS. During recent raids on London a bomb fell on the lawn of Westminster Abbey, causing a small crater, but doing no damage to the Abbey. SAVED FROM DESTRUCTION GREAT HALL AT ELTHAM PALACE LONDON, September 18. (Received September 19, at 2 p.m.) An incendiary bomb damaged the great hall at Eltham Palace, a famous historic fragment dating back six and a-half centuries. Firemen saved the buildings from destruction, which would have wiped out the last vestige of the palace where Henry VIII. was educated and Edward 111. held his Parliament. An anti-aicraft shell fell on the lawn of Westminster Abbey to-day, but did not explode. A time bomb fell near the American Embassy buildings. It did no damage. BERLIN S CLAIMS BERLIN, September 18. (Received September 19, at 11.55 a.m.) The News Agency stated that the R.A.F. lost 1,354 planes in August and 742 in the first fortnight of September. Officials claimed that German planes heavily bombed Tilbury to-day, setting fire to docks and warehouses. Reprisals against London were continued with increasing violence. Bombs of all calibres were dropped on the East India, London, and Victoria Docks, also hitting gas and waterworks, railway stations, and military targets. We attacked Northern England aircraft factories and ports, and severely damaged a 5,000-ton merchantman from Northern Ireland. Nine enemy planes were shot dPWn. AFTER SEVENTEEN HOURS * MAN TRAPPED IN CAR RELEASED LONDON, September 18. (Received September 19, at 1 p.m.) After 17 hours of rescue efforts an injured man was released from a car in which he was trapped in the basement of a West End garage. His wife had been killed nearby. Eight members of the Auxiliary Fire Service were killed in the same garage bv a bomb.