ANOTHER VICTORY FOR R.AF.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 246, 16 September 1940, Page 7

ANOTHER VICTORY FOR R.AF.

HEAVY TOLL OF ENEMY PALACE AGAIN ATTACKED SEVERAL FIERCE ENGAGEMENTS I : ? ~ ——— (United Press Association.—Copyright.—Pec. 10.50 a.m.) LONDON, Sept. 15. The Air Ministry announces that 175 enemy planes have been shot down to-day. Thirty of our fighters have been lost, but ten of the pilots are safe. A Sabbath peace descended on London and the morning calm was almost unnatural after days of sirens, gunfire and bombing. Churchgoers went to services and holidaymakers to the country as if the days of peace were here again, for London had not had an alarm for eight hours, but at noon the first alakm was sounded and lasted an hour. There were three more alarms during the afternoon, the all-clear signal for the fourth being given at 7.40 p.m. Buckingham Palace was again attacked with bombs during the-noon raid: There were no casualties. It is officially stated that the Queen’s apartments were damaged by a bomb which failed to explode. Their Majesties were not present when the palace was attacked. The raider which bombed the Palace was shot to pieces by Spitfires a few seconds later. Experts have safely removed the high-explosive bomb from the vicinity of St. Paul’s Cathedral, vfhich last week caused the surrounding area to be evacuated. , According to an announcement from Daventry at noon a total of 175 German planes were brought down on Sunday. Thirty ,of our fighters were destroyed, but ten of the pilots were later reported to be safe.

BUSINESS AS USUAL. City institutions arc daily improving their arrangements for continuing operations in what at present is the front line of t'he war. Lloyd’s has announced that part of its A.R.P. shelter has been reserved for underwriters and brokers who wish to transact insurance business during raids. Some banks are continuing internal work in shelters, but business with the public is still interruptedly sirens. The Stock Exchange goes to earth when the warnings are sounded. Business is transacted provisionally underground and is then confirmed when the jobbers return to their books. SPECTACULAR CRASH. During the mid-morning’s air raid on t'lie London area many people saw a German, bomber shot down over the middle of the city. When the raid warning had been on for about half an hour suddenly the sound of violent machine-gun fire could be heard, and high up in patches of clear, blue sky between the clouds the silver flash of aircraft could be seen. A fierce engagement right over t'he heart of London was clearly proceeding. The watchers saw a Spitfire dive on to one of a flight or some 20 enemy bombers and almost at once a trail of black smoke was observed from the bomber’s tail. One of the crew jumped by parachute and immediately after the bomber went into a steep dive, burst into flames and crashed in the forecourt at Victoria Station. It is reported tlgit after striking the ground nothing but a smouldering mass of wreckage was left of it. 1 Further reports state that a little later when more machine-gun fire was heard another big German machine was seen diving at a steep angle towards the ground over the London area. The third air raid warning since noon was sounded at 2.13 p.m. and the warning lasted just over an hour, but .the raiders failed to penetrate the Central London area. After six short day raids Londoners were most surprised and even a little i resentful when the all-clear signal sounded for the first time before dawn, upsetting the new routine of shelter life. BATTERIES BOOM. The usual raids began shortly before midnight and London’s guns opened ■up violently, apparently t'he newlyplaced batteries joining in the booming ■which shook London fr<»n end to end. Incendiaries began to fall over wide areas in the London area. f Llie firing sometimes crashed continuously .dike rolling thunder. The planes seemingly came lower than usual, though facing the unknown terror of the new type of balloon, which carries barrage cables considerably higjher apd h 3-3 already claimed at least one victim. As the “airblitz” entered the second week it was obvious that the spirit o Londoners, indeed of Britons throughout the country, was harder—tempered in the fire of the German terrorisation they are prepared for anything. ATTEMPT TO PENETRATE. There is every indication that British air activity has doubled in intensity in the past 48 hours and is now enormously in excess of the Germ British fighters had spent hours patrolling the areas through "k’chthe Germans were attempting o throughout the day. They turned back a hundred during the first desperate attempt in the afternoon to get t London -from the South Coast and the raiders were scattered witliou dropping bombs. Two hundred Germans in the second afternoon rai were engaged in the fiercest battle. Bombs'llf on a southfas t coastal town hitting a cinema kl 'T^ children and two adults and njuni others. A raid warden and a first ai worker were also killed. , ,i Some enemy planes penetrated t e London area but were hotly " J Spitfires. The Germans dropped bombs at random, damaging houses «and children's hospital and pa rtl .V wreck ing a maternity hospital in iv j casualties resulted. 1 . j Other raiders concentrated on test-, ing the defences over widesprea . * of England and Wales, and ]« . larly the south-east coast. ? lion in North-west England, w children were holding a party, a by a dive-bomber, which demolished the'pavilion and caused casualties. WEEK’S AIR LOSSES. The week’s blitzbombing had cost the Germans to midnight on /i *. 263 planes, many of which yvere In with multiple crews. Britain lost 62 defending fighters, but many oi the pilots and gunners Bn "g: while even including the ® rltl p ers lost over Germany, and Germam occupied territories our A been only 92 a week throughout the W The Germans since the war began have lost 4105 planes, the British 3244, and tho Italians 186. To Air Ministry figures covering only definitely destroyed planes, must

added an announcement by the Admiralty of tho destruction of at least lod German and Italian planes. The record “hag” by the R-AF. one day in the raids on Britain is 180 Nazi planes (on August io).