BRITISH AIR MIGHT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 259, 30 September 1940, Page 8

BRITISH AIR MIGHT.

ATTACK AND DEFENCE

TWO ALARMS IN BERLIN

(United Press Association—Copyright.) (Rec. 1 p.m.) ' LONDON, -bept. 29. While our bombers, despite bad weather last night, were hammering lierlin and the invasion ports, London’s anti-aircraft defences were busier and more car-splitting thun ever, preventing the enemy penetrating the central defences. Neutral correspondents report that Berlin had two alarms—the first for an hour and the second for half an hour.

A German communique claims that the Berlin anti-aircralt guns brought down a British plane with an Australian crew, and adds that the metropolitan. area was not down over. The British attacks were directed against the Ruhr, bombs falling on suburban residences in a .Rhineland town, resulting in numerous casualties, the Nazi raiders over London adopted various devices. A few tried cutting out their engines and gliding for a time, but they were- relentlessly followed by shells. Others turned and circled the outskirts of the capital; some flew in Irom various directions in groups of three or four and dropped incendiary bombs in an attempt to start fires. Several incendiaries fell in line in one area, and others fell on several houses in a south-east town on the fringes of London. South-East Coast towns were also raided, and it is" feared that several persons were trapped in cellars when two shops collapsed. One raider unsuccessfully’ bombed a trawler. An Air Ministry and Ministry ol Home Security communique issued at midnight states that four more enemy bombers were shot down in SouthEast England by anti-aircraft fire on Sunday, making seven enemy planes destroyed that day. Two of our fighters were iost, but both pi'ots are sale. LONDONERS’ COURAGE.

Heavy anti-aircraft fire heralded the 23rd consecutive air attack on London. At the same time, in the early stages of the enemy’s appearance over Britain, his bombing aeroplanes seemed also to be visiting very widely distant areas. A neutral observer commented on the lact that the.famous week-end habit of the British had now li-een turned to a new purpose, lie had noticed a large number of Londoners of every class had travelled out of London'to a quieter area to get at least one good night's rest in place of repose broken bv the noise ot every British and German explosive. What impressed the neutral most was the cheerful spirit with which Londoners packed the trains to the Metropolis on Sunday night, ready to face the ordeal of senseless air bombing lor another week. He said: “Tar'.trom running away from London, these people seemed to be running back to it. No wonder the British are so hard to understand” ■ Enemy activity over England this morning consisted of. a few attacks by single planes. Little damage was done and there was a very small number of casualties. The German News Agency stated that the raiders last night dropped 5000 tons of bombs on England, of which 4000 tons fell in London.