AIR RAID TOLL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24408, 20 September 1940, Page 5

AIR RAID TOLL

LONDON SUFFERS BOMBING CONTINUES WIDESPREAD ACTIVITY MOUNTING CASUALTY LIST (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright)

LONDON, Sept. 19, (Received Sept. 20, at 1 a.m.)

The official air communique this morning states that the attacks on this country and on London were continued during the night, the enemy using the same tactics as in the previous few nights. The planes came over singly or in small groups, and high explosives were strewn blindly on the capital. Some bombs of nigh calibre were droped in rural districts. In London, houses south of the river were destroyed or damaged, and some fires broke out, but these were all extinguished or were under control. It is feared that the casualties have been heavy, and it is believed that there have been some 90 killed and some 350 injured.

Merseyside had its most severe attack since the war bgan. Bombs were also dropped in Hertfordshire, Essex, Sussex, the Midlands, and the north-east and south-west of England, but in general there was little damage and few were killed. As before, London was the main target for the raiders, but the attacks appear to have been more widespread than before.

Eight Warnings in One Day

The sirens which sounded London’s eighth warning yesterday had hardly died away before the antiaircraft guns opened up. placing a protecting curtain of shrapnel against the raiders, who seemed to come singly from several directions. The explosion of bombs mingled with the sharper sound of the guns For the third successive night heavy bombs crashed in the West End area. The raiders tried for three hours to reach Central London over the south-west subui'bs, but were repelled by the fierce gunfire time after time. Finally they were forced to seek other inlets through which some broke. Single planes were heard over the heart of the metropolis and they met terrific gunfire. The raiders did not neglect the outer areas, and many bombs were dropped in the suburbs at every point of the compass. ’ Two explosive bombs in North London demolished five houses and numerous bombs nearby extensively damaged property. A north-west town experienced its fiercest attack since the outbreak of war. Bomba were rained at random, indicating that the raiders’ chief object was terror. '■