FELL LIKE HAIL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24420, 4 October 1940, Page 7

FELL LIKE HAIL

MACHINE-GUN BULLETS RAIDERS OVER ENGLAND ANOTHER HOSPITAL HIT M‘Kna> Wireless) (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph Copyright) RUGBY, Oct. 2. An Air Ministry and Ministry of Home Security communique slates: “ Early this morning single enemy aircraft made several brie! raids across the south-east coasts, in the course of which a few bombs were drooped on isolated points in Southwest England South Wales and Essex Little damage was done, and there were few casualties Beginning about 9 in the morning and continuing throughout the dav there were a scries of attacks on London bv forces of several squadrons of enemy aircraft. All these were intercepted and broken up by our fighters. Few of the enemy penetrated the London area. Reports indicate that where bombs were drooped they caused little damage and few casualties, although these included some fatal injuries On their way to London some of the enemy aircraft dropped bombs on a Kent coast town, with no better success.” The alert alarm sounded twice in quick succession this morning. Residents in the East. End saw two formations coming in from the Kent coast. Royal Air Force fighters turned the formations from the capital. The Germans were again using large fighter escorts for their bombers. One formation comprised 150 planes. A number of yellownosed Messerschmitts were seen escorting a handful of bombers during London’s fifth warning today. Large banks of cloud provided the Germans with excellent cover ,

“ Running Descriptions ” The German wireless is . reviving its attempts at running descriptions of the raids which were abandoned last month after a succession of debacles. It was announced at midday that big battles were occurring in Southern and Mid-England A bomb last night burst at 'the rear of a large hospital in the East End, and over 20 persons, including nurses and patients, were injured, some fatally. A high explosive in Central London killed a roof spotter. Four time bombs fell on private houses in South-east London. Seven high explosives were dropped within a radius of a mile in the East End. There was much damage, but no casualties. A number of buildings were damaged in a -south-east town when fighters chased a bomber. Machinegun bullets fell like hail in the streets. The raider was apparently attacking street traffic. A Gentian communique claims that extensive fires and explosions were caused by the attacks on London. Southern England, arid , the Midlands yesterday and last night. Several enemy attacks on Southeast England were intercepted and driven off this morning. Nine German planes have been shot down since midnight, and one British fighter is missing. A Dormer Shot Down : A few minutes after it had machine-gunned the streets of an Essex town a German Dornier 17 bomber was shot down by Hurricanes of the Fighter Command today. The Hurricane pilots were on their , wav home from patrol over the North Sea when they found the Dornier attacking the Essex town. By the time they reached it the enemy aircraft had climbed to 4000 feet. The German pilot tried dodging in and out of the clouds but several Hurricanes got in bursts of machine-gun fire and the Dornier crashed 20 miles away near a searchlight post. One Hurricane pilot who had helped to shoot down the Dornier landed near and was congratulated by the surprised searchlight crew who had taken four of the German airmen prisoners. They were more surprised by his size than his victory, for he was just over 4ft 3in, one of the smallest pilots in the R.A.F. A Terrific Explosion Thames Estuary anti-aircraft guns destroyed one of to-day’s raiders—a Messerschmitt 109. Last night antiaircraft gunners were responsible for the loudest explosion heard over south-east London since the bombing began. The gunners thought they had hit a German bomber, but the noise was so great that they wondered whether they had not perhaps exploded its bomb load as well This morning they found the answer. Thev had done both. Their shells had struck one of the London night raiders -and the bomber and the bombs had exploded together. Pieces were found scattered over several miles of south-east London. To-day’s raids brought a change of tactics bv the German Air Force. Instead of single bombers or one or two large-scale attacks, smaller raids of from 48 enemv bombers and fighters followed each other from 9 o’clock in the morning till 4 o’clock in the afternoon. All crossed the Kent coast in the same direction and were attacked bv Spitfires and Hurricanes as thev flew towards London. Four out of 15 Messerschmitt 109 fighters were shot down by a Spitfire squadron over the Kent-Surrev border as thev flew north-west The rest of the Messerschmitts were turned back.