LATE NEWS

Southland Times, Issue 24230, 13 September 1940, Page 5

LATE NEWS

LONG-RANGE DUEL ACROSS CHANNEL

(Received September 13, 12.30 a.m.) LONDON, September 12.

A convoy of at least 12 largish enemy ships was sighted this afternoon in the Channel near Cap Gris NeZ en route to Boulogne. There they put up a smokescreen and were also covered by a dive-bombing attack against Dover, which was also shelled by guns mounted on the French coast. British guns replied, after which Royal Air Force machines disappeared towards the Franco-Belgian coastline. It is believed that they dropped bombs east of Calais.

The long-range duel across. the Channel continued after dark interspersed with the chattering defence against lone German fighters and nine bombers.. It was Dover’s severest shelling since the war began. Some were killed and others wounded.

An Admiralty communique says that our 'naval light forces have been taking strongVepeated offensive actions against German shipping movements, ports and concentrations of shipping. These operations inflicted losses on the enemy and damage to port facilities, which are vital in the event of an attempted invasion of England. Further details cannot be given without disclosing information useful to the enemy. . .

SEVERE GERMAN LOSSES Severe losses were inflicted on the enemy in yesterday’s air battles. The attacks which followed at night were less effective than any of those since September 7. The London area was subjected to the majority of these attacks. The enemy customarily dropped many bombs at random over widely separated districts of the capital. The main force of his offensive was directed against south London and ifs suburbs. Formations of enemy bombers approached the London area shortly after dark. Waves of further planes followed all night. Our anti-aircraft batteries constantly put up a heavy barrage, preventing many enemy bombers from reaching their objectives. High explosive and incendiary bombs started fires and hit many buildings, including two hospitals and some small factories. A marked feature of the raid was the number of incendiary bombs, which A.R.P. wardens extinguished before they did harm. The number of persons killed and injured was probably less than on any of the previous four nights. Outside the London area enemy activity, although widespread, was relatively ineffective. The Berlin News Agency in an official statement says that the. British are apparently ndt content with attacking Berlin because two towns in north-west Germany were raided last night in the manner in which Berlin was hitherto raided. A large number of bombs was dropped in residential and business quarters, inflicting slight damage, though causing a number of civilian deaths and serious injuries. A timberyard was set on fire and a number of workmen’s dwellings destroyed.