BLIND RAIDS

Taranaki Daily News, 16 September 1940, Page 8

BLIND RAIDS

By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.

British Official Wireless.

NIGHT BOMBING INDISGRIMINATE ATTACK HISTORIC BUILDINGS HIT

Rec. 6.30 pori. Rugby, Sept, 14. The indiscriminate nature of the enemy's night bombing is fully realised only by those who have toured London, its suburbs and its outskirts. Historical monuments, ancient churches and hospitals have? suffered heavily in the blind bombing. Many stately houses and other buildings have been struck down, but it is among the humble homes in the m?an streets of congested suburbs that the evidence of Nazi fury is most visible. Pathetic tales are told by the piles of wreckage to which many houses which were the pride of their occupants a few days ago are now reduced. Several places affected in the past few days' raids are now disclosed. The buildings damaged include Somerset House, the Churches of Our Lady of Victories (Kensington), St. Magnus the Martyr, St. Swithin's (Cannon Street), St. Mary at Hill, St. Dunstan's in the East, St. Mary Woolnoth (King William Street), St. Clement's (Eastcheap), St. Augustine's (Watling Street) and St. Giles' (Cripplegate). Bombs Near Cathedral. Rotten Row and Barclay Square were also affected. About five hombs have fallen in the vicinity of St. Paul's Cathedral. One is believed to be a 500pounder. One south-west suburb is beginning to resemble the East End. Hardly a street is without a crater or craters. Windows are rare for a considerable length along the district's main road. However, apart from a number of deaths when a shelter was directly hit the casualties were mostly confined to injuries sustained by hurling to the ground with or without the assistance of a bomb blast. German mendacity in efforts to justify the slaughter of civilians and the destruction of private property is well illustrated in the enemy's account of the raid on Buckingham Palace. An official German report declares that several German bombers attacked London, including oil tanks," close to Buckingham Palace. Needless 'to say, there are no oil tanks within many miles of the palace. Resolution Strengthened. A remarkable feature of the public's attitude towards the repeated attacks_ is that at the end of a week of intensive bombing, so far from any weakening of the will to defy the menace, public resolution is strengthened. There is evidence that a quickening adaptation to the conditions of air warfare and a clearer, more reassuring calculation of chances have been induced, as well as a better imderstanding of how best to escape danger. Tlie discipiine, steadiness and nerve displayed by the public are blunting the edge of what hitherto was the enemy's .most successful weapon— • frightfulness. London in the front line is steadily improving its defences and adjusting its life accordingly. "The object of all individual actions and all regulations," counsels the Times, "must 'be to see that activities remain as norma! "as possible and thus deprive the ehemy of the' satisfaction of lowering ou'tput, retarding communications and interfering with work of any essential kind. The front must be held, supplied, organised and repaired imder fire and both official rules and private actions must be governed by this principle."