UNABATED FURY

Taranaki Daily News, 23 September 1940, Page 7

UNABATED FURY

By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.

airblitz in third week nocturnal blasting

Received 11 p.m. London, September 22. r£HE blitzbombing of London entered its third week last night with unabated fury. The nocturnal blasting from guns and bombs in the usual visitation shortly after nightfall provided the now familiar scene of completely empty streets, a sky lit by flashes,- and heavy det'onations., The raid began after a brief preliminary in which 60 or 70 raiders attempted to fly up the Thames estuary. Some penetrated the western ,and south-western suburbs and dropped bombs. Another batch of 50 Messerschmitts over the southeast coast turned tail without a fight on the appearance of Hurricanes. The raiders in London's second raid seemed to come in from several directions, bombing and starting fires, none of which survived an hour.

Night raids were made extensively . over the south-east of England, bombers visiting 20 towns and villages. They also attacked a number of north-eastern towns and visited the south-west and the north-west. Three enemy bombers were shot down during the night. One was hit by anti- ' aircraft fire over a western London sub- ' urb and exploded in mid-aid, one came down in Essex after trying to get through the anti-aircraft barrage, and a ; Dornier crashed in the mountains of South Wales after being hit by gunfire. "Until late evening the only raids on Britain on Saturday were made by single planes or small groups which attacked the south-east of England," said an Air Ministry communique to-day. "Bombs in the east end of London hit an industrial building and there were some casualties. Raiders approached | London shortly before noon, but did not penetrate beyond the outskirts. Bombs fell in Surrey, Sussex and Essex, but little damage was caused and there were few casualties. A bomber was shot down in the afternoon." In the evening a force of enemy aircraft crossed the coast, and some of them approached London. This operation was quickly followed by another. | London had a quiet Sunday morning. I There was no alert and no sign of , enemy bombers since the last left some | time before dawn.