TAKEN CALMLY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 October 1939, Page 5

TAKEN CALMLY

GERMAN RAID ON FIRTH OF FORTH EDINBURGH PEOPLE INTERESTED ATTEMPTS TO BOMB GREAT BRIDGE. SOME DETAILS OF ENEMY CASUALTIES. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. LONDON. October 16. The Edinburgh correspondent of “The Times” says that citizens showed interest not fear when the bark of anti-aircraft guns and bursts of machine-gun fire Jiroke into their after-luiicheoii met[il at ions. They were at first, puzzled over the silence of the sirens but were reassured Io see the Royal Air Force fighters hotly pursuing the Germans. It was later - explained that the sirens were not sounded because the city was not endangered, as the raiders were attacking other targets. Householders standing in groups were not excited when a swastika skimmed the rooftops. Groups gathered on the housetops and watched the spectacle through t binoculars, and were delighted to see L the Germans out-manoeuvred at every turn. Eyewitnesses describe the German attempts to bomb the Forth Bridge. The planes were driven off by heavy fire, but returned time and again. The bombs caused huge waterspouts, but did no damage. A train passenger said: “At Dalmeny we were told that an air raid was in progress. It was left to our discretion whether we continued the ; journey across the Forth Bridge. Most ! of us decided to continue. “As the train travelled slowly across the bridge, two planes appeared to dive over us, dropping bombs near the bridge. “One of the German planes went down smoking into the sea. “Fishermen went out in a small boat and rescued three of the four members of the crew before the plane sank. “Spectators helped the Germans ashore. Two were seriously injured. One of the German pilots said: ‘We had no chance to get away from the British plane. It was much too fast for us.” Of one enemy crew of four one was drowned and two were found killed by bullets, the fourth man being rescued alive with an injured arm. Three of the crew of another German raider which came down in the Pentland Hills were taken prisoner. THE GERMANY STORY. A Berlin communique stated: “German bombers successfully attacked British warships in the Firth of Forth. Two British cruisers were hit. The attack was carried out in the face of heavy British anti-aircraft fire. Two British chaser planes were shot down and two German planes are missing.” A Daventry message last night stated that it was quite possible that more than four German planes were brought down in the raids. Three planes were seen to make for the hills and are believed to have crashed. In reply to, German claims about the raids it was’emphasised that one British cruiser was slightly damaged, no British aircraft was lost, and four German planes were brought down. It was stated that many people in the streets watched the battle. From a train on the Forth Bridge people had a first-class view of bombs falling into the water. One man said he saw a German plane, which was flying low, crumple up and disappear.