HEAVY EXPLOSIONS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 August 1940, Page 5

HEAVY EXPLOSIONS

REPORTED IN BERLIN

PLANES FLY OVER HITLER’E CHANCELLERY. SMASHING DEFEAT OF RAIDERS ON BRITISH COAST. LONDON, August 26. A message from Berlin states that very heavy anti-aircraft fire broke out suddenly in Berlin at 2.40 a.m. when at least two planes were over the centre of the city. Successive waves of raiders later caused the resumption of what seemed to be 'simultaneous firing by every anti-aircraft gun in the Berlin area.

At least 10 heavy explosions occurred in north-western Berlin in the first 10 minutes after the alarm sounded. The all-clear signal was sounded after an 80-minute raid.

The sound of heavy bombs falling was clearly audible in the centre of the city and searchlights swept .the skies but failed to pick up any raiders. Machine-guns rattled deafeningly. The explosions are believed to have been due to bombs -falling 24 miles from the centre of the city. Raiders frequently flew directly over Hitler’s Chancellery.

After a morning of scattered raiding over Britain enemy aircraft yesterday afternoon attempted in force to cross the Dorsetshire coast and were intercepted and heavily repulsed. The battle was extremely fierce. The raiders numbered 130, of which 34 were destroyed and many others received heavy punishment. The bulk of the attackers were turned back before reaching their objective, which was seemingly inland. One squadron of Spitfires accounted for at least a cozen raiders, inducing six ngnterbombers, and another squadron destroyed nine attackers and severely damaged many more. Though the raiders greatly outnumbered the fighters that intercepted them, the Germans came hurtling down in flames in rapid succession. Last night, shortly before air-raid sirens sounded in London, enemy planes were reported to have passed over the east, south-east, and southwest coasts. The interception by fighters was very quick.

Bombs fell after parachute flares last night in the fifteenth raid London has so far experienced. The buses continued to run while the raiders were overheard, but they extinguished their lights. One raider is believed to have been brought down. Three bombs which fell in a thicklypopulated district in south-west England demolished two houses, trapping several persons under the wreckage. Most of them were rescued by ambulance corps and demolition squads. An important area of north-east England experienced an intensive air raid which lasted till the early hours of this morning. There were violent explosions, mostly on the outskirts of a town, punctuated by terrific gunfire from the ground.

A Daventry bulletin received at 11 o’clock last night stated that reports differed as to where bombs were dropped in Berlin. One neutral correspondent said explosions were heard in the north-western area of Berlin. Another agency said that no bombs were dropped, but that leaflets were found. Another neutral correspondent said that incendiary bombs were dropped in northern suburbs. The British Air Ministry was awaiting reports from the R.A.F. personnel before issuing a statement. The raid was apparently an extensive one, and Leipzig was evidently visited. An agency message said that thousands of people visiting the Leipzig Fair spent half an hour in air raid snelters early this morning. Another Daventry bulletin last night stated that there were two air-raid warnings in the London area on Sunday night, and a few bombs were dropped. Some gas mains and water mains were damaged, but there was little other damage except that caused by flying and broken glass. Enemy raiders for the greater part operated singly. The only determined raid was over the Midlands, where a number of bombs were dropped, but they fell wide of any important targets. One, however, hit a cinema which was scheduled to screen ‘'Gone With the Wind." The cinema was wrecked.