ENEMY SLACKENS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 August 1940, Page 5

ENEMY SLACKENS

WHILE BRITISH BOMBERS „RANGE FAR AFIELD

MANY SUCCESSFUL ATTACKS. OIL PLANTS HEAVILY BOMBED (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.35 a.m.) RUGBY, August 27. An Air Ministry and Ministry of Home Security communique, issued at 8.25 p.m., states: “Enemy air activity has been very slight today. Several small formations appeared over the Channel coast, but only a few aircraft pentrated inland. Three were shot down by our fighters.

“Up to six p.m., the only bombs reported to have been dropped fell on the foreshore of the Isle of Wight and did no damage and caused no casualties.

“Full reports of yesterday’s actions show that one more enemy aircraft was destroyed by our fighters, making 47 in all. In addition to four pilots whose loss had been announced, we also lost two air gunners yesterday.”

An Air Ministry communique says: “R.A.F. bombers on Monday .made daylight attacks on enemy aerodromes. The scope of these attacks was greatly extended last night. Twenty-seven aerodromes in Germany. Holland, Belgium and enemy-occupied France were bombed. Over Nivelles Aerodrome one of our bombers, returning from Germany, shot down an enemy bomber returning from England. “Apart from an attack on Italian ob ■ jectives, the main strength of our bomber force last night was directed against the synthetic oil plant at Leuna west of Leipzig, and an oil depot at Frankfurt. An aircraft factory was also attacked and at Griesheim, on the outskirts of the city, an explosives factory was heavily bombed. Various objectives at Hoeschst, Cologne and Leipzig and supplies depots at Hamm and Schwerte were also bombed. From these widespread operations, which continued throughout the night, all but one of our aircraft returned safely. One is missing from the daylight raids.’,’

The announcement that 27 aerodromes of use to the enemy were visited by bombers yesterday lends significance to the statement made in authoritative quarters yesterday that the R.A.F. possessed full information on the present dispositions of Germany’s air forces and that the new bases to which she had moved forward would receive the methodical attention of bombers. ’ MANY RAIDS BOMBS FALL OVER WIDE AREAS

IN LONDON & OTHER PARTS OF BRITAIN.

POOR LAW INSTITUTION STRUCK.

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, August 27.

Britain last night experienced the most extensive night raids since the outbreak of the Avar. The enemy planes attacked across 500 miles of coastline, and raiders were reported from areas extending from the north-east through the Midlands to the south-west. Screaming and whistling and incendiary bombs were dropped in many areas, but generally the bombs dropped were few considering the length of the raids. It is estimated that at least 50 German planes, operating singly, approached London from the south during the night and circled over the metropolitan area in which anti-aircraft guns brought down two.

Bombs fell over a wide area in one London district.

For six hours the drone of planes was practically unbroken in London. As fast as one plane retired another appeared. A high-explosive bomb completely wrecked a house in outer London, and A.R.P. squads dug the occupants out of the debris. The householder was killed, but hid wife and two other occupants were unhurt. There were several other casualties in this neighbourhood.

Convalescents in one London hospital were taken to trench shelters during the raid, and the others who were too ill for moving were placed on mattresses under their bads. Explosions in the vicinity shook the hospital, but did no damage.

Two air-raid wardens who were investigating a light were seriously injured by a screaming bomb. Four bombs fell in a residential district of a London suburb and broke the windows and blew in doors of several houses. A dive-bomber attacked houses on the fringe of London and dropped three small bombs, which made craters in a road. A.R.P. workers quickly repaired the damage.

Anti-aircraft guns in a southern area scored direct hits on a Dornier which was returning from London. Five of the crew baled out and were rounded up by Home Guard and police. The machine crashed on a bungalow and an adjoining villa, the occupants of which were in shelters, and both houses were destroyed without casualties.

There was no general distribution of morning newspapers in London till the middle of the morning, and except for theii' loss of sleep most Londoners appeared to consider this the chief deprivation as a result of the air raids.

A south-western town had its worst raid since the outbreak of the war. The attack began just after nightfall, and bombers came all night and dropped explosives and incendiary bombs in all parts of the town and the surrounding district. Several fires started and were speedily extinguished. Two bombs fell on a poor law institution, causing casualties, some of them fatal.

SAFETY OF CHILDREN EVACUATION SPEEDED UP. LONDON. August 27. Children already registered will be evacuated from London in the next few days. There are still 300.1)00 children in the metropolitan evacuation area and the number is considered to be too large in the present circumstances. A plan has been prepared for evacuation at the rate of 30.000 a day. but parents continue Io be disinclined to register their children.