RAIDERS REPELLED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 October 1940, Page 5

RAIDERS REPELLED

RELATIVELY QUIET NIGHT . IN LONDON . > • BERLINERS SPEND FIVE HOURS IN SHELTERS. BOMBERS CROSS AND RECROSS CITY. 1 (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) \ LONDON, October 1. ? The long arm of the Royal Air Force again stretched out to BerS.. lin last night as well as to other parts cf Germany and the invasion ports. This morning’s interim communique by the Air Ministry mere- ' ly reports the fact that the capital . ,was bombed. German reports-say that the British aircraft were over the city for only a short time, but neutral agency messages say the alarm was the longest Berlin has had and kept residents of Berlin in their shelters for five hours eight minutes.. The heavy anti-aircraft fire, it was stated, did not stop the raiding bombers from crossing and recrossing the city. A message from one news agency says a bomb fell near its premises in the city, but that it was not possible at that moment to ascertain the extent of the damage. An Air Ministry communique states that German bombers operated over a wide area of London and the suburbs last night, but the damage done was generally not extensive nor the number of casualties large. Some bombs were dropped on the Merseyside, starting some fires, but these were quickly brought under control and no serious damage or casualties are reported. Industrial premises were hit in a town

in the east Midlands, and here there were several fatal casualties. The German attempt to break through to central London was even less successful than usual and the City had a comparatively quiet night despite the fact that the enemy sent over a greater number of planes. Unofficial reports say that their failure to penetrate was due to the fact that British aricraft were patrolling over London during the night. The Germans approached from the north-west instead of the south-west, but this change in direction did not help the attackers. After four daylight raids on London yesterday the first of the night bombers cautiously circled the outskirts of the city and only one of these dared to penetrate the central defences and drop incendiary bombs. Watchers on a rooftop saw only two fires during the night. A high-explo-sive bomb wrecked three houses in a well-known street. Four heavy bombs fell near a famous London square without causing any casualties, though one caused a huge crater. A street of working-class houses was wrecked. From outside the London area it is reported that “Molotov breadbaskets” dropped in south-east England started two fires in a ’pine wood.