QUICK RETRIBUTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 October 1940, Page 6

QUICK RETRIBUTION

DORNIER SHOT DOWN BY HURRICANES WHEN BOMBING ESSEX TOWN. MIDGET PILOT IN PARTY. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.55 a.m.) RUGBY, October 2. A few minutes after it had machine-gunned the streets of an Essex town, a German Dornier 17 bomber was shot down by Hurricanes of the Fighter Command today. The Hurricane pilots were on their way home from a patrol over the North Sea when they found the Dornier attacking the Essex town. By the time they reached it, the enemy aircraft had climbed to 4,000 feet. The German pilot tried dodging in and out of a cloud, but several of the Hurricanes got in bursts of machinegun fire ~ and the Dornier crashed twenty miles away, near a searchlight post. One Hurricane pilot who had helped to shoot down the Dornier landed near and was congratulated by the surprised searchlight crew, who had taken four of the German airmen prisoners. They were more surprised by his size than by his 'victory, for he is just, over four feet three inches—one of the smallest pilots in the R.A.F. Thames Estuary anti-aircraft guns destroyed one of today’s raiders —a Messerschmitt 109. AN UNPRECEDENTED BANG. Last night anti-aircraft gunners were responsible for the loudest explosion heard over South-East London since bombing began. The gunners thought they had hit a German bomber, but the noise was so great that they wondered whether they had not perhaps exploded the bomb load as well. This morning they found the answer—they had done both. Their shells had struck one of the London night raiders and bomber and bombs had exploded together. Pieces were found scattered over several miles of South-East London. NAZIS TRY NEW TACTICS. Today’s raids brought a change of tactics by the German Air Force. Instead of single bombers, or one or two large-scale attacks, smaller raids of about 48 enemy bombers and fighters followed each other from nine in the morning till four in the afternoon. All crossed the Kent coast in the same direction and were attacked by Spitfires and Hurricanes as they flew towards London. Four out of fifteen Messerschmitt 109 fighters were shot down by a Spitfire squadron over the KentSurrey border as they flew north-west. The rest of the Messerschmitts turned back. BRIEF RAIDS ■&" ACROSS THE BRITISH COAST. LITTLE DAMAGE & FEW CASUALTIES. (British Official Wireless.) „ (Received This Day, 10.10 a.m.) i RUGBY, October 2. An Air Ministry and Ministry for Home Security communique states: “Early this morning single enemy air-1 craft made several brief raids across 1 the south-east coasts, in the course of which a few bombs were dropped at isolated points in South-West England, South Wales and Essex. There was little damage and there were few casualties.

“Beginning at about nine in the morning and continuing throughout the day, there was a series of attacks on London by forces of several squadrons of enemy aircraft. All these were intercepted and broken up by our fighters. Few enemy machines penetrated to the London area. “Reports indicate that where bombs were dropped they caused little damage and few casualties, although these included some fatal injuries. On their way to London, some of the enemy aircraft dropped bombs on a Kent coast town, with no better success.” HOSPITAL BOMBED NURSES AND PATIENTS KILLED. DAMAGE IN EAST END OF LONDON. (Received This Day, 10.40 a.m.) , LONDON, October 2. Alert alarms were sounded twice in quick succession this morning. Residents of the East End saw two formations coming in from the Kent coast. R.A.F. fighters turned the formations from the capital. The Germans are again using large fighter escorts for their bombers. One formation comprised 150 planes. A number of yellownosed Messerschmitts were seen escorting a handful of bombers. During London’s fifth warning today large banks of clouds provided Germans with excellent cover. The German wireless is reviving the attempts at a running description of raids which were abandoned last month after a succession of debacles. It was announced at midday that big battles were occurring over Southern England and the Midlands. A bomb last night burst at the rear of a large hospital in the East End. Over twenty persons, including nurses and patients, were injured, some fatally. A high-explosive bomb in Central London killed a roof spotter. Four time-bombs fell on private houses in South-East London. Seven high-explosive bombs were dropped within a radius of a mile in the East End, causing damage but no casualties. A number of buildings were damaged in a south-east town when fighters chased a bomber. Machine-gun bullets fell like hail in the streets, the raider apparently attacking street traffic.

A German communique claims that extensive fires and explosions were caused by attacks on London, southern England and the Midlands yesterday and last night. NAZI ADMISSION MILITARY DAMAGE DONE IN BERLIN. (Received This Day, 11.10 a.m.) LONDON, October 2. A Germ - '? “ommunique states: “The

enemy attacked towns in Western Germany. Fires were caused and severe damage was done to dwellings. Other planes flew over Northern Germany, but were prevented from reaching Berlin by anti-aircraft guns. Several incendiary and explosive bombs were dropped on brickworks in East Berlin.’ Another official German statement admits that the R.A.F. damaged military. in addition to civ:! objectives in Berlin.