FIERCE OPENING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 November 1940, Page 6

FIERCE OPENING

THURSDAY NIGHT’S RAIDS ON LONDON PLANE LOADS OF BOMBS DROPPED. SOME DAMAGE & CASUALTIES. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.45 a.m.) LONDON, November 7. Despite its early and fierce opening, last night's raid on London was less prolonged than that of the previous night. The Luftwaffe were overhead for hours on end, but instead of scattering bombs in pairs, similarly to other heavy onslaughts, appeared to unload whole planeloads. At one time a stick of seven highexplosive bombs, almost shaving the roof of an historic edifice, started a mountainous fire. Firemen went into action before the debris had ceased falling. A block of business premises was reduced to rubble. Salvoes here and there wrecked rows of suburban dwellings. Nuns, French soldiers, roof spotters and several members of the Auxiliary Fire Service were among the night’s casualties, the last-named when a fire station was directly hit.

ENEMY LOSSES FOUR PLANES SENT CRASHING INTO SEA. BY ONE HURRICANE SQUADRON. (Received This Day, 11.55 a.m.) LONDON, November 7. An Air Ministry and Ministry of Home Security communique states: “Three formations of enemy aircraft approached during the day. The first entered the Thames Estuary about midday, but did not succeed in penetrating to the capital. At about the same time, a single enemy aircraft flew over London at a great height and was shot down. Second and third formations unsuccessfully attacked the Portsmouth area in the afternoon. Both attacks were intercepted. No damage or casualties are reported. A few bombs were dropped in the early afternoon in two East Coast towns, but caused little damage and few casualties. “Of the seven machines brought down, four—three Messerschmitt 109’s and a Junkers 87—were sent crashing into the sea off the coast by one Hurricane squadron.”

BEREAVED VICTIMS INTRODUCED TO KING & QUEEN. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.45 a.m.) LONDON. November 7, When visiting the Liverpool area, their Majesties talked ’ to Marian Doyle, aged ten, whose mother and three brothers were killed when a bomb struck corporation flats; also Mrs Thomas, whose four sons were killed in the same block. GERMAN REPORT (Received This Day, at Noon.) LONDON, November 7. A German communique refers to fires at Southampton and other places in the south of England, and to attacks on Coventry, Birmingham and Liverpool. It says: “R.A.F. bombs on Germany at night fell mostly on waste ground arid there were only two attacks on industrial centres, slightly damaging a boiler house and a loading platform.”

Although the Germans rarely admit industrial damage a Berlin news agency announces that workers from October 1 are to receive 90 per cent of their wages when they are unable to work owing to raid damage.