MET PROMPTLY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 November 1940, Page 6

MET PROMPTLY

ENEMY AIR RAIDERS ON BRITAIN FORMATIONS BROKEN UP WITH LOSS. DESTRUCTION OF ITALIAN MACHINES. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 1150 a.m.) RUGBY. November 11. The tale of R.A.F. successes against German and Ita ian raiding aircraft today has grown until at 5 p.m. it is known that 26 have been destroyed—thirteen German and thirteen Italian. The British losses are two planes. Hurricanes destroyed eight Italian aircraft over the Thames Estuary today during an attempted attack on shipping. Five of these were bombers and three fighters. Those were the victims of a single R.A.F. fighter squadron and there were no British losses in this combat. Some 01. the Italians were captured. Several formations of German aircraft attempted to’ reach the London area. Each was broken up, according to an Air Ministry and Ministry of Home Security communique, and very few of the aircraft succeeded in reaching London. Other German aircraft which attempted to attack a convoy off the coast of Kent were stoutly engaged by R.A.F. fighters and driven off.

Bombs were dropped at several places in South-East England and at a few points in the London area. Damage was done to houses and a few casualties are reported. A later report says that the Italian aircraft which attacked a British convoy today numbered fifteen to twenty bombers and about sixty escorting fighters. In shooting down thirteen, Ute R.A.F. suffered no losses.

BOMBS ON LONDON FEW PLANES GET THROUGH. SOME DEATHS & DAMAGE. (Received This Day. 11.20 a.m.) LONDON, November 11. Over one hundred enemy planes attempted to reach London in the first attack today. Two waves crossed the south-east coast. Spitfires and split up the formation. Al:? Ay of the enemy machines | outskirts of London, got over the capital, th >: D-ffi in.any remained in the vicinity, British fighters simultaneously attacking another twenty in the Thames Estuary. A high-explosive bomb dropped in the London area hit a house and killed a family of eight, including a three-months-old baby. A public-house was directly hit during the busy hour and only one bar was left standing. Several persons were killed. The landlord was among those injured. A doctor crawled under wreckage to administer morphia to victims. Another bomb blast killed a soldier after he had farewelled a girl. A bomb hit a public shelter in the grounds of a college in the London area while two hundred people were community singing. Seven were killed and a number were seriously injured. Another bomb struck a college, smashing every window. A bomb fractured a water main, which flooded the basement under a London orphanage. A.R.P. workers rushed in, fearing that some people had been trapped, but after they had been swimming in the icy vatcy some time it was stated had been saved. There wer. JiKbout .150 people in the basement, blit they made their escape through a back entrance.

In the second attack today another wave of fifty fighter-bombers crossed the Kent coast and was met by British fighters. A number of enemy planes later approached London from the south-east. Anti-aircraft guns forced the raiders to change direction.

GERMAN REPORT NON-EXISTENT HARBOUR BOMBED. (Received This Day, 12.10 p.m.) LONDON, November 10. A German communique again says that the R.A.F. bombed a sawmill, where one person.was killed and one injured. It claims that German bombers hit the harbour at Bexhiil (where no harbour exists).