SOUTH COAST TARGET

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 November 1940, Page 5

SOUTH COAST TARGET

SOUTHAMPTON NAMED BY GERMANS. MANY PLANES DRIVEN OFF BY GUNS. LONDON, November 24. A fierce barrage defeated raiders attempting to reach Liverpool last night. All turned back without dropping their bombs. Relays of raiders were similarly driven off from a north-east coast town. Enemy planes were almost constantly over a locality on the south coast for some hours last night. The first machines dropped flares and oil bombs, illuminating the ground. Succeeding planes dropped explosive bombs and more incendiary bombs. Some of the planes, unable to face the barrage, bombed half a dozen places outside. Seven fires were started in the suburbs of one town and foui’ or five more on villages. All were subdued by the fire services, aided by troops. The raiders concentrated on the fires, but the barrage prevented many from reaching their objectives. Four persons were killed, including two girl students, and houses, schools and‘stores were damaged. The Berlin radio stated that the chief victim of last night’s air attacks was Southampton, where 250 planes dropped about 250 tons of explosives and thousands of incendiary bombs. Fires were observed at a great distance. The communique added that Governmental quarters were among the targets attacked in London.

German long-range guns shelled Dover for over an hour this afternoon.