NAZI TACTICS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 December 1940, Page 5

NAZI TACTICS

ONE-TOWN NIGHTLY “BLITZ” LAST FRIDAY’S RAID ON BRISTOL. FIRES BROUGHT QUICKLY UNDER CONTROL. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, December 7. Continuing the one-town nightly “blitz” tactics, raiders attacked Bristol last night for several hours, ceasing before midnight. > Elsewhere in Britain the raiding was extremely slight and eased off after the Bristol blitz. London had one of the shortest alarms it has experienced recently, in which it is officially stated no bombs were dropped. : It was reported early this afternoon that all fires in Bristol have been extinguished. Rescue squads are still feverishly hacking through the debris of a cinema, under which a number of people are trapped and still alive. Many shops in a working-class district were damaged, together with some public buildings. There were a number of casualties throughout the town,' including fatalities.

Incendiary and high-explosive bombs rained down on Bristol through the raid. All windows were shattered when a hospital was bombed, but the patients and staff, who were shelter-, ing in the basement, were unscathed. In one district, where many highexplosive bombs fell, a number of buildings were demolished. Elsewhere 13 persons were trapped in one house and rescuers toiled to extricate them amid falling bombs. A church was also demolished.

Reports of a raid on a south coast town last night show that though it lasted some hours it did not assume serious proportions. The anti-aircraft barrage was intense. No high-explos-ive bombs were dropped, but there was some damage by incendiaries to shops and private houses, though the fires were soon under control.

An Air Ministry communique states: “Most of the enemy activity last night was concentrated on a town in the Bristol Channel (subsequently announced to be Bristol). The attack ended before midnight. There were some serious fires, but prompt and efficient fire-fighting quickly brought these under control. A number of persons were killed and others in-

jured. Bombs were dropped at various points in southern England and south Wales and there were a few casualties, including some persons killed.”

British fighters destroyed two enemy bombers during raids on Britain to-

day, which an official communique states have been on a very small scale and mainly confined to east and southeast coasts. Bombs were dropped in one place in East Anglia, causing slight damage and a few minor casualties.