MORNING SCENE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 December 1940, Page 5

MORNING SCENE

ALL FIRES UNDER CONTROL

CASUALTIES NOT NUMEROUS. IN SPITE OF HEAVY DAMAGE. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) LONDON, December 30. Last night the Germans tried to set fire to the City of London by dropping large numbers of incendiary bombs. When people went to work this morning the ruins of some of the fires caused were still smouldering and other fires were still burning, though all were under control before the morning rush started. The Air Ministry confirms the impression that the German bombing was a deliberate attempt to set fire to the City without any attempt to single out military objectives. - To some extent the effort succeeded and damage was caused to many famous buildings, including the Guildhall and several churches. St. Paul’s Cathedral was again threatened, but nearby fires were extinguished in time. British fighter aircraft went up to intercept the raiders and drove them off. The sound of the British engines had a tonic effect on the men of the A.R.P. services, who were having a strenuous time. The British fighters saved at least one area from the salvos of. high-explosive bombs which the Germans: usually drop after they have released their incendiaries. London’s fire services worked heroically throughout the night. In spite of the' heavy damage to shops and offices, casualties were not high. These latest German tactics only , confirm, said a radio commentator, that the rulers of Germany, taken aback by the stubbornness of British resistance, are still floundering about without any fixed policy. Their bombings are no reply to the British air attacks on vital German war industries.