LEAPING FLAMES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 May 1941, Page 5

LEAPING FLAMES

IN MANY BRITISH COASTAL AREAS RAIN OF ENEMY BOMBS. KING’S VISIT TO NIGHT FIGHTERS. LONDON, May 8. Tongues of flame leapt at the sky in many parts of Britain last night, as all types of incendiary and explosive bombs were rained down on waterside towns in the latest heavy German attack. Members of the Home Guard and police were busy through the night rounding up Germans who parachuted from the stricken bombers. Several of the bombers crashed in flames, giving the crews no chance of escape. It. was his Majesty’s first visit to a night fighter station. As. soon as the moon rose he saw powerful Beaufighters and sinister-looking Havoc planes, which are a magnificent contribution by American designers to the air defence of Britain, strung across the aerodrome. He talked with the eager crews and then watched the night prowlers climb into the velvety sky and roar off to the kill. BREST RAID CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE DONE TO BASE. IN ADDITION TO DIRECT HITS ON BATTLE-CRUISERS. (British Official Wireless.! (Received This Day, 10.3 a.m.) RUGBY, May 8. The R.A.F. last night raided Brest, the St. Nazaire oil refineries, the Ruhr and Bergen. Two of our planes were lost. In a heavy raid on Brest, direct hits wore scored, with heavy armourpiercing bombs, on the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. The naval base was considerably damaged.