NAZI SAVAGERY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 January 1943, Page 4

NAZI SAVAGERY

IN RAID ON LONDON AREA CHILDREN MACHINE-GUNNED. WHILE LEAVING WRECKED SCHOOL. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.55 a.m.) LONDON, January 20. Many school children were victims of the brief but savage daylight raid by the Luftwaffe on the London area this morning. After being escorted over the Channel by a large number of fighters, about twelve fighter-bombers out of a force of 25 to 30 reached the London area, where they divebombed and machine-gunned a thickly populated district. At least eleven of the raiders were shot down over Britain.

Thirty school children were killed and twelve were injured when a bomb split a London County Council central school almost in halves. The pupils were machine-gunned as they left the building. There were numerous casualties at another London school, which was also machine-gunned. Considerable damage was caused to houses and it is feared that a number of people were killed, including children who had returned home for lunch. Rescue squads are still searching debris for those trapped. A raider machine-gunned shoppers in one London district and also men working on vegetable allotments. Three raiders attacked a train approaching London. The passengers saw the pianos skim over chimney tops and heard bullets hitting the rails and ballast. Trains were stopped and no casualties are reported. A railway station was also the target for a ma-chine-gun attack. Several ■ barrage balloons were set on fire by the enemy. R.A.F. fighters engaged the raiders over London and crowds watched the biggest air battle since the blitz period. The enemy were driven off to the coast. Fighter patrols and ground defences routed a force of about 20 German fighters over the south-east coast in the afternoon. The raiders broke up, after several fights, and made off at top speed for the French coast. One pilot was seen to bale out.

A later message states that at least 13 raiders were shot down. Another German raider was destroyed later, making the total for the day 14. In the school which received a direct hit 34 children were killed and 25 injured.