NAZI BLITZKRIEG

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21211, 6 September 1940, Page 5

NAZI BLITZKRIEG

DEFENCE OF BRITAIN INTENSIFIED ATTACKS EXPLOSIONS AND FIRES (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyrlg-Ht) LONDON, Sept. 5 It is authoritatively stated that the “blitzkrieg” against the Royal Air Force aerodromes in the south-east of England has so far failed to drive the British fighter opposition from this corner of Britain nearest to the enemy. It is not denied that several of the Advanced aerodromes have been severely hammered, but not one has been out of commission for longer than “a very short time.” Gangs of men, with plenty of material, are continually ready to fill in any craters in the runways. Naturally there have been some changes in dispositions in the last fortnight in order to meet the intensification of the enemy onslaught, but the first line of the fighter defence over the south-east coast remains as tough and thrustful as ever. This is illustrated by the sharp increase in the past week in the number of escort fighters which the Germans have been compelled to send to get any of their bombers through. The proportion of Messerschmitt fighters to Dornier bombers has reached five to one. British fighter losses have increased as the result of this strengthening, but our pilots are still harassing the enemy bombers, besides the fighters. The combined fighter and antiaircraft defence is breaking up enemy formations more and more swiftly, and London’s daytime air alarms are becoming correspondingly shorter. Wall of Metal A wall of metal flung up by antiaircraft batteries last night barred German raiders who appeared over the London area a few hours after Hitler’s threatened reprisals for the British raids on Berlin. The anti-aircraft fire was the heaviest London has yet experienced. Shells were seen bursting in all directions—sometimes as many as six burst in a cluster around aeroplanes which were merely specks in the glare of countless searchlights. The constant rumble of gunfire replaced the roar of London’s traffic, most of which was halted. Several of the raids dropped bombs before fleeing, pursued by lights and shells. The raid lasted an hour and 40 minutes. Over 100 bombs were dropped in one area. One enemy parachute flare set fire to a food building. German raiders this morning failed to penetrate to the London area. For the third nijVit in succession the Royal Air Force bombed the Boulogne-Calais area. Some explosions were so terrific that houses on the seafront of a town on the south-east coast of England were rocked.

Anti-aircraft shells stabbed the sky, while searchlights on both sides of the Channel lit up the sea almost like day.