MIGHTY AIR BATTLE

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21371, 15 March 1941, Page 10

MIGHTY AIR BATTLE

STREAMS OF GERMAN BOMBERS FROM NORTH SEA TO RED SEA BRITISH CONFIDENCE HARD BLOWS AT NAZIS (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) LONDON, March 14 The mightiest air battle in history is raging tonight (Thursday-Fridav). With a brilliant moon lighting up the Straits of Dover, raiders began to stream over immediately after dusk. They were again over the Merseyside. One machine showered hundreds of incendiary bombs on a town on the south-east coast. Other machines are over London and south, west, and north-east England, as well as parts of Scotland. The ground defences are meeting them with a murderous fire, and Royal Air Force machines are up in force. A north-eastern town is undergoing a raid which is described as one of the worst. The west Midlands are having their third successive night raid. Many aeroplanes are also passing over that area on their way north. The British Air Force raid on Germany on Wednesday was one of unprecedented ferocity, Britain hitting Germany with the weightiest attack ever undertaken by the Royal Air Force. Immense fires were caused in Berlin. When the last raiders left Hamburg, that city was a mass of flames. Describing the Bremen raid the Air Ministry says that bomb bursts were seen over the whole area of the works attacked. Many buildings received direct hits and were set on fire. A terrific explosion followed one hit and then a fire sprang up. This was followed by other fires. Elsewhere in Bremen long lines of burning incendiaries fell across industrial objectives and caused strings of fires. One long factory building was set well alight, as also were riverside buildings. Residents of Hamburg at midnight, after two hours’ bombing of their docks and shipbuilding yards, might have expected a night’s sleep, but they were disappointed. British bombers returned in waves to write a postscript to the night’s destruction.

Bombs and Explosives The raiders over the Merseyside have dropped flares, incendiary bombs and high explosives, but are keeping very high, well out of range of the ground defences. They seem to have concentrated on two towns in this area, one of which suffered last night. Bombs have fallen in f-i-ir areas in central Scotland, hitting a hospital and a dozen houses m one place. Other raiders bombed a town in south-east Scotland. An enemy aeroplane crashed in south England and its load of bombs exploded. The machine was blown to pieces. The explosion was heard 20 miles away. A second machine crashed on an empty cottage in south England and burst into flames. The crew were incinerated. Bombs which fell in a north-west district set fire to a school and an orphanage. The battle rages from the North Sea and the Baltic to the Red Sea. British air strength in the Middle East continues to grow and attacks against Bulgaria are likely immediately the time is ripe. Air Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore. Air Officer Commanding in Chief in the Middle East, said in an Interview that the Royal Air Force in the Middle East would strike the Germans as hard as it struck the Italians. British and Greek air support in Albania has already been considerably increased. The number of British aeroplanes participating in the stupendous attacks on Germany cannot be disclosed but it has greatly exceeded the number raiding Britain. The number of raiders over the Merseyside last night was estimated at 150.