Greatest Wall of Steel in History

Manawatu Times, Volume 65, Issue 217, 13 September 1940, Page 7

Greatest Wall of Steel in History

Hun Murderers Flung Back From London TERRIFIC BUT CHEERFUL NOISE United Press Association —By Eleetrlo Telegraph—Copyr lgh t. Received Friday, 12.20 a.m. LONDON, Sept. 12. Bombs were rained on a section of London during the second raid to-day. Apparently when our fighters headed the bombers from the centre of London they unloosed their loads indiscriminately. The battle raged from the coast to the Thames Estuary and back again. Darkness enabled fresh forces of invaders to penetrate the London area which soon reverberated with gunfire | and exploding bombs. The Germans opened the attack j about 3 p.m. and within a few minutes j two formations totalling 275 bombers and fighters crossed tho coast. The bulk of the raiders immediately headed for London, apparently making for the docks, but only a small portion got through. The rest were scattered and fled back across the Channel after jettisoning their bombs, most of which fell in the Surrey and Sussex woods.

Seven raiders at one time were ringed by exploding shells. The noise shook London, but it was almost a cheerful noise of a great city fighting back. Millions of tired but greatly cheered Londoners have now been listening for hours to the amazing anti-aircraft barrage. Sleep has become impossible in all but the deep shelters. Shrapnel is incessantly raining on the streets and buildings almost throughout London. Nobody now doubts that the Hun has met more than he bargained for in his fifth night of murdering. Never has such a wall of steel been flung up in history. The Germans appear to be finding it most difficult to penetrate the barrage. In the early morning they seemed to be using single fast machines which were coming over at 10-minute intervals in an effort to reach Central London, but all raced back when they met the withering fire. The raiders became more active as the night wore on and bombs seemed to be as numerous as the guns. The Polish squadron was again in the forefront on the Wednesday afternoon attack wherein 73 raiders were shot down, of which 43 were bombers, the Poles destroying seven bombers and seven fighters. (The above message was delayed 11 hours in transmission.)