The population of the East End remained defiant through months of bombing

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The German air force has unleashed a wave of heavy bombing raids on London, killing hundreds of civilians and injuring many more.

The Ministry of Home Security said the scale of the attacks was the largest the Germans had yet attempted.

"Our defences have actively engaged the enemy at all points," said a communique issued this evening.

"The civil defence services are responding admirably to all calls that are being made upon them."

The first raids came towards the end of the afternoon, and were concentrated on the densely populated East End, along the river by London's docks.

About 300 bombers attacked the city for over an hour and a half. The entire docklands area seemed to be ablaze as hundreds of fires lit up the sky.

Once darkness fell, the fires could be seen more than 10 miles away, and it is believed that the light guided a second wave of German bombers which began coming over at about 2030 BST (1930 GMT).

The night bombing lasted over eight hours, shaking the city with the deafening noise of hundreds of bombs falling so close together there was hardly a pause between them.

One bomb exploded on a crowded air raid shelter in an East London district.

In what was described as "a million to one chance", the bomb fell directly on the 3ft (90cm) by 1ft (30cm) ventilation shaft - the only vulnerable place in a strongly-protected underground shelter which could accommodate over 1,000 people.

About 14 people are believed to have been killed and 40 injured, including children.

Civil defence workers worked through the night, often in the face of heavy bombing, to take people out of the range of fire and find them temporary shelter and food.

An official paid tribute to staff at one London hospital which was hit, saying, "They showed marvellous bravery, keeping on until bomb detonations and gunfire made it absolutely impossible."

In the air, a series of ferocious dogfights developed as the German aircraft flew up the Thames Estuary.

The Air Ministry says at least 15 enemy aircraft crashed into the estuary, and in all, the Ministry said, 88 German aircraft were shot down, against 22 RAF planes lost.

The army-led coup in July brought an end to the monarchy in Egypt

Mr Maher has been slow to carry out social and land reforms demanded by the army and has given way to General Muhammad Neguib.

This evening the general formed a new civilian government with himself as prime minister and commander-in-chief.

The army then arrested several leading politicians in order to snuff out any resistance to land and social reforms.

On 23 July General Neguib, Colonel Abdel Nasser and Colonel Anwar Sadat led a coup of the so-called Free Officers that brought to an end to the rule of the former King Farouk and his son Fu'ad II.

The Army replaced Prime Minister Hilaly Pasha with Aly Maher. Although Mr Maher was a member of the old regime, he was interested in land redistribution and improved rights for workers.

But it seems he failed to implement the reforms quickly enough to satisfy the leaders of the "Egyptian revolution" or to root out those involved in corruption.

The army is now carrying out its own purge of political parties, especially the influential nationalist Wafd party.

In a statement broadcast on Cairo Radio's English and foreign services, the army set out reasons for this latest move.

"The Army revolt was not merely a movement against the ex-King, but it has also been, still is, and always will be a force directed against corruption in all its forms."

The army said it asked for a purge of those suspected of "injustices".

"Such parties and organisations were reluctant to carry out our requests and resorted to evasion of the issues. Consequently we had to arrest ... certain individuals ... so that every individual could give his evidence in an atmosphere free of fear and in tranquillity."

Meanwhile the king and his son, along with several leading politicians, are being held at the Military Academy in Cairo.

While officers continue to arrest leading figures in Cairo, troops are making their presence felt on the main streets of Alexandria though the atmosphere is described as calm.

communique: an official report (usually sent in haste)（公报；官报）

detonation: a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction（爆炸声）

estuary: the wide part of a river where it nears the sea（河口）

snuff out: put an end to; kill（消灭）

purge of: get rid of（清除）