The American Consul General,
 
      Southampton, England.
 
      November 25, 1940
 
 
      Sir:
 
      Interim Air Raid Report of Southampton night of November 23/24, 
      1940
 
      The German official communiqué covering operations over 
      England for night of November 23 reads as follows:
 
      "Yesterday about 250 planes attacked harbor installations, 
      docks and warehouses at Southampton dropping 250 tons of high 
      explosive bombs and thousands of incendiaries".
 
      
 
 
The inhabitants of Southampton make no objection to the above 
      claims. During a 5 hour attack on this port, considerable damage 
      was done and according to authorities (1} at least 60 persons 
      were killed and 250 injured. Practically no part of the town 
      escaped some kind of damage. Two cinemas were destroyed, further 
      considerable damage was done to the civic center building, two 
      ships, one of them a hospital ship, the LLANDOVERY CASTLE, were 
      sunk, and considerable damage was done to private dwellings and 
      business property on the main business street. In fact, it was 
      the worst reid that Southampton has bad so far.
 
      
 
 
The residence of the reporting officer was struck by four 
      incendiary bombs, and Mrs. Hunt, a clerk of the consulate, has 
      had to abandon her house, due to unexploded bomb, as has also 
      Mr. Pack, another clerk. There are four bomb craters just in 
      front of the consulate in the park, and the premises of the Canadian 
      Pacific Railway, just down the street from the consulate were 
      completely destroyed. The main hotel in the town, the South Western, 
      was badly damaged. In fact, bombs were dropped everywhere. Fortunately 
      most of them were small, although two on the civic center are 
      believed to have been very large ones. 
 
      The whole electric streetcar system of the own hem been put out 
      of action and in many parts of the town there is neither gas 
      nor electric service.
 
      
 
 
Fire engines were brought from Portsmouth, Winchester and 
      other towns and the writer has seen several engines completely 
      de %stroyed by direct hits.
 
      A map is enclosed on which indicated the main points of attack. 
      Please note, however, that bombs fell in practically every square 
      block of the town.
 
      
 
 
Very truly yours,
 
      {Signed) G. N. Donald
 
      Consul General
 
      Copied at Embassy,
 
      London, December 6, 1940.
 
      MOS
 
      London, October 6, 1940.