21st April 1941 raid on Newark on Trent ( maybe )

[noggin]

Looking into a raid on my home town 21st April 1941. The Newark Herald reported a Heinkel 111 dropping 5 HE bombs and machine gunning the streets. It was reported there were 8 light casualties. Local ARP reports suggests otherwise , 6 people trapped in one demolished house and 27 causalities treated at first aid stations. The reports say the raider was driven off by AA and RAF fighters. It seems on that day the Luftwaffe were busy attacking London and the ports on the South coast. It does seem at odds with other attacks in the area these mostly happened at night or in the afternoon. No military targets would have been in the area , I know this isn't a prerequisite for a raid. Although what is now London Road in town used to be the old Great North Road and Allied crews used it as a visual point for approaching RAF Balderton or RAF Winthorpe. In fact an RAF Hampden crashed killing 6 children half a mile up the road. The paper goes into more detail than it did on the bigger raid on Ransome and Marles the preceding month , mentioning the type of aircraft , AAA and fighters. Now if this wasn't enemy action could it have been an Allied aircraft accidentally dropping its bombs or purposely jettisoning its bombs due to problems aboard. I know they did do this as my dad told me how his village had the windows blown out after a RAF aircraft dropped its load into the flooded fields nearby. Any info or ideas will be gratefully received TIA Shaun.