Evening star., 1940-06-09
London
Continued From First Page)

hours before, announced a 14,OO0-
ton auxiliary cruiser had been sunk
off the northwest coast of Ireland.
The Carinthia was the second
British armed merchant cruiser
sunk since the war started. The
Rawalpindi. 16.697 tons, was lost
last November % with 28O of her
personnel after an attack by the
German pocket battleship Deutsch-
land off Ireland.
Earlier an official Admiralty state
ment had observed that The bal
ance of naval strength in favor
OF the Allies is now far greater
than at the outbreak of the war
New Bombing Success.
On the other side of the book,
the British marked down new bomb
ing success in the air: An attack on
German troop concentrations at
Abbeville throughout Friday and
Friday night and on military OBJ
jectives" in Northwest Germany.
Many "Reminiscences were car
ried out and on the information OBJ
tanned large number of bombing
sorties were undertaken" the Air
Ministry communique said. Lines
OF communication, ammunition and
petrol dumps, troop concentrations
and columns of armored fighting
vehicles were repeatedly attacked"
The Royal Air Force destroyed IT
German planes yesterday, the COM
munique said, while 13 British planes
were missing.
Much damage was caused to the
railhead at Hirson. where woods
were set on fire and many explo-
sions caused" the communique said
Here troop concentrations were
machine gunned. At Abbeville many
explosions and fires were caused and
extensive damage was done to the
airdrOme.
Reports of Saturdays operations,
it added, indicate that our medium
bombers inflicted heavy damage on
the enemy's motorized forces"
Repeated Air Attacks.
In supplementary statement, the
Air Ministry said German troop
concentrations and mechanical COL
umns in the immediate rear of the
battle front between lie Treport, a
channel port, and Amiens were sub
jected to repeated attacks at short
intervals by waves of aircraft.
Road and rail communications in
back areas were Systematically
bombed and towns and villages in
which troops were massing were
wrecked and set ablaze,' the state
ment continued.
"At Araines = which the enemy
had converted into vast military
encampment, over 800 high explo-
sive and incendiary bombs were
dropped within the period of three
minutes"
1t claimed direct hits in the center
of Vismes. and destruction of houses
to block strategic roads near Mian-
nay.
One British plane, it said, after
bombing a small ammunition dump
northeast of the river Bresle, few at
a level of 100 feet to machine gun an
anti-aircraft gun and crew out Of
action.
The air ministry said one bomber,
attacked by three Messerschmitt
1O9's had SKINNED the housetops of
scattered villages as he made for
the coast" shooting down one of
the pursuers in fight. The others
gave up the chase at the coast.
Denies Windsor Resigned.
The war Office denied a report
that the Duke of Windsor had re-
signed, and announced that he was
visiting French troops on the Italian
border and would shortly return to
his headquarters. Before he went to
the south-the Duchess of Windsor
is at Cap d'Antibes-the Duke was
liasion officer between British and
French troops.
Britain today raised the age limits
Of many reserved, or exempt, occu-
pations, making 10000 white collar
workers Immediately available for
service and calling up many others
by August /.
The reservations were extended to
agricultural workers and "distribu-
tive workers." chiefly proprietors or
managers of businesses.
Navy Strength Increased.
The statement on Allied naval
strength said the navy had been in
creased since the beginning of the
war by the addition Of more than
so armed merchant cruisers and
more than l,5O0 minor war vessels