The Wilmington morning star., 1940-08-23
NaZiS Strike In London:
Big Guns Shell Channel
Continued from Page One)

counted toll of lives. Redidents
were were seen as late as mid
night hurrying from the shelled
zoone to overnight safety else
where.
The heavy German guns shelled
the coast twice. They resumed
their bombardment late last night
after having been silenced for halt
an hour by counter-attack kim Brit
ish bombers. From the Nazi-held
French coast they sent five shells
over the English channel in as
many minutes.
Second Attack
Them. the Raj bombers raored
over to deliver a second and even
fercer attack, while Nazi anti-air-
craft guns barked almost in
c%essantly.
German planes also were over
the British coast and some on
lockers in the Dover area mistook
anti-aircraft fire for a counter
bombardment by Britain's big
coastal guns. 3
British coastal areas in the region
OF Kent-county in which the chan
mel port of Dover is situated-were
heavily shelled.
Authoritative persons in London
declared, however, that the Nazi at.
tack with land guns was "a waste
of time" c%ontending that it had no
worthwhile military object.
More damage could be done by
bombs, they said, adding that a smell
fired from a distance equivalent to
the cross-channel range of 20-odd
miles had only four per cent Of a
bombs bursting power.
While this long-range Smelling
grew in intensity, German warplanes
were reported in great numbers over
Britain-in the southeast, the south
west. the northeast, the northwest
and Welsh districts.
Large Guns
There was no immediate word as
to the extent Of damage caused by
the German shells. Observers said
they were being pumped from guns
of at least II to IA inches.
The German artillery $ e m e d
trained particularly on Dover the
channel port just % miles from Nazi
bases in France. '
Big formations of British bombers
loosed their swift counter-assault all
along the French coast from Calais,
just across from Dover, to Boulogne,
aiming their bomb loads at the gun
flashes.
A great, red glow vas seen to
spread low, apparently to the water
line, at one point on the French
side.
The 80 minute lull between the
early night bombardments was taken
by some observers to NEAR that a
number of Nazi gun emplacements
had been found by British bombs.
The Smelling from the Nazis'
"Big Berthas" was felt at several
points at intervals of about three
quarters of an hour.
Explosions shook the a n n e !
coast; shells could be heard over
head, as across the channel-only 22
miles from the British coast in some
areas-gun flashes stabbed the dark
ness.
Near Calais, British bombers and
German batteries fought a s%pectacu-
lar engagement and violent explo-
sions from that section Of the Ger
man-occupied shore coull be heard
for miles. The sky was alight with
tracer bullets, flares and exploding
bombs.
The. flashes of German anti-air-
craft shells looked from afar like
lightning bugs on a summer night. y
It was a resumption of heavy
Smelling which earlier in the day
had raked the English channel from
gun-emplacemnets along the French
coast on a stretch Of 30-odd miles
from Calais to Boulogne.
That attack was centered upon a
mile-long convoy of vital British
shipping in the channel, and its was
officially declared that not a vessel
was hit.
not be worked out with reasonable
Ill., -.---- -yLNthAf