Evening star., 1940-09-23
Tremendous Fires
Left in Heart Of
London, Nazis Say
PieeudiIIy Circus, Regent
Park District Are Hit,
Berlin Sources Assert
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
BERLIN, Sept. 23.-"Tremendous
fires" so great they were visible
from the French coast. were spread
in the center of London by waves of
NaZi night raiders, informed Ger
man sources declared tooay.
Piccadilly Circus and the Regent
Park district. in the heart of the
British capital, as we'll as CONNER
cial docks along the Thames River
were hit, they said, in rolling raids
throughout last night by $50 Nazi
battle planes.
In a daylight continuation OF the
assault, described by the high COM
mand as new "full-strength" air
raids, they said II British planes
had been shot down so far today in
severe air fights over Southern
England. Four German planes have
not returned, they acknowledged.
New Shipping Blows.
The high command also reported
new blows against British shipping
as Foreign Minister Joachim Won
Ribbenthrop sped home to tell
Adolf Hitler of his Rome discussions
of axis hopes for carving up the
empire of a conquered Britain.
Nazi air raiders, the high COM
mand communique said, hit port ia
Cilities. docks and other war i'm
portant targets in night attacks on
London and also bombed other mil
itary objectives in Southern Eng
land.
At sea. it said one commerce
stalking submarine had sunk four
British merchant ships totaing
$4,000 tons and a speedboat had
sunk 3oO0-ton merchantmen and
"incapacitated" a patrol vessel off
the English coast.
AS evidence Of the extent and
success of German air attacks on
Britain, an authorized source said
50,600,000 pounds of bombs had been
dropped by the German air force
since July 10 on British targets and
mentioned these statistics: 5000
factories damaged. 1,400 of them in
the London area; 5000 600 900 dam
age to food and other St0rehouSes;
20 per cent of BritainS gas and
electric plants destroyed or severely
damaged; 200 attacks on British
ports in which 100000 pounds of
bombs have been dropped; 700 raids
oil hI1YodroIc Of ,,,ilnc oF
railroad track damaged
British WarplaneS roared over Ber-
lin early today, driving residents of
the German capital into shelters for
the first time in week.
Berliners, routed from their beds.
spent a chilly two hours and %
minutes in shelters, but there were
no reports bombs had been dropped
in the city. and German authorities
said strengthened defenses, includ-
ing night pursuit ships, stopped
most of the raiders in the vicinity
of PotSdam.
Suner Awaits Ribbentrop.
Ramon Serrano Suner, Spanish
Minister OF government, was under
stood TO be waiting for Won Rib
bentrop for further conferences with
Nazi leaders.
There were rumors. on which
authorized sources made no COM
ment. that the German foreign
minister would visit Madrid and
that Count Galeazzo Ciano, Premier
MuSsollnis foreign minister, soon
would come to Berlin.
Informed sources in Rome indi-
Gated Won Ribbentrop, speeding back
IN an armored train protected by
antl-alrcraft guns, was carrying the
Fascist leaders full assent to Ger
man plans for the future.
Berlin political commentators
spoke vaguely of a diplomatic as
well as military offensive which
may be expected as a consequence
Of Won Ribbentrop's exhaustive dis
cussions with Mussolini.
There was no definite informa-
ton as to what agreements the For
eign Minister carried, but Dienst aus
Deutschland, authoritative news
commentary said it was safe to as
sumo the conversations represented
an extremely important step in the
preparation of diplomatic action
which will influence not only the
conduct Of the war, but the future
peace structure
It added that the talks we're con-
rerned with European interests in
African lands touching the Mediter-
tanean.
I'm Rome authoritative COM
mentators said the two statesmen
had reached definite decisions in
talks which dealt with war atti-
tudes of the United States, So
Wet Russia. Spain. Greece and
Turkey, and division of Africa
among Germany. Italy. Spain
and perhaps Portugal after the
total expulsion of BritainD
Decision on Greece Reported.
The newspaper Der Montag said
q far-reaching decision involving
Greece as a possible trouble spot"
had been reached at the confer
ences. but in Rome Giovanni Ansal-
do, authoritative Fascist editor, said
this was of secondary Importance.
Information in the Italian capital
was that Fascist leaders expected
Greece 10 yield to axis demands,
Oerh1DS aW9ltirT the outcome of