Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-04
Raids

Raids
Continued From First Page)
from Dover; lie Touquet, st. Omer
and others.
High explosives were dropped on
the landing ground, later aircraft
maintained the attack and a pilot
of one saw six separate fires on the
airdrome," the Air Ministry said of
the attack at LIE Touquet. Another
squadron bombed the st. Omer air.
drome and scored hits on the landing
ground, which were followed by ex-
plosions."
The airdromes at Marck, near
Calais; Guines, southeast of Calais,
and Abbeville, farther west along the
coast, also were bombed, the Air
Ministry said.
Battle Miles High.
The mornings first air battle over
England was fought at a Smile
height.
Forty bombers and their escort of
fighters were beaten back in this
first attack. The raiders tried to
enter the Thames Estuary, but were
forced to turn by thickly spaced
shell bursts and buzzing little British
fighters.
The formation then scattered and
fed toward the French coast, with
British chasers continuing the pur-
suit.
Another German raid was reported
in the vicinity of southwest town
in the afternoon.
Pre-Dawn Attacks.
While the NaN raiders were being
driven away from the capital. other
German warplanes were reported to
have famed out over England and
Wales in scattered pre-dawn bomb
ing attacks which caused some
casualties and destroyed a number
Of houses in coastal areas.
Most of the attacks during the
night, the government said, were
directed against towns in Northwest
England and in the Bristol Channel
area, although a few bombs were
dropped in rural areas in the north
east and in Scotland. The night
raids were described as mot ex-
tensive"
More than so incendiary bombs
were dropped in the residential dis
trict Of one southeast coast town in
pre-dawn attack, starting fires in
a number Of houses, but no casualties
were reported. The raiders fed sea-
ward when British fighters appeared.
Many incendiary and high-explo-
sive bombs also were dropped on q
northwest town, causing some fatal
tiles. Direct hits destroyed homes
in a thickly populated suburban
area. while incendiary bombs hit a
church and school and set a near
by convent afire. Rescue workers
were amazed to find a 2-month-old
baby uninjured in a mass of debris
in one home hit squarely by a
bomb.
One northeast town had two air.
raid alarms during the night. But
a heavy anti-aircraft barrage ap-
parently kept the attackers from
| dropping bombs.
German raiders few over Wales
in small formations without max
ing concentrated attack, Drop
ping bombs apparently at random
on many districts along the coast.
Anti-aircraft fire drove the raiders
of one town.
Fierce anti-aircraft fire also
turned back one Nazi dive bomber
which tried to cross the southeast
coast early this morning.
At least IS cities reported German
planes overhead during yesterdays
widely scattered raids, which the Air
Ministry said had failed completely
to weaken in any way or in any
place our fighter opposition"
A communique said the days
aerial activity resulted in the de-
struction of Is German planes and
the loss of Is British aircraft. Eight
British pilots, however, were said to
be safe.
(The Germans put yesterdays
British air losses at 81 planes
and their own at 12)
The communique also disclosed
that a newly formed Czech squadron
had participated in yesterdays
fighting, and 1t was credited with
destroying seven German planes
during the first attack on London.
Die in One District.
Reports on raids executed by the
Germans last night and early today
said seven persons were killed in
one Welsh district where bombs fell
on a group of houses. Observers
said the raiders appeared to have
jettisoned their bombs when sub
jected to violent anti-aircraft fire.
Six persons in a northwest town
were buried in the wreckage of their
home when it was demolished by
an explosive bomb but they escaped
uninjured.
Mrs. Mary Jones, one of the six,
said:
Il was buried under the debris,
and stuff kept humping down on
me. saw the rest of my family
were pinned down and started call
ing out to them one by one. What q
wonderful relief it was as they each
answered the roll call. We got out
as best we could"
A crude oil incendiary bomb fell
in an industrial district in the same
town, slightly damaging a bakery
warehouse and splattering the walls