Evening star., 1940-10-28
Skoda Arms Works
At PiIsen Bombed,
Britain Reports
Direct Hit Also Scored
At French Naval Base
OF Lorient, London Says
BY the Associated Press.

~ sSptf sSuSS" SSJS
BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, Oct. GA successful
air raid last night by a strong
force of r. A. F. bombers" on the
Skoda armament works at Pilsen in
Czecho-Slovakia was reported to-
day by the Air Ministry.
The raid was the most distant of
the r. A. F.'s widespread attacks
on Germany and German-occupied
countries.
Blenheim bombers of the coastal
command, the Air Ministry's news
service said, also scored direct hit
on a power station at the Nazi-oc-
cupied French naval base of Lorient
The target was Illuminated by a
fire visible IS miles away, set by a
previous salvo of bombs, it was re.
lated.
There was "a big blue flash" from
the power house after the bombs
had burst, one pilot said.
Other coastal command bombers
bombed Querqueville Airdrome near
Cherbourg and scored direct hits on
a hangar, the news service con-
tinued.
Planes Over Wide Area.
The announcement was made to-
day while German planes were re-
ported over the west of England, ths
industrial Midlands. the east coast
and South Wales in daylight raids
after a series of widespread raids
during the night.
Three German planes were shot
down today and three others last
night the Air Ministry reported
Its communique said later informa-
ton also showed that only eight
British fighter planes were lost yes
terday, but the pilots of four OF
them were saved.
Lunchtime throngs in London
were given a brief aid-raid alert
second of the day.
A third larm was sounded in mid
afternoon.
This alarm was short Lived, but
within an hour after the "all clear
had sounded a fourth alarm sent
Londoners into their shelters again
Oil refinerieS were the chief tar
gets of British bombers over Ger
many last night, the Air Ministry
reported.
Six were attacked, it said, two at
Hamburg and others at Hanover,
Ostermoor, Gelsenkirchen and Mag
deburg.
Among other targets 1t mentioned
IA German air bases, invasion
ports along the coasts of France
and Belgium and the repeatedly at
tackled rail and water hubs of Ger
msnys communications system.
A coastal command Blenheim
bomber, patroling the Dutch coast
yesterday, was said to have bombed
several German supply ships at Den
Helder, former Dutch naval base,
machine-gunned the crew of a big
coastal gun and battled three Mes
serschmitts on its way home. One
of the attacking German planes was
damaged, the report said, and the
others flew away.
First Alarm Is Short.
Bombers stabbed at London in the
first gray light of dawn only a
short time after the all-clear ended
the 51St consecutive all-night raid
on Britain,s capital-but the first
daylight alarm lasted only a short
while.
The overnight air attacks on Lon
don were much less" severe than
on the previous night, the govern
ment said, adding that the main
attacks. which were made in the
earlier hours of darkness, were on
Northwest England and the Mid
lands"
Royal Air Force warplanes, mean
while, attacked communications in
Western Germany during the night
the Air Ministry reported as well
as oil targets in Central and North
ern Germany and two invasion
ports
(OMcials in Berlin said British
planes attempting to reach the
German capital were turned
back before they reached the
outer defense belt and the raid
alarm in the city was described
as brief. These sources said no
bombs fell in Berlin)
Casualties Not Numerous.
The Merseyside section of Liver
pool docks and shipping) and a
Midlands town were reported to
have been hardest hit in the night
raiding on England Casualties in
these places. however, were said
to have been mot numerous"
In other parts of the country. the
government said. damage was "lim-
tied mainly to houses and
casualties were almost confined to
one town in Northwest England
where some people were killed and
others injured"
In London there were long lulls
between the attacks when, British
reported, anti-aircraft guns and
night fighter planes held back the
raiders. After midnight the bat
tered city in comparative quiet
Before midnight, however, heavy
bombs-both incendiary and high
explosive-were falling in sticks of
five and six as the city's millions
remained underground. London had
six raid alarms yesterday during
the day.
One raider machine -gunned q
train in an East Anglian town, but
no casualties we're reported. A po-
liceman was killed and several per-
sons were injured in another town
in the same region when delayed