Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-10-06
The Fighting Front

Inc FIghtIng FTont
It was a week of threats, bombast and
plots rather than of fighting. 1t was
one of those weeks frequent in this war
when the axis powers take time out so
to speak, for look around the world.
The Germans did not invade England.
The Italians in Egypt did not advance
their march beyond Sidi- Barrani. No
new seats of operations were opened. 1t
was a week of portent rather than &C
tion-from the axis point of view, and
1t is the axis of Germany and Italy
which has been deciding where the issue
shall be joined.
While the axis went about making up
its mind. the British set fire to great
splotches of Western Germany.
The Germans and the unhappy for
eign subjects of the Germans, the French
and the Dutch and the
British BelgianS, had visit after
Offensive visit from the eaglemen
of the Royal Air Force.
Five nights during the week the air raid
alarm sounded in Berlin, and the Ger
man government authorized the evacua-
ton of German children from Berlin.
This is how the British began their week
Of offensive war in the air on Monday:
Bombed the Fokker airplane factory
near Amsterdam the Netherlands; set
fire to oil refinery and oil storage plant
at Magdeburg: attacked for three hours
q synthetic gasoline plant 200 miles in
side Germanys western border; at Stuff
CART dropped bombs on coal gas plant
and the Bosch factory. making magnetos,
spark plugs and other electrical equip
ment needed for Germans mechanical
armies: attacked the Bitterfleld alumni
mum factory, 20 miles north of Leipzig;
struck the power station near Antwerp
Belgium; bombed the shipping concen-
tration and harbor works at five points
for invasion: Ostend, Flushing, Calais,
Boulogne and Lorient; went against the
German trans Channel gun emplace-
ments near Cape Gris-Nez, France.
From the cliffs of Kent, across the
straits of Dover and the English Channel,
an observer could see the British air
force in action against the German
Channel positions. Anti-aircraft ire
from the Nazi guns tore red and orange
trails through the air above the haze
which hung all week over the parts OF
Europe near the North Sea. and Nazl
searchlights swung their beams against
the sky trying to pick out the British
bombers in the clouds. The bomoers IN
their turn were trying to pick out targets
In the long list of German-held ports
opposite England which they flew against
with deadly intention during the week,
not alone those five named above, out
also LIE Havre, Dunkerque, Cherbourg,
Ustaat and Rotterdam.
The great Krupp works. the headquar-
tiers of the German munitions industry.
in the rich Ruhr Valley, was
Krupp's the object of British at
p.;ded tack. Wilhelmshaven and
Hamburg the two chief Ger
man northwestern ports, were IN the
bonb-target list Cologne. the great
railway center; the Hamstede alrdrome
ard the Veere seaplane base in Holland;
Gelsenkirchen in the Ruhr. the rail- Gen.
tiers of Hamm, Soest, Dulsberg ana
Gremberg; oil plants at Stettln. HAM
burg and Bottrop; supply barges in the
Mas River near the Dutch town OF
Heusden: an iron works between Wesel
and Holken-all these London reported
were subjected to the British bombing.
Berlin relayed a report to the united
States that the British killed II and
wounded 20 in an attack on the Dutch
CITY of HARLEM Berlin reported also
the development of special protective
tactics against the night raiders from
Blighty, without explaining the tactics
The Germans, of course, in turn ano
as usual were busy sending bombers
against England. Twenty EIGHT days IN
q row London has been bombed. 1t was
foggy last week, and the attacks were
made with less vigor than London has
come to expect. Wednesday was the
worst day, when six air raids were Sent
against London. but the planes each time
were beaten off But the great capital
shows the scars and damages OF the
battle from the air. To feed Londons
homeless the government opened So pub
ok'NSN
departure of mothers and children to
the country away from the metropolis.
London prepares for hard winter.
But winter will not be there until Indian
summer has passed. And the British
had a warning from their governors last
week that during the warm days OF au-
tumn the Germans may try at last the
invasion they so long have promised.
If it was week of success for British
airmen, it was a week of sad news for
the British Admiralty. 1t
Shippino disclosed that during the
osses week that ended September
%, the Nazis sank 10 British
vessels, 131 1857 tons in all. Berlin claimed
the recent sinking of nine British armed
merchantmen, and boasted that British
shipping losses since the wars beginning
totaled 100000 tons. British and Ger
man figures have never agreed on this
point. Shipping is all important to Eng
land, for shipping carries food and sup