Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-20
Guns Where Lovers
HurI Death
From London Parks
Spoilers Call Punctuutes
Rour and Flash of an
Empires Defense
By DREW MIDDLETON,

BY DREW MIDDLETON,
Associated Press War Correspondent.
WITH THE ANTI AIRCRAFT
COMMAND, England, Sept. 90
Passed by military CENSOR This
battery felt pretty good. 1t had been
credited with knocking down seven
bombers in five days and even in
the rain and mud its members were
eager.
The guns were in park in a
suburb. They seemed absurd there.
Every time they fired, the flash lit
up neat, satisfied streets and the
crash went enchoing past hedges
and carefully clipped lawns.
1t did not look much like what
one expects a warfront to be. But
1t is one. all right. These guns and
British Blenheim planes that 60 and
play hide and seek with German
Dorniers and Junkers are what
stand between London and destruc-
ton.
The British may be planning
something new in anti-aircraft de-
tense. Maybe they are, but didn't
see 1t and I don't know anybody
who has. AS it is, these guns and
these youngsters manning them are
part of the thin red line that stands
between the empire and disaster.
Where Lovers Used to Walk.
The ASS sat there In emplace-
ments on a spot where lovers used
to walk and old ladies summed them
selves. They can toss a huge shell
many miles and when it bursts it
kills anything within 80 feet. Even
at $50 feet it shears the wings of
an airplane.
The British aim them from a pre-
dictor, which is like-but not so
good as-the American Sperry. The
whole battery takes ranges from the
predictor which, in turn, works
either from listening apparatus or
visual observation.
We stood and smoked in the rain.
The gun crews we're silent until
spotter shouted, Aircraft approach
ing at 1900 feet
Then those on the listening ap-
paratus started to yell out angles
and altitude.
Angle one height. angle one nine;
mark Is. mark 16.' they called.
You could hear the Germans, lots
of them, but you couldn't see them.
The predictor crew spun handles on
a big steel box with a dozen dials.
An officer shouted fuse numbers
shells are fused to burst at the
bombers' altitude.
City's Necklace of Fire.
Over the shouting and the grunt
Of men lighting heavy shells, the
rain battered Serenely. Then an
officer gave the order to fire.
The muzzle flare lit up the park,
q big jagged squirt than ran half
way down the barrels. The noise
was not so bad, but the conclusion
hit you and shook you. You could
hear the shells whistle up into the
mist and Clouds then explode.
walked away from the guns and
looked out over London. The flashes
from a hundred guns ran around it
like a necklace of fire. Guns several
miles to the left started to slam,
then others took it up, finally the
one here let 60 and the rain in your
face was golden in the flashes.
I couldn't see much OF the city.
1ncendiary or flare or explosive
bomb explosion would light it up
for an instant.
Target Inaudible."
A private came up swinging
"Bumboe!" he hollered, bum
boe!"
Tea" said the major, have
some"
We went back to the guns. A
spotter chanted. Tiny lights winked
behind the predictor dials. The
guns started to speak. Shells ripped
through the rain and mist.
Some one shouted, target in
audible" and the major said, stand
easy
On night like this, lieutenant
commented, you can't tell if you
get one
We walked down the street from
the battery to headquarters. They
had fitted up a bar in the cellar of
a suburban home. A captain and
his wife were playing table tennis.
It looked as if it might have been
playroom in Westchester-except
for the tin hats and revolvers lying
around.