The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-08-14
Britons Hurled Huge German Armada Back
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 In London it was admitted that parachutes had been discovered 1, the midlands region but it was sal, that these were not of the typ employed by parachutists in Belgium and the Netherlands.
 If confirmed, the parachutis landings would be the first of tn war in Britain.
 The battle over Dover was on massive scale. In the midst of tn fighting six JunkerS 87's swoope, down and sank 8 lightship. Earlie two British destroyers reported the, believed they had sunk a German armed trawler and Q motor torped' boat.
 Battle i'm Italy. The British air ministry reported today that British bombers last night seriously damaged the Cap. roni airplane factory at Milan and the important Fiat aircraft factory at Turin.
 The air ministry reported that heavy British bombers flew 1,60C miles to carry out the attack on Italy's northern heavy industrial area
 The bombers climbed as high as three miles into the air to fly over the snow-capped Alps.
 One pilot who was over the Fiat aviation works at Turin from 12:30 Q. m. to 1:15 8. m., scored several direct hits and the roof of the works was pierced at several places" the ministry said.
 He could see incendiary bombs hitting the pierced roof, and after fierce flames broke out there fol- lowed two large explosions"
 Another pilot was said by the min istry to have made three separate flights over the works.
 "He, too," said the ministry, scored direct hits with incendiary bombs at the south end of the build ings, causing fires to break out while one of his heavy bombs struck the other end of the works.
 When another pilot arrived about IA 1O oSs AAAs tAAC4V W0S Q 416AC SVVCA ing the target but 1t was not sufa- cient to conceal it and he, too, was able to score further hits with heavy bombs and start more fires.
 "The haze became thicker but was now lit up by flames as the fires started by the earlier raiders took hold and spread.
 Target On Fire.
 "One pilot who took up the at- tack at 1 a. m. said that the target was on fire when he arrived. From 10000 feet he dropped fresh salvoes of high explosives and more incen- diaries which further increased the blazing area"
 Quoting from the report by one pilot on the devastation caused be- tween 12:48 8. m. and 12:54 a. nl., the ministry said:
 First stick: First hits observed east of the south part of the tar- get. Fires were started.
 Second stick: On center of the main buildings.
 Third stick: Center of the north end of the building.
 Fourth stick: Many fires started by incendiaries.
 Weather very good"
 (The "stick" in the pilots report apparently refers to pulling success sive bomb levers.
 The ministry said that all the planes participating in the attack scored direct hits, some of them on railway sidings near the aircraft works and a road and railway jtinc- ton south of Turin.
 "One aircraft straddled the junc- tion with two sticks of heavy cali. Der bombS," the ministry said, 'an- other tore up railway lines with di- rect hits"
 More Attacks Made
 The air ministry said that British bombers attacked an airdrome ad- joining the Caproni works with high explosives and hit hangars on the west side of the field. They attacked a seaplane station at the south end of large reservoir.
 "A pilot observed some bombs falling on the concrete slipways and that others hitting hangars caused a great explosion and then a fire"
 The ministry said bombers attack ed and blew up part of another sec tion of the works. at the southwest corner of the factory site.
 "As other sections of bombers ar- rived they added systematically to the destruction and soon many fires were seen all over the target area" the ministry said.
 One bomber scored two direct hits from 1000 feet on road and rail- way bridge at Casantdadda.
 Italian defenses apparently were taken completely by surprise" the ministry said. "Anti-aircraft fire was scanty and ineffective"
 Parachutists Dropped
 Well informed German quarters asserted today that German para ,hutists were dropped yesterday in he vicinity of Manchester and Bir- ntngham, in the rich British indus rial sector. The German quarters asserted hat only q small number of par- lchutists had been landed with the he lntention of carrying out acts of 1 'abotage against the British de- egSeS.