The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-08-16

The high command denied brltlSn
reports that more than 1000 German
planes participated in yesterdays
raids, fixing the total number at
about $40, but said results were
highly successful.
At Least 143 Planes
Enemy losses, the high command
said, were at least 143 planes OF
which LOG were shot down in air
battles and the remainder destroyed
on the ground or by anti-aircraft
fire, and also 81 barrage balloons
were shot down"
The high command said % Ger
man planes did not return hut that
German Red Cross aircraft rescued
nine German pilots and a British
flyer from the channel.
During last nights follow-up at
tacks, the high command said,
several British harbors were min
ed" and many detectives bombed.
Yesterday and last night, the high
command said, German planes at
tackled harbors, arms factories, air
dromes and balloon barrages at
Portland, Scarborough, Burlington
and Middlesborough, and bombed
and severely damaged" airplane
and motor factories at Birmingham
and Brough near Hull, and hangar
and buildings on numerous air
dromes in south and central Eng
land.
Meanwhile, the high command
said, q German submarine sank
totaling 100000 tons and a group
of German minesweeperS shot down
four attacking Spitfires.
Berlin Is Excited
Berlin was excited by reports of
German bombers over London and
a raid on the great Croydon air.
field, but official sources had not
yet given their account of the Croy-
don attack.
The news of the intensified as
Saults prompted the German press
to claim domination of the air.
over Great Britain.
Following up extensive raids dur
ing which they were reported to
have bombed industrial, ornaments
and munition factories in the Eng
lish midlands and the northeast
coast, German planes took off
again today but were forced to turn
back because of poor visibility over
the channel.
Early air activity, it was said, was
limited to reconnaissance flights to-
ward the English coast.
German sources asserted, how
ever, that the daily mass raids mi
tiated Sunday would be continued
on an ever increasing scale until
British aerial resistance was crush
ed. The German Press said the air
force had used but fraction OF its
power and had great surprises IN
store for Britain.
Reports Exaggerated
The high command treated yes
terday'S raids routinely in today's
communique, asserting that Brit
ish reports that more than 1000
German planes participated" were
exaggerated"
DNB. the official news agency,
quoted the high command as saying
only $40 planes-200 bombers and
800 Messerschmitt pursuit and de-
stroyer craft-engaged in yesterday
assaults on British airdromes, har-
borS and coast defenses.
Yesterdays raids, which saw Ger
man planes bombing areas virtual
" In London suburbs, extended as
far as the Newcastle region on the
northeast coast.
The attacks were principally di-
rected against ports, shipping tar
gets, tank-steamers and barracks as
we'll as airdromeS and anti-craft
batteries" the high command said.
everywhere good successes were
observed and numerous fires were
determined in many places"
Well-informed sources describing
last nights raids said all of the
German planes returned unchanged
except one which got into the range
of an anti-aircraft battery but man
aged to escape through clever ma
neuvering."
Complete Superiority
The press claimed that tne Ger
man air force had established COM
plete superiority over the British
air force after just a week of in
tense aerial offensives believed in
Nazi quarters to be the "softening
up" preliminary to invasion.
The BIZ Ammittag carried BAN
ner which said "air domination
over England captured by our filters"
and a story which added:
THAT is the proud result OF a
week of most heavy and successful
attacks by German airplane units
on naval harbors, airdromes and ar
maments centers in England as we'll
as bitter air battles which on each
of these days ragged on the English
coast and over the British Island
itself"
The claims were based in part on
the reported results of raids which
carried German planes over London
and to detectives in every part OF
England and on "straws in the
wind" which some sources interpret
ed as indications that the zero hour
for invasion might be near.
Go Far Inland
DNB, official news agency, said
German planes blasted their way
mast British coastal defenses yester-
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