The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-08-26

waves O1 bIlLLSu pLdAACo OoAAACA the war to Berlin in the hours after midnight, blasting at arms and munition factories in the German capital. Berliners huddled in air raid shelters for three hours and one minute while the din of what seemed to be every anti-aircraft gun in the city roared into action against the British airmen.
 Official Berlin reports secuted the idea that damage had been done, claiming that only one bomb, an in- cendiary, was dropped on flower nursery. But veterans of bomb at- tacks on other European capitals said they heard thunderouS explo- sions amid the crash of A.A. guns which sounded like high explosive bombs.
 In London, the air ministry said the Berlin attack was directed against the great munitions plants which feed the German war ma chine. The announcement said the raid was one of series 1n which imnortant objectives in northwest Germany and the heavily 1ndustr1- alized Ruhr were attacked.
 Whatever the damage caused py the Berlin attack it brought the sound and feel of warfare to the German capital more vivldly than ever before. The British planes droned over the center of the city and the sound of their motors could be heard above Adolf Hitler's chan cellory, the foreign ministry, the propaganda ministry and other goV- ernment buildings.
 Anti-aircraft batteries emplaced on the roofs of structures in this vicinity set up a terrific din and were reported to have shot down one British plane. Propaganda leaflets were dropped by some of the raiders and incendiary bombs were said in non-of1cial reports to have fallen in two suburbs.
 The war in bomb-spattered Brit ain was equally intense.
 The Germans, for the first time, appeared to be going into night raiding on a major scale.
 A savage assault was made on a midlands town which German re- ports identified as Birmingham German accounts said that the Rolls Royce plant which makes Berlin engines for Spitflre fighters was damaged badly.
 Severest of War
 London admitted that the mid lands town raid was the severest of the war and that two industrial establishments suffered some dam age. It said that many civilian cas- ualties were inflicted along with substantial damage to civilian prop erty. The German attack on this city lasted several hours.
 Other German bombers pounded away at northeast coastal city all night long. Casualties and damage were considerable.
 A third target of German attack was a southeast town where 50 casualties, killed and wounded, were reported. Eight bombs fell on the town, some of them the screaming type.
 London, too, had night alarms. One came at 10:50 p. m. and lasted 50 minutes. The other was 8 To- minute alarm at 12:30 a. m.
 Outskirts of City
 Neither of the London raids were major affairs. The first attack was on the outskirts of the city and no important damage was done. The second was marked by the dropping of some screaming bombs and para chute flares. Both apparently were carried out by small numbers of raiders. Many Londoners did not bother to go to air raid shelters.
 Official reports on yesterdays air action said the bag of German planes was 54, 34 of which were brought down when a flight of 130 Germans tried to raid the Dorset coast against fierce RAF fighter op- position. Thirteen British planes were lost but pilots were safe.
 The latest German losses brought the British official count to a total of 1,190 shot down in the British area since beginning of the war and 1,116 since June 18.
 Belatedly, 1t was revealed that British planes raided Italy again Saturday night, blasting at Milan and Sesto Calende. Raids over Ger many were on Frankfurt, Gelsen- kirchen, Stuttgart and numerous airdromes in Germany and occupied territory. The emplacements of the German big guns in north France also were attacked.
 72 Planes Down
 The German report claimed that 72 British planes were shot down yesterday and IA German planes sst. During last night and early to- day 1t was claimed that 1,500 bombs were dropped on Britain, totalling 165 tons of high explosive.
 The German high command claimed that the British bombing of Berlin was confined to dropping a few incendiaries in the suburbs while German attacks inflicted majro damage at Birmingham Kingston and Coventry.
 It reported heavy British shipping losses, clamiing 80,000 tons more had heen sunk by submarines, aircraft and mines. including 3o,000 tons sunk in single heavily guarded convoy by one submarine.
 London. in summary of ship losses made public by Shipping Min- ister Ronald Cross, admitted a loss of just under 1900, 900 tons since the staEt of the war. but claimed that 2,000, 900 tons had been built or &C.,