Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-15
All Plane Factories
AT Coventry Attire,
Berlin Claims

OClIIII VIoIIIIy
Nozis Soy Damage Small
In Strongest British
Attack on Berlin
~ the Associated Press.
BERLIN, Nov 15.-Britain's air
plane industry suffered destructive
blow, informed Germans declared
today, when Marshal Goering's Luft-
waite, using 500 planes to drop 30
900 incendiary bombs on Coventry
last night, left that manufacturing
city in "an ocean of flames"
While the strongest units of Brit
fish bombers ever aimed at Berlin
slashed at the German capital, the
high command reported. Nazi raid
ers struck back at Britain during
the day and night. causing tire
mendous devastation" at Coventry,
sinking three ships and critically
damaging two others, including a
destroyer.
Applying the high commands
report of the Coventry bombing, in
formed sources reported that all of
the city's large and small airplane
motor and accessory factories re-
semble6 IAN ocean Of flames" after
a few hours.
500 Planes Take Part.
More than 500 planes participated.
1t was said, unloading in addition
to the fire bombs more than a ton
OF explosives each.
Later today two ships far out IN
the Atlantic were reported to have
been struck by German air raiders
and both set ablaZe. One was q
$780, ton vessel, authorized quarters
said, and the other was of 5000
tons.
In retaliation for British bombing
of Munich last week while Adolf
Hitler was there, the high command
declared, the German air force
dealt our opponent an extremely
severe blow in monster raid on
important armament targets in Gen.
trail England" last night.
Especially fierce" the communique
said, was rolling bomb barrage on
Coventry. where Germans said the
Morris, Bristol, Rover and Napier
vii
plant are situated.
Motor factories, large airplane &C
cessory plants and other war
essential detectives were bombed
with the heaviest projectiles, the
high command reported, and extern
sive fires flared up in the wake OF
the German raiders, visible as far
as the English Channel coast.
Strongest Raid on Berlin.
Meanwhile. the British attempted
to raid Berlin during the night with
"strong forces" the high command
said. Other authorized sources said
the units were the strongest that
ever flew into Germany in order to
lombard the Reichs capital"
The "large-scale raid" planned by
the British, the high command as
serted, "foundered in the most effec-
tive anti-aircraft fire"
Only II planes succeeded in reach
ing Berlin, and three were downed |
over the city proper and three more
in the vicinity of Berlin. it was
reported. Six others were downed |
by anti-aircraft after crossing the |
coast. All told, the Germans claimed
to have destroyed 20 r. A. F. at
tackers, including seven more in air
fights and one by naval artillery |
fire. They acknowledged losing five
of their own planes.
Several buildings were struck in
Berlin, it was said, but "only imma-
terial personal damage" was caused.
Besides armament plants, the
German raiders attacked large |
supply dump of the British air forces
in the Midlands and a gas works
with visible effect" it was said, and
"retaliatory raids against London
were continued.
Although harassed by storms, the |
high command said, attacks went of |
on schedule. Ship-sinking claims
included 5,0O0-ton merchantmen,
hit by two bombs west of Ireland; a |
2OOO-ton vessel, attacked off the |
Scotch coast, and a 5000-ton mer-
chairman, directly hit in the North
Sea. The high command said an
other vessel was put lin distress" in
the Scottish coast attack and Brit
ish destroyer was severely hit
amidships" near Great Yarmouth.
Dive bombers also attacked the
radio station at Dover, the high |
command reported, hitting it |
squarely with three heavy caliber
bombs.
The British dropped "a few
bombs" in Hamburg and Bremen |
and two other places in Northern |
Germany, it was acknowledged.
German observers pointed with
pride to the defense of Berlin by
anti-aircraft fire, intimating that
possibly some new form Of defense |
had been devised. They called at
tention to the claim that over IS
per cent of the planes reaching the
capital were shot bowman extraor-
binary percentage.
CThe British said Royal Air
Force bombers made "heavy and
successful attacks on Berlin,
German industrial targets and
Nazi-occupied territory
Amsterdam Also Raided.
Amsterdam in the German-occu-
pied Netherlands, reported its longest
air raid alarm in weeks during the
early morning and an almost con-
slant anti-aircraft fire from German
defenses harassed the raiders. Re-
ports of damage were lacking.
Four Germans we're reported killed
In Berlin during the British night
raids and one apartment building