Evening star., 1940-08-11
British Raid Bases on Continent,
See BIitzkrieg Threat Passing;
ltoIy Presses Somo|i|and Drive
Nuzis BIust Convoys
In Channel, Attack
Coastal Towns
~ the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press.
LONDON. Aug. 10.--Although
NaI warplanes struck with re-
Yewed ferocity today, British mil
itary men express belief that the
threat of German blitzkrieg in
vasion is dwindling day by day to-
ward a vanishing point near the
end of September.
Mass attacks by power diving
German Stukas, spraying machine
gun fire and whistling bombs on
British coasts and shipping, caused
unstated damage and casualties.
The British, however, expressed be-
lief they were primarily terror"
raids.
The British, too. kept up their
dogged air attacks on Germany
and German n-occupied territory.
The Air Ministry announced:
Several fires started by three
waves of British bombers at Guern-
sey Airdrome in German-occupied
Channel Islands; heavy damage"
on munitions factories In Ger
many; hangers and anti-aircraft
batteries damaged at German sea-
plane base near BreSt, France; oil
tanks set afire at Flushing, the
Netherlands.
Is Tons of Bombs Dropped.
Nearly Is tons of high-eXplosive
and incendiary bombs were dropped
on Cologne alone, the communique
said, while munitions plants there
and in Ludwigschafen were sub
jected to sustained attacks by strong
forces of aircraft which, after in
f1icting heavy damage, left the fac
tories in flames"
Later the Air Ministry news serv-
ice said one British pilot counted
between 40 and so German fighters,
bombers and transport planes on
Guernsey Airdrome and that he
scored a direct hit on one big trans
port.
down on the island airdrome dur
ing the night and dropped heavy
and incendiary bombs which dam
aged the landing field and started
fires around the hangers, it said.
When the crews left they reported
the ground was studded with leap
Ing red flames"
At LIE Poulmic, a British bomber
dropped bombs Gin a line which
started among a dozen medium
sized flying boats lying alongside
5etties and ending on a group of
large hangers" the bulletin added.
Threat Seen Averted.
The price British defenses have
exacted from the Nazi air raiders
was credited by military observers
with having turned aside any i'm
mediate threat of a German at
tempt to storm this island citadel
either by sea or air.
The Britons said the reported de-
struction of go German planes
Thursday-about one in seven of
the 400 raiders in the great battle
over the English Channel-was
"just a taste" of the medicine they
are prepared to give invaders. The
British losses were listed at 16. The
Germans maintained, however. they
lost only 10 planes, against 81 Brit
ish craft.
BY the end of September,
protective mantle of fog should
envelop the island and keep it
shrouded through the long winter
OF short days and shorter sunshine.
If an attempted blitzkrieg is not
launched before then, observers
predicted, it will never come, for
when favorable weather returns in
the spring the British are de-
termlned to seize the advantage.
, We're not afraid Hitler will try
to invade u.s." one officer COM
mented. We're afraid he WON'T"
British Power Increasing.
No longer haunted by expecta-
stion of direct German assault at
any moment now that this perilous
week has passed, the British are
increasingly aware of the mush-
rooming power of their own forces
itching for chance to take the
offensive.
This week was one of the most
favorable for sea-borne invasion
because of high tides which would
have carried Nazi troop barges
farthest up British beaches.
Now, as far as Britain is con-
lCeo T0ND0N poCo ho0