Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-08
British-Germon Front

The Luftwaffe, the sky war, continues
to occupy the military attention of the
British and the Germans in their bat
ties against each other. Not a day goes
by that London is not attacked. On
Thursday the Germans approached Lon
don for the second time of the day in
midafternoon, when Winston Churchill,
the Prime Minister, was giving the House
Of Commons the second war report of
his ministry. For As minutes Britain's
war leader and the members of Com
mons waited; then they reaSsembled for
the speech's resumption. What the
Prime Minister said indicated that many
moons would be required for a war
waged wholly in the air to force a de-
cision. August has been a real fight
Ing month" he said, but during August
Britain suffered only LOTS dead, Slight
ly larger number seriously wounded and
but 300 houses smashed.
Germany promises and England ex-
poets more than August brought. The
need of the enemy to obtain
Invasion decision is very great"
Donqer Churchill said, land if he
has the numbers with which
we have hitherto credited him he should
be able to magnify and multiply his at
tacks during September No one
must suppose that the danger of in
vasion is past"
The day before, in Berlin, Hitler spoke
publicly for the first time since July 10.
In high humor, he jeeringly declared
England was asking why he did not
come. My reply is" he said, lust be
quiet. He's coming all right"
The course of the air war, even the
spectacular assaults on London against
which raids were launched six times on
Friday, pales in interest and meaning
beside the prospect of fulhllment of what
Hitler threatens.
If there is no INVASION England, from
what Mr.. Churchill said, has every rea-
son for confidence. Our air force"
the Prime Minister reported, today is
more numerous and better equipped
than it was at the outbreak of war or
even in July. And we are far nearer
the German total of numerical strength
period of the war"
Of course, the German total of nu-
nerical strength is a matter undisclosed
in England, as it is undis-
Plane closed in the United States
Losses There is no hint of this
strength in a compilation of
the daily communicates on the course of
elrx, in,
capitals of London and Berlin. Last
Monday for instance, the Germans re-
ported they lost nine planes to the
enemy's g. The British agreed the
Germans lost nine, but put their own
loss at only four.
The irritant which caused Hitler to
leap to the rostrum after an absence of
six weeks was the intense course of air
raids by the British on Berlin and other
strategic German centers. Nothing is
more calculated to arouse the indigna-
ton of the German leader than some
show of fight by their enemy.
For three months" Hitler said in
high dudgeon, II have waited for the
British to cease the nuisance OF nightly,
planless bomb throwing. Now We will
give the answer night after night"
The answer was firmest on Friday
, Six times the air raid sirens sounded in
London. German warplanes too nu-
merous to count assailed Britain in
mightier-than-ever offensive which
seemed designed to wear down the Royal
Air Force and smash its bases to clear
the way for land invasion. The British
Air Ministry announced that the R. AT.
and the British anti-aircraft forces de-
stroyed German planes ''at the rate OF
one every minutes"