Evening star., 1940-07-01
Double Air Success
AGAINST Germans Is
Claimed by British
Five, Perhaps II, kuzi
Planes Destroyed,
Air Ministry Says
BY the Associated Press.


LONDON, July britain today
claimed double success in aerial
warfare with Germany-in downing
a flock of Messerschmidt fighters in
France and driving off Nazi raiders
stabbing sporadically at the island
kingdom.
British fighters ranging over
French bagged five Messerschmidts
and probably" destroyed another
seven, said the Air Ministry.
(The German high command
declared 18 British planes had
been shot down in a series Of
raids over Germany
Air defenders of the British Isles
shot down one bomber and drove off
the rest of the Nazi raiders flying
over in forays which Neville Cham
berlain warned were only the FORE
runners of a coming attempt at in
vasion.
The bomber crashed into the sea
off the Northeast English coast. Its
crew of four floated four and a half
hours in a rubber dinghy, then were
brought ashore One was wounded.
Battle Near Bethune, France.
In the dogfghts over France, the
Air Ministry announced, the wing
commander of one Hurricane fighter
formation shot down three German
fighters. These were among six
German planes he met 10 miles
from tho Fraprb enact
Another battle was fought near
Bethune, France.
During the raids on Britain an
other German bomber was reported
at first to have landed in the street
in northeast town, but later was
disclosed to have flown low to avoid
shell fire and to have been chased
out to sea by three Spitflre fighters.
Yesterday the Germans made
their first daylight attack on a
southwest coastal town. Five bombs
were reported dropped there, three
of which failed to explode. Three
planes flying in formation were
driven off by anti-aircraft fire.
Heaviest Blows in Scotland.
This mornings attacks were met
by intensive defensive activity, both
from fighter planes and anti-air-
craft batteries.
The German planes apparently
struck their heaviest blows in North
east Scotland, where incendiary
bombs in heavily populated areas
started a number of fires. But
communique from the Air Ministry
and Ministry of Home Security an
nounced no serious damage or cas-
ualties" from any of the bombings,
with injury to only one person re-
ported.
A subsequent communique said:
Enemy activity over Great Brit
ain last night was on a smaller
scale.
"a few bombs were dropped in
South Wales and near the east
coast, but nothing of any Importance
was achieved.
THE only casualty reported is one
person slightly hurt"
Though today's bombings were the
10th by Nazi warplanes in the last
13 days, both from Mr.. Chamber
lain and from British observers came
new tributes to the power and effect
iveness Of the Royal Air Force.
Mr.. Chamberlain, in enumerating
the weapons with which Britain
would fight invasion by the enemy
until he or we are utterly destroy
3D." said the British Air Force "is
| stronger in numbers today than it
has been since the beginning of the
war and superior in equipment,
training and morale to that of the
enemy"
Response Unfriendly.
The speech, containing the warn
ing the German invaders may
manage here and there to make
break through" got an unfriendly
response from the tabloid Daily Mir
ror, which described it as "a voice
broadcasting out of the dreary past"
1t concluded with the demand:
In Gods name, go!"