Evening star., 1940-10-06

for many hours to protect small
knots of bombers"
A growing effectiveness for the
defense was thus claimed.
Damage in East End.
In London damage from the days
attacks was confined principally to
the eastern part of the city, where
three bombs struck just before
Minister of Home Security Herbert
Morrison and Shelter Dictator
Admiral Edward R. G. R. Evans
were to set out to inspect devasta-
tion already wrought.
Mr.. Morrison and Admiral Evans
went to shelter along with 1000
other Londoners, emerging when a
British fighter patrol had run of
the raiders.
The day also brought a dis
closure that for the second time
bomb had damaged the environs
Of the House of Lords-falling this
time at the main entrance, smash
ing out a crater 20 feet across,
shattering windows and knocking
hole in the great bronze statue
of Richard the Lion Hearted. which
stands between the Houses of Com
mons and Lords.
Richards horse was damaged. but
the old commander was untouched.
Dented was the statute of Oliver
Cromwell, more than 10 feet away
in front of Westminster Hall.
Inland, Nazi bombers ranged
above Northwest and Southwest
England and over the Midlands. the
factory areas now accustomed to
almost endless assault. Among the
towns attacked was Hastings, On the
south coast, where William the
Conqueror landed his men more
than nine centuries ago in the last
successful invasion of England.
Planes Reach Thames.
Describing the days operations
the Air Ministry said German Mes
serchmltts were sent over to play
a game of Come into my sky par
lor" by enticing British fighters into
the air and that, over the Kent
coast and Thames Estuary alone
the Germans lost 18 planes to three
for the British by those tactics.
by midday" the ministry added,
Tour waves. Of German fighters,
sometimes with small formations of
bombers, had flown varying dis
tances inland over the Kent coast.
Some reached the Thames Estuary
ueading to London, but some were
turned back not far from the coast.
In the afternoon the Luftwaffe
followed the same tactics with the
exception of two waves of go or
more raiders which crossed Dorset
and the Hampshire coast, flew a
short distance inland and then were
driven south by our fighters"
The leader of a British Hurricane
squadron described a MONDAY battle
as most enjoyable
I'VE were at pretty good height
when the Germans came down out
of the Clouds" he said. I'VE were
roughly evenly matched and by the
time the battle had really started
there were about 100 aircraft alto
gether whirling about in the sky
1T was rather like tornado
moving back and forward across
the country, because we started the
attack near Rochester and the fight
moved across Kent out to sea and
then half of the battle came back
again."
Confident for Winter.
Whatever surprises" the axis
dlctators arranged at their Brenner
Pass meeting, military sources here
look to the approaching winter with
what they term reasonable conf
dence" and a feeling that the worst
OF the air assault on England has
been dealt out in the last four
weeks.
Certain high-ranking experts still
believe there is a possibility of a
German invasion attempt in Octo-
Der or November, but the public
does not. Most authoritative sources
agree, however, that Hitler will not
try it until he thinks he has mas
terry of the air over England.
The air warfare intended to knock
out London was launched four weeks
ago. The raiders have destroyed
homes, bombed hospitals and
schools. f1attened whole blocke of
East End tenements, ripped open
dignif1ed West End stores, blown up
office buildings in the center of the
city and fired the docks along the
Thames.
London stands battered but un-