Evening star., 1940-09-08
Nazi Planes Swarm
Over London 3 Hours;
Damage Is Severe
British Report IS
Shot Down; Many
Fires Storted
Continued From First Page.)

said to have shrouded the train
under thick black smoke and to
have kept it going.
One witness reported watch
ing the planes "go up and down
the train with machine guns
blazing" at a height of mo
more than so feet.
Flames Attract Raiders.
In yesterdays second raid.
flames in one industrial target
drew returning raiders. They
dropped three more heavy bombs
that ratified Fleet street windows
and deepened the glow in the
evening sky.
/ A vaudeville theater and a store
were hit in one London district
/ during the second raid.
/ AS usual, the raiders took north
erly course over the city, their throb-
bing motors plainly audible in the
streets. AS they passed, fires from
the afternoon bombing still ragged
in the crowded East End and their
red glows lit the sky.
London'S air-raid precautions
service. mobilized to fight fires and
give first aid, carried on through
the second warning.
In one London area, hundreds Of
people, unable to use normal routes
to their homes, were caught on the
detour by the second warning. tax
ing cover again. Several fires by
that time were burning.
During the raids a heavy bomb
hit hospital, but the wing which
was struck was not occupied. The
| flight of one squadron was marked
by three shaking explosions.
A new red glow had appeared In
another part of the sky.
A bomb which fell in the second
raid smashed gas main Another
| demolished house One bomb, at
! least, was a screamer.
The night raiders seemed to con-
centrate on several districts which
had been attacked earlier in the
day. They could be heard swinging
in to drop their explosives, then
wheeling away.
Bomber Screams Fill Air.
Even while the Germans struck
the first blow Of the day on Lon
don, slanting in through skies filled
with bursting anti-aircraft shells,
big columns of smoke could be seen
in the distance. Anti-aircraft fire
| sprayed the sky above the clouds of
black, dirty smoke billowing up from
numerous fires.
| The air was filled with the scream
of bombers diving from about $1,000
feet to 5000 to let 60 their salvos.
High in the blue sky of a calm sum-
| mer evening. they wheeled like fiocks
of geese lodging shells and British
fighter planes.
At first Londoners ignored the
alarm to stand gaping in the streets
at the battle overhead, but the raid
became too hot and they ducked for
cover,
When the sirens sounded the all
clear for the first raid at 6:3S pm,
thousands of sightseers emerged
from shelters to follow changing fire
engines and survey the damage.
First Alarm at 4:56 pm.
The alarm ending London,s l6-
hour respite walled at 4:56 pm. yes
| terday just as seven raiders swept
high over the metropolitan area.
They were the vanguard of wave
after wave-some of them having
scores of planes-with the usual
heavy escorts of fighters.
The first attackers were followed
by single planes so high they
scarcely could be seen but soon mid
London listeners could hear the din
Of guns and roaring motors from
many directions.
What brought this on London
was the Royal Air Forces raid on
Berlin over Friday night. The Air
Ministry said the raiders smashed
at a Berlin power station. oil tanks
and railway yards, besides dumping
bombs en- route on the German
advance, striking sirdromes near
Dunkerque and Calais and attack
ing big gun emplacements on the
French Channel coast.
Screaming sirens and the anti
aircraft barrage were splitting the
evening even as London spectators
rushed to downtown streets and
roofs at the first sound of the alarm.
Anti-aircraft fire spotted the sky
with white puffs.
Is Explosions Heard.
From the southeast, rooftop OBJ
servers saw smoke rise a moment
after they heard the thud of falling
bombs. At least Is distinct explo-
sions could be discerned, one after
the other in a quick succession.
Ths lasted for perhaps q half
hour. Then smoke swirled up from
the southeast. The Germans could
be heard but not seen. Then ST.
lence, The guns stopped. There
was just faint sound of German
motors.
The hush was tense, like the split
second when the theater lights 20
out and the curtain starts rising.
Then 1t started again. High, so
high they looked like tiny white
crosses, came three more German
bombers in ''V'' formation. Then
another wave, then two more. The
sun glinted from their white under
sides as they turned.
TheV few leisllrelv hark IN tha
southeast, then dived down. Again
the rumble of bombs, closer this
time.
Another wave of IS bombers
headed around the city, IS more
JunSers trailing them. As they
turned. new bombs thundered. A
splintering roar came from a new
direction. Another column of smoke
rose.
Planes Sweep Below B1lloonS
Suddenly dive bomber screamed.
orIrN