Evening star., 1940-09-18
Reich Air Armada
Attacks Capita
In Three Waves
By TIE Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
LONDON, Sept. lS.-British fight
er pilots ard ground gunners met
Germany's aerial armada today in
a great battle east of London and
were reported to have turned back
assaults thus far pointed at this
heart of the British Empire.
The British Press Association said
the attackers were beaten off in a
terrific engagement over the Thames
Estuary while oft-alarmed London
ers sought shelter in the fifth alarm
OF the day.
In all. up to pm. there had been
seven daylight air-raid alarms in
this capital, a new high. The last
was the 1920 raid of the war.
Three formations of tWin-engined
bombers flying at $4,000 feet and
escorted by swarms of Messer-
schmitts-about 300 planes in all
crossed Englands first line Of de-
fense, the Channel cliffs. and drove
toward smoking, battered London.
The sky at the Channel coast
seemed to an Associated Press OBJ
server to be full of planes. Exhaust
from the high-fying motors traced
an eerie, eccentric pattern across
the sky.
At one time this witness counted
200 separate wisps of exhaust vapor.
The massed raiders roared toward
the Thames Estuary and London,
enti-aircraft shell explosions flower
ing their way. When they were we'll
inland the British flyers made battle
contact.
Formations Break Up.
The rattle of machine guns and
aerial cannon echoed from high in
the clouds and the formations broke
up into a countless series of dog
fights.
Britain, in full awareness that II
consecutive nights and days of such
aerial assaults might be prelude to
attempted land invasion, announced
new r. A. F. smasheS at potential
jumpof points on the continent
shore
About the time the British and
Germans were tangled in the battle
of the Thames Estuary, the Air
Ministry announced that the R. A.
rs medium bombers yesterday aft
ernoon scored direct hits on harbor
installations at OStend and ships at
Zeebrugge, both Belgian ports.
One raider attacked four barges
o1 l,it
two of them, the communique said,
while others bombed a convoy of
The Hague, the Netherlands. and
new airdrome at Ymuiden, the
Netherlands.
Tonight the ministry said ship
ping and military stores concen-
trated in many German-held ports
along the north coast of Europe suf-
fered much damage last night as
the result of heavy, repeated bomb
ing attacks.
Cherbourg, formerly Frances
great transatlantic port. was heav-
lily attacked, a communique said
and two supply ships were sunk and
many fires started in the harbor-
at Cap Girls Nez, just opposite Do
yer, also were reported bombed.
In today'S big thrust at London,
following a record night attack, Ger
manyS bomberS were vastly outnum-
bered by their escort of Sharp-noSed
MesSerSchmittS The exact number
of bomberS was undetermined, but
observers said the fighter escort was
probably the largest ever sent to
protect such a small number.
Fighters Dive on Armada.
British Hurricanes and Spitfires,
hovering on patrol at attitudes even
higher than the Germans $4,000
feet. dived on this armada over the
Thames estuary, timing their at
tack to coincide with the full blast
OF the British ground defense.
The geometrical patterns of the
raid formations were turned topsy-
turvy in the Is minutes of twisting,
diving, climbing battle in which in
dividual fighters chose their op-
ponents in battle tactics as old as
the fighting plane.
Swift-rising British interceptor
planes Joined the battle from be-
low as the Hurricanes and Spitfires
attacked from above. Shell bursts
from booming "archies" studded the
ecene of tumult.
An early report on the results of
the quarter-hour melee said that 10
German plane were shot down.
A toll of raiders was taken at the
very coast line, before the massed
formations reached the Thames One
correspondent said two Messer-
scrmitts toppled out of control there
and another was seen to splash into
the sea-
A strong westerly wind blew in
(See LONDON, Page A-20)