Evening star., 1940-12-24
British Warp|anes
Raid Ludwigshaven
And Invasion Ports
industrial RhineIund
Also forget; Germans
Busy Over England
By the Associated Press,

By the Associated Press.
LONDON, Dec. 24-British war
planes bombed German invasion
ports" during the night and again
attacked Ludwigshaven. junction
point on one of the main traffic
routes linking the industrial Saar
Basin with Italy, the Air Ministry
announced today.
Raids also were carried out
against industrial targets" in the
Rhineland, a brief communique de-
clared.
Listed specifically among the "in-
vasion ports" bombed were Bou-
logne and Dunkerque in German
occupied France, and Ostend in Bel
GUM.
One Of the British raiders was
said to have come down at sea
and the crew was reported missing.
Lancashire Area Assaulted.
While the British Air Force was
busy over Germany, Nazi night
raiders smashed bombs on the Lam
cashire area of England's industrial
northwest in a MASSIVE assault
which continued without letup for
hours, inflicting heavy casulties and
destroying number of buildings.
CThe Germans announced the
attack was made against Man.
chester, one of the worlds largest
textile centers, which also was
heavily assaulted night before
Iocf Thn 10 nff
clared to have started new fires
raging among fuel stores)
The raiders dropped "a consider
able number, of fire bombs, followed
by high explosives of big caliber, the
British government reported.
Three hospitals, two air-raid shell
tiers, number of shops, houses and
commercial buildings and church
were damaged or destroyed Thir-
teen persons were believed killed
when high-explosive bomb hit the
administration building of one hos
pital, which was bombed in an
other raid some months ago.
Many Left Homeless.
A group of firemen were killed
while fighting one fierce blaze
started by a fire bomb.
Many persons were left homeless
and were being fed today at COM
munal kitchens.
Seven bodies were removed from
the wreckage of a tavern and rescue
workers were attempting today to
reach others believed trapped by
heavy beams. A bomb scored a di-
rect hit on this crowded building.
The Nazis struck hard also against
a south coast town, where some
deaths were reported and many
were made homeless.
Both explosive and fire bombs
were showered on this town. One
explosion blew out all windows in
shops and houses for a considerable
distance in one street.
Germans Active on Coast.
The British assault coincided with
reports of unusual activity along the
German-occupied French coast,
which led to speculation here that
the Nazis might be planning a
Christmas attempt to invade Eng
land.
(Reports from Bern said
number of unidentified planes
had flown across Switzerland dur
ing the night along the route
sometimes taken by British
bombers attacking axis objec-
tives.)
London Also Attacked.
The Nazi night raiders also at
tackled London, but the damage there
was described officially as light,
although there were some fatalities.
The capital got an early all-clear
signal.
Observers on the English shore
along the Strait of Dover said un-
favorable weather made it impos-
sible to judge the effects of the
British bombardment of the Nazi
invasion ports" this morning, but
declared the attack appeared some-
what lighter than the preceding
night, when the r. A. F.. pounded
Calais, Dunkerque, Flushing and
airports in the same area.