Evening star., 1940-11-03
Nazis Losing ; Planes
To England One,
War Ministry Says
London Shopping Area
Is Mochine-Gunned;
Raiders Beaten OFF
NJ the Associated Press.


Ministry declared the invaders
striking power was faltering, that
NaM plane losses were running
ahead of the British, 3 to l, and
Nazi losses in airmen, IA to !.
England, Scotland and Wales en-
joyed one of the quietest nights in
weeks tonight and early reports
showed that with the exception of
- few districts in Southeast Eng
land, the British were getting a
sound sleep.
Fast-striking early raiders, one
Of which machine-gunned London
streets for the first time, thinned
out quickly, and the all-clear signal
vas given shortly before midnight.
During the daylight raiding yes
terday, however, six persons were
killed in a southeast town by high
explosives dumped on a row OF
homes.
Two bursts of q chattering gun,
according to British accounts OF the
incident, cleared a congested street
Of pedestrians, most of them women
carrying shopping bags.
Seven Houses Smashed.
Early in the evening German in
eendiary bombs lit up the skyline
with the brilliance Of daylight for a
time, and in one district high ex-
plosives smashed at least seven
houses, although only one person
was reported injured.
Summing up II weeks Of great
struggle for the mastery OF Britain's
skies, the Air Ministry reported that
since the beginning of mass air at
tackc August the Germans had
lost 2,433 bombers and fighters
against an aggregate British loss Of
891 planes in both defensive opera
tions at home and the counter
offensive over Germany, France, the
Low Countries and the North Sea.
And, perhaps even more impor-
tantly, the ministrys review esti-
mated that 5000 German aviators
had been put out of action-killed
or captured.
Day of Heavy Attack.
The precise British losses in men
was not given except that 353 fight
er pilots were acknowledged to have
gone down over England, and an
unstated number of bomber crew
members on missions abroad
1t was a day of comparatively
heavy attack and the same
effective defense claimed for oper-
ations in general was claimed
specifically for today, the ministry
announcing that before dark nine
Nazi planes had been shot down
without single British loss.
At least half a dozen big for
mations-apparent predominantly
German but numbering some italian
craft-tried to breach the lofty de-
fense line maintained over the
southeast coast by British fighters,
and it was officially declared that
only a few raiders were able to win
through to the London area and
they flew over at great height.
Kent, in the coastal country, took
Its customary pounding.
During daytime attacks here, there
was no report of new casualties. but
It was disclosed that in the raids Of
last night a crowded bus had been
smashed by a bomb with a heavy
loss of life indicated.
KensingtOn Palace Bombed.
It also was disclosed, for the first
time. that in a recent assault Ken
sington Palace-the birthplace OF
Queen Victoria-on KenSington Gar
dens in London had been damaged
by fire bombs. 1t was stated that
no one was killed or injured.
The palace, once the royal resi-
London residence of the Earl OF
Athlone, Governor General Of Can
ada and brother of Queen Mary, and
Princess Beatrice, youngest daugh-
ter of Queen Victoria. The Earl and
his family are all in Canada and
the 83-year- Beatrice was not at
the palace at the time of the raid.
(Ottawa sources learned the AthlOne
apartments were damage6.
The Channel area was alive for a
time with fire from German long
range guns directed at British con-
voy of black little tramp steamers,
but every one of them was declared
to have come through unhit.
The Air Ministry's story of the de-
fense of these islands from August
on declared that "the most severe
blow" Of all suffered by the Nazis
was the loss Of trained flying per-
eonnel-pilots, observers and air gun
ners, and said its estimate of 5000
put out of action was arrived at by
allowing the normal personnel to
each of the raiding craft known
10 have been destroyed.
Three Days Mentioned.
Saying that figures collected for
weeks had shown "a gradual weak
ening of the German effort" the
ministry mentioned three blazing
DAYS in September-when German
plane losses were put respectively
at 1O3, 185 and Island declared the
thigh cost" had forced change in
German tactics.
." From then until the pres
ent," the review continued, lit Is to
be seen that the use of Junkers dive
bombers-hitherto claimed to be
Germany's most deadly weapon
has been gradually abandoned.
Even the Junker 88s, the Nazis'
newest type, have been coming over
only in small numbers. But the more
or less complete abandonment OF
the use of bombers for day raiding
did not take place until the end OF
September.
"s Bombers visiting these shores
during the daytime are now few and
far between. In their place the
Nazs are sending over high-nying
Messerschmitts 100 fighters carrying
only small bomb loads.
Our fighter command is now de-
feating this menace. The German
losses have been small compared
with the old scale of slaughter. But
we still have our good days ''. Even
by sneaking across the coast at great
height, usuallv i've or six miles, un-