Evening star., 1940-09-24
,y the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
LONDON, Sept. 24.-Countering
German invasion preparations with
all its power, the British Air Force
raped home blow after blow today
attacking German ships caught in
the English Channel, carrying out
the greatest raid of the war on
Berlin and leaving the German
held French coast in flames.
Eyewitnesses saw five British
bombers dive in line on four me-
dium-size German ships approach
ing Boulogne, on the French coast,
and apparently sink them all The
Channel was almost as smooth as
glass.
Geysers of water hid the ships
from view after a first barrage of
bombs. When one ship was seen to
remain a second diving attack vas
made. After the water and smoke
had settled, it too, had disappeared
from the view of observers on the
British coast at FolkeStone.
Although torpedo-a armed German
mosquito boats dashed out of the
Boulogne Harbor, they quickly put
about and returned to their base.
Relays Attack Berlin.
British sources said the attack on
Berlin last night was carried out
by relays of planes which started
and returned like scheduled trains
from a railway station. The Ger
man capitals main power station
and gas works were said to have be-
come flaming beacons which guided
the way to subsequent attacks on
freight yards, stations and utilities.
The Reichs air force again sent
huge formations swarming over the
southeast coast in thrusts at Lon
don, which resulted in two brief
afraid alarms during the morning.
Lock gates on the Kiel Canal,
Germany's most convenient means
of naval movements and water
transportation from the Baltic to
the North Sea. were obJectives in
Britain's night attacks, the Air Min
istry said.
Attacks were also said to have
been delivered on wide network
of rail communications, including
freight yards at Munster and Han
over. several airfields. an aircraft
factory at Wismer and shipyards
and docks at Hamburg, CuXhaven,
Bremen and Bremerhaven.
The rattle of machine guns above
the clouds, however, indicated the
British air force was Oh tlreless
patrol. ThameS-side anti aircraft
pelted the sky with bursts of hot
steel. and both raids on London
were of brief duration. No bombs
were heard in the central city
during the second raid and the
formation of 10 planes which raced
over the city in the first was scat
tered after brief battle.
Soon after the first wave passed
two other formations of II bombers
each, escorted by about 100 battle
planes, were reported on the way
UP the Thames.
Berlin Damage Claimed.
The Air Ministry said extensive
damage" was done in last night S
raid on Berlin, which was described
as on a much larger scale than any
yet carried out.
The Ministry said objectives
bombed we're the Rabnsdorf Rail-
way Station, southeast of Ber-
lin several freight yards, in
cluding that at Grunewald. in South
west Berlin. the electric power sta
ton in Wilmerdorf, in South Berlin;
factories in the western suburbs OF
Charlottenburg and Spandau, in
Guiding the Brandenburg Motor
Works, and gas plants at Dantziger
Etrasse and Neukolin, in Southeast
Berlin.
Almost continuous attacks also
we're carried out by relays of bomDers
against the channel ports in German
hands.
The British Press Association
commenting on the morning attacks
on London. said the Germans twice
turned tail for home before merci-
less barrage of AA fire and the re-
lentless pursuit of British fighters.
In the first raid, the press asso-
citation said, "a number of Naz
machines were seen in difficulties
and one was reported to have
crashed into the sea at WhitStable.
A strong force of Hurricanes en-
gagged a second wave of raider!
Sscurrying for home" in rearguarc
action, the press association added
and a large splash near Calais il
thought to indicate that at leas
one Nazi plane failed to get home.
Two German flying boats were
(See LONDON. Page A-4J