The Wilmington morning star., 1940-08-25
PORTSMOUTH PORT
FACILITIES FIRED
CONTINUED From Page One)

planes were heard over London.
Later, ~searchlights resumed their
swing across the skies in search of
enemy planes, and distinct explo-
sions were heard.
In one section of the London area,
a screaming bomb was dropped. 1t
started another fire, which brought
fire pumps rushing to the scene.
Four bombs were dropped in In
other section, shattering windows,
hurting down walls and flinging
bomb splinters through the streets.
The only serious casualty was an
air raid warden struck by splinters.
Third Alarm Sounded
The third air raid alarm was
sounded at 11:35 p. m. 6:35 p. m.
E.S.T) last night. The battle of the
skies continued on past midnight
before the all clear signal was
given.
CThe censor declined to pass the
time the all-clear signal was given.
The first indication, however, that
the clear signal had been sounded
was contained in a dispatch timed
in London al 3:20 a. m. 9:20 p. m.
iE.S.T.) which was three hours and
As minutes after the alarm sounded.)
1t followed closely or mass attacks
on the great naval base at Ports
mouth and the bombardment of Do
yer by long range guns.
From the roof of the Associated
Press building, staff members could
hear explosions and see a fire. Oc-
c%asionally they could also see
flashes like star shells.
The Germans spread out as far
as Wales in the night raiding.
Bombs were dropped near a village
but anti-aircrafe fire drove off the
enemy and there were no casualties.
Nazi dive bombers were partlcl-
pating in the London attack, drop
ping scream bombs as the battle
wore on.
Men wearing tuxedos rushed about
with the rescue squads answering
calls for aid.
No Indication
There was no immediate indica-
ton how many planes were used in
the third attack on London but the
air ministry said the Germans had
used 500 bombers and fighters
against against Portsmouth and 300
bombers and fighters had been used
for yesterdays assaults on south
east England.
Bursts of anti-aircraft fire caus-
ed great excitement among home
going crowds in the London area.
Almost Immediately, the sky was
criss-crossed with the beams of
searchlights and the reports of
gunfire and explosions could be
heard.
A column of more than 20 Ger
man bombers smashed at Britain's
naval base and city of Portsmouth
last night after the %long-range as
saults all over southern England.
In the earlier attacks on London,
bombs fell in the capitals eastern
industrial suburbs.
At the Associated Press office in
downtown London, staff men could
hear the planes high overhead and
the heavy bomb explosions. Flares
lighting the sky also could be
seen.
While the third air raid warning
in the London area still was on,
red flashes were reported in the
sky over the French coast from
Calais to Boulogne, indicating that
the Royal Air Force was striking
again at German-held channel ports
and emplacements for the big guns
which shelled Dover.
Spurts of Flame
Spurts of flames from the water
!; line, seen by wat :hers on the Eng
fish shore, showed that German
anti-aircraft guns were in action
against the British bombers.
The raiders over Portsmouth were
driven off from their military tar
gets, the British said, and then
loosed their bombs Unfortunately
OF a residential and working class
section of the city, causing an I'M
determined number of casualties.
A movie theater was reported
smashed and a number of it's pa
irons trapped. Several factories
were wrecked. Fires ran up in
the city.
While thus resuming mass aerial
raids upon Britain, long-range Nazi
guns across the English Channel
shelled the British coast in the
morning and again for As minutes
in the evening.
Up to $50 p. M, As German
planes were officially put down as
destroyed, against ten British fight
ers acknowledged missing.
Tin Berlin, the Germans claimed
the. British had lost SO planes to
18 for the Nazis.)
These Nazi sky attacks were
termed mass raids by the air
ministry itself, which added that
in the first wave 80 German planes
came over.
Wave Upon Wave
GAS n wave Of raiders disap-
peared," the ministry added, IAN
other took up the attack" One
British formation was said to have
climbed five miles high to attack
80 German fighters; a British fight
er squadron, the ministry added,
chased a Nazi bomber three miles
inland from Calais, France, across
the channel, before the German
crashed at last.
-Anti-aircraft gunners were in al
most constant action all along the
Kent coast and the Thames estuary.
In their second thrust at London