The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-08-06
Attack On British Isles To Be Most Frightful
Ccontinued From Page D

but over the Channel in search oi British bomhers.
 We could have seen the English coast lf there hadn't been thick fog We landed at a Stuka base some where near Bruges." Immediately nia order was given for three Stukas to take oil and attack" the air port for the benefit of the visitors
 Loaded with bombs from which the fuses had been removed, the stukas climbed for IS minutes to Q height of l6,O00 feet while Captain Weihert, deputy commander of g egroup" of 90 planes, told of his experiences.
 suddenly three specks appeared ir Hhe sun. The leader dipped and slummeted toward us at g 70-degree angle, while the others rolled over behind him. The sound of 8 dis tant whine turned into a terrifying shriek. Then they f1attened out, 8 bare 200 yards from the ground swooped into a wide bank and land ed. One officer told me that the ter rifying sound effects" were caused by "hell propellors" mounted in the landing gear just above the wheels but he declined to say how they worked or whether they were at- tached to sirens.
 l7 Dives in One Day
 Captain Weihert said that during the battle of France he had made IT such dives in one day.
 "But that is about the limit" he added, T could hardly see any more."
 He said that the Stuka pilots average about four or five dives a day because mot every flyer can stand the strain. .. The air pressure doubles in seconds between 16,0OC feet and the time when the bombs are dropped"
 Captain Weihert said he had par ticipated in dive bombing experi- ments in Spain in 1938, but re- called that the United States had the original dive bombing idea. He said he had fought in Poland and on the western front and was look ing forward to the attack on Bri- tain. He said the Stuka was "the most dangerous weapon against any enemy"
 The Stuka bombers, he asserted had sunk 1,350,000 tons of shipping in 90 attacks.
 German Communique
 Berlin, Aug. 6. - (UP)-German naval and air force attacks on Brit ish shipping have caused repeated closing of enemy ports" and since the start of the war airplanes and naval craft have destroyed total of 4,9S6,8 tons of British shipping or vessels in British service, the German high command claimed to- day.
 The high command said in com- munique that the figure does not include losses suffered by British shipping as a result of German mines.
 It claimed that mines recently have inflicted great damage which has not been reported by the British and it said that in addition to the repeated closing of ports there have been other indications of the "suc- cess of the commercial war on Eng. land since the start of the war"
 Recapitulating alleg ed British loses and adding figures not claimed hitherto the high command said tha since the outbreak of hostilities thu German navy had destroyed 3,725, ,54' tons of British shipping and that 1,261 ,313 tons had been sunk by tht air force.
 In addition, it was said, the ail force had damaged an additiona l,500,0o0 tons of enemy shipping.
 From July g to July 31 alone, il was claimed, the Germans destroyed 679,324 tons of British shipping not including losses inflicted by Ger man mines and damage to war anc merchant ships.