Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-08-12
Nozis Blast Portsmouth Base;
Armada of 200 Planes Is Sent
Aqoinst Southern England Port
l8 Raiders Shot Down
In Mass Attacks,
London Reports
b. the Associated Press.

b. the Associated Press.
LONDON, Aug. 12.-At least 10
German planes were shot down
today as waves of Nazi bombers
blasted at the southern coasts OF
England. the authoritative Press
Association said tonight.
North of one coast town there
was a terrific rumble like steady
thunder for several minutes during
the fourth big raid of the day.
As it died away formation of
Is German planes was seen flying
high heading for home. Almost
at the same time two smaller raid
ing planes came racing out of the
sun and heavily machine-gunned
the harbor and barrage balloons.
British fighters, roaring out over
the English Channel, prevented all
but SIS of 200 German planes from
reaching a southern port as more
massed waves of Nazi raiders kept
up a two-day wholesale offensive.
MesSerschmittS Shot Down.
Four Messerschmitts were sent
spinning into the sea and the Royal
Air Force fighters broke up the Nazi
formation and turned others back.
Those that reached the undis-
closed detectives were met with
very heavy gunfire.
(Although British censorship
kept secret the German target,
there were strong indications
that it was Portsmouth, English
Channel shipping and naval
base A big air attack on Ports
mouth was announced in Ber-
lin
Portsmouth is east of Port
land, where, the British ad-
mitted, German raiders inflicted
some damage yesterday and
where the German high COM
mand reported staggering de-
struction to port facilities and
shipping
More Raiders Arriving.
BY early afternoon, at least IA
possibly 16-German planes had
been reported shot down, with the
raiders still roaring in along the
coast in apparently growing num-
bers.
The SIS planes which reached their
detectives remained Is minutes,
dropping incendiary bombs which
set fire to some buildings.
A number of shop windows were
blown out and it was understood
there were a few casualties.
An early afternoon attack on an
other Southeast town was the
heaviest so far there.
Two Nazi waves-one of 81 bomb
ers and the other of Is, protected
by f1ghters-wheeled out of the sun
from the cover Of clouds.
Il saw about 20 JunkerS 88s roar
ing down." one eyewitness said.
Five of them were destroyed.
Twelve Nazis Bail Out.
"Anti-aircraft guns put up a ter
rife fire and one bomber had its
tail shot off. 1t dived straight
behind some houses
About II Germans bailed out of
this and other planes"
All II Nazi flyers who leaped from
their falling planes were said to
have been quickly captured by police
and townspeople.
At first the raids were a repetition
of the fierce German assaults yes
terday on the Channel coast, but
they spread as far as Northeast
England. and the Air Ministry said
later reports show that large-scale
activity is taking place over a wide
area in the Channel and Thames
Estuary"
1t said there had been a few cas-
ualties, only one of them fatal
In a raid on another Southeast
town, a nurses home, a parish
church hall and many houses were
damaged by dive-bombers which got
through a heavy aircraft bar
rage. Three fires broke out, one de-
stroylng the nurses home.
Two planes were seen to come
down in flames and another also
was believed to have been hit Gy
anti-aircraft shells.
The new British bag was in addi-
ton to the Nazi planes shot down
yesterday in one of the greatest air
battles of the war. OfflCial reports
said 60 and unofficial reports said SO
German planes were destroyed.
Southwest Coast Raid Center.
Again the center of the German
storm appeared to be the South
CoaSt-directly across the English
Channel nearest German bases.
/ An Associated Press correspondent
at Dover-Only three minutes by
dive-bomber from France-reported
two raids within two hours on a
southeastern town.
One of the sharpest engagements
in todays southeast battle was
fought at $4,000 feet-more than 2
miles up.
Two German planes were seen to
break away from the rest and. as
they dived, British Spitfire sat"
on the tail of one of them.
The raider banked then 1oopod