Evening star., 1940-09-01
Fiqhting Fronts

f1ict which opened last September l,
when the German legionS launched their
assault on Poland.
"Blitz" is lightning; lightnings home
Is the sky, and the war over England is
still a sky war. London itself,
Sky the greatest city of our globe.
War now often has resounded with
the eerie shrek of the air raid
alarm siren signaling the approach OF
the enemies planes from France and
Belgium, Holland and Germany over the
. Channel And in her turn Berlin had
fiery visits from British airmen, draw
ing lots for the privilege of flying against
the German capital, who dropped incen-
diary bombs that started flames in build
lngs on Berlin's outskirts.
The effect of these sky attacks is some
thing yet unknown. Their results are
naturally cumulative, and immeasurable
over short period The Germans gave
some indication of what they hoped the
effect would be with a statement at the
weeks beginning which announced that
the prelminaries of the battle of Britain
were over and that England now could
expect destruction OF her war industries.
Just before the statement was made, Ber-
lin got its first taste of an air raid when
four waves of British bombers. swooping
above a protective ceiling of clouds,
skirted spectacular German anti-aircraft
fire and sent earthward their fire bombs.
From a defensive standpoint, the week
was satisfying to Britishers, whose anti
aircraft defenses kept almost all the in
vaders away from their capital. BY Fri
day the German determination to attack
London had grown so firm that the Nazls
raided the capital four times The re-
peated night assaults demonstrated a
good deal of method. Monday and Tues
day the planes were sighted at $50 pm.
Wednesday they came at 8, and Thursday
at the same hour. In prelude to the
Thursday night raid, 200 German planes
approached London In the late after
noon, but British fighter forces drove
them back in fight for the sea.
Next day brought three daylight air
raids against England, utilizing, so far
as ground observers could esti-
Domooe mate, 500 German planes.
SI;oht These headed for airports
around the home counties
near London. The Ministries of Air
and Home Security announced that the
weeks raiding had resulted in no "seri-
Gus damage" to British airdromes, but
they acknowledged that at one unnamed
town industrial premises" were damaged
and that number of persons had been
killed there and elsewhere.
The fourth Friday raid-the night
raid-resulted in four bombs being
dropped on London London's ring of
anti aircraft forts set up a wall of burst
Ing shrapnel against the invaders. AS
on each of the four previous nights, late
dinners were abandoned hurriedly, and
guests in hotels and restaurants ran to
shelter. But theaters continued their
shows.
Many of the daytime raiders merely
feinted at London and then skirted
deeper inland to attack the industrial
targets mentioned in the German state
ment of general belligerent policy. For
instance, formation of 20 planes raided
Manchester, great textile center which
suffered it's worst drubbing of the war,
and other airnen went after factory
centers in all quarters Of England-espe-
cially the northeast, the southwest and
South Wales
The English government was almost
laconic in its description of the German
effectiveness, but the German govern
ment put a note of ecstatic boasting in
its reports. German reporters returning
to German bases from fighting plane ex-
cursions into Englands air used such
phrases as a sea of flames to describe
the effect of surprise dive bomber on
slaught on Britain's great Portsmouth
naval base. A nearby airfeld was re-
duced. the Germans said, ito desert full
of craters." They suggested fires had
been set in Liverpool, Chatham, which is
Thames naval center, and other harbor
objectives.
The British airmen in turn directed
their aerial warfare against Germany,
German occupied Europe
British and Italy. The exchange
RepHsols of aviation visits by the
foes in this great war is by
now the routine meCnOQ OF ngnClnS. Elk
cept III Africa, troops do not meet troops
on the ground. This fact naturally makes
gauging Of the wars progress difficult.
An advance or a retreat on the ground
has an obvious import for even the least
military minded. But a measure for
progress of war in the sky is still lacking.
However, a recital of the objectives
visited by the British is indicative of
certain determination and success. Ber-
lin had three raids during the week
London is but a hop from German bases
along the European western coast. Ber-
lin is long haul inland from English
bases.
The Monday report of the Royal Air
Force told of operations against Frank
furt (flres started in a synthetic oil
plant, Stuttgart (the Daimler Benz
armored car factory bombed more than
an hour, Ludwigshaven explosions
caused by direct hits on a nitrogen
plant; 20 airdromes In Holland, Belgium