Evening star., 1940-07-28

British planes tangled in flaming fight,
which opened when the German airmen
attempted to repeat an earlier economic
warfare attack in which they had
dropped 100 or more bombs at a mer-
chant convoy carrying supplies to Eng
land. The British fell on the bombers
tails and soon the planes were so thick
! that an observer could not distinguish
Nazi from Brton The British re-
ported in London that six German planes
fell in the fight, and two British. while
the convoy apparently escaped damage.
The German high command in Berlin
said that five merchant ships in the
convoy were sunk and another set afire.
In that manner goes the war in the
air around the British Isles. The Ger
man economic objective is principally
supply ships: the neural objectives are
towns near the English coast, like the
unnamed Scottish town where visiting
enemies in the air dropped 100 incen-
diary bombs in one day last week The
British economic obiectiveS are princi-
pally fuel bases. The total amount of
is an unknown quantity. But war costs,
whatever the amount. The British gov
ernment increased the nations income
tax to an unprecedented rate of 42.5 per
cent to help meet the emergency war
budget of $4,000 900 900. This tax is to
be deducted arbitrarily from the wages
of England's men and women. The
Gy11o h,,l
Wednesday to the House of Commons
by the Chancellor of the Excheauer.
Sir Kingsley Wood. 1t called for other
drastic taxes and announced the gov
ernment's intention of further restrict
ing home consumption on a wide range
of goods
Two days later the British govern
ment told its people that their money
was being put to good use It said that
the British air force. in repeated attacks
against Germany and German occupied
countries, has made it Extremely diff
cult for the Reich to organize mass
attacks on Britain from existing air
dromes and bases she had hoped to
establish" just across the English Chan
mel and the North Sea
More than 1000 British attacks in
the last three months, according to Off
cial London information
900 Roids have TO a great extent
By British succeeded in breaking
down the scheme Ger
many hoped would eliminate in devas-
tating attacks on these islands following
her sweeping victories" on the continent
over France, Belgium, Luxembourg.
the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and
Poland.
That is the summary of the British
side of the war of economics. Dull
though it is for persons eager to read
stirring accounts of great battles, it
shows the value of the strategy that
calls for nipping the enemy in the rear
before he can come at you with his full
strength.
The economic warfare pinches the sup
plies both of the military machine and
the people at home. Italy, for instance,
last week disclosed her effort to husband
resources needed for the populace by
issuing a decree banning ali exports
except of goods whose sale abroad is
considered profitable for the national
economy. From a military point of
view, Rome claimed a profitable week
The Italian high command. reported that
oil refineries and depots were set afire
by Italian air bombardment of the port
of Haifa in British inundated Palestine.
Forty-six civilians were killed and 8S
wounded. The British, in turn, claimed
Mediterranean region successes from the
sky.
"A successful attack by r. A. F.. bomb
ing aircraft was carried out yesterday
on a large ammunition dump south of
Bardia' Oibya), the communique said
"' raid on Macaaca resulted in a
direct hit on Ala Littoria hangar. Con-
siderable damage was done to two other
hangers. Enemy fighters were observed
on the ground, but did not take off. All
of our aircraft returned safely. &" " s. A
Sunderland flying boat on patrol flight
was attacked by an Italian fighter of the
Breda or Machi type. The fight ended
when the enemy machine dived out of
control"
So tame is the battle around Northern
Africa, where Italy desires to pull few
hairs from the scalp of the British En-
pire. Battle-minded Rome thought that
English bombers were
FoIse AIorm about to raid the Eternal
Kills Two City itself last week. The
air raid alarms shrieked,
and two Italians were killed and four
were hurt by anti-aircraft shells fired
from Italian batteries. 1t was q false
alarm.
If the week itself was unproductive of
major or spectacular fighting, it brought
the information of an unrecorded major
disaster. That was the sinking of the
English ship Lancashire, I6,243 tons. The
loss of life was estimated at 1898, in
cluding women and children. She went
down some time around the middle OF
June-the exact date was not disclosed
of st. Nazaire In France, with $500