Evening star., 1940-08-19
English Loose
Assault Against
French Bases

bONOON, nO6' Az &AiA VI
Britain was made a defense area
today as the nation, already
fighting in history's greatest air
battle, got set for a life-or-death
struggle to defend its soil.
With the Germans apparently
nearing the zero hour for their
attempt to smash Britain into
submission by direct invasion,
the British launched a thunder
ing attack against the Nazi-held
French coast and claimed their
air fighters were parrying Nazi
air blows with an increasingly
favorable advantage.
The order to make the isles a de-
fense area-subject at moments
notice to drastic edicts by closely CO.
operating civil and military authori-
ties-was issued as precautionary
measure" by the Ministry of Home
Security.
No New Restrictions.
Regional commissioners for Eng
land. Wales and Scotland will have
authority, it said. subject to con-
troll and direction of the Ministry
of Home Security, to issue direc-
tions or orders required for the pur-
poses of defense within their re-
Spective areas"
Although there were no imme-
diate new restrictions on Brltons,
the new order authorized ANY
measures which might become ur-
gently necessary through enemy
landing by air or sea to be intro
duced without delay in any part OF
the country in which they are re-
quired"
Until now, only a 20-mile strip
of the eastern and southern coasts
from the Scottish border to Port
land had been a defense area.
Raids Exchanged Again.
Again today, bomber traffic over
the English Channel was two-way
after a Sunday exchange OF raids in
which both sides pounded at sources
of enemy strength.
CThe British Radio Station
GSF went of the air at 1906
pm. London time (6:05 am.
E. S. T9 today for I minutes,
according to the N. B. c. short
wave service in New York. The
station said the break was due
to reasons beyond its control, but
recent interruptions have COIN
cided with air-raid alarms in
London.)
Apparently attempting to destroy
or immobilize Britains air force,
waves of Nazi planes struck at
strategically- placed airdromes, twice
causing Sunday air raid alarms in
London. But, the British declared,
the Nazis achieved little success at
great cost, losing planes at a rate OF
more than nine to one of Britain S.
One German bomber was said to
have been shot down this morning
in the southwest
But up to late afternoon there
had been only sporadic raids. Ger
man reports said Nazi flyers were
engaged primarily in widespread
scouting of Southern England. They
declared two, possibly three, British
planes had been shot down in
small" air fights)
Nevertheless, the British, warned
that the week to come may decide
the blance of air power, manned
their anti-aircraft defenses con-
stantly.
Two Trapped in Wreckage.
A house was demolished and two
persons were trapped in the wreck
age in a southeast coast town when
a lone German raiding plane made
the first foray of the day on Britain.
German planes were reported
over an inland town in Southeast
ern England this afternoon.
The rifle fire of British home
guards brought down German
dive bomber which attacked them
with machine guns in South Lon
don yesterday. the War Office said.
This is the first occasion on
which the home guard have sue
ceeded in bringing down German
bomber" the War ONCE declared.
Delayed action bombs, dropped
during the early morning hours, ex-
ploded several hours later today in
a Southeast England town. Ten
houses were damaged and a bus
garage burned by the bombs.
Blasts Heard in Dover.
Squadrons of British warplanes,
aiming at the likeliest jumping
place for any attempted invasion Of
England, loosed such a heavy cargo
of bombs over Calais and Boulogne
and the Channel coast in between
that the flare of explosions early
today lighted the streets of Dover,
more than 20 miles away.
In Dover there were reports Of
See LONDON, Page A-20