Evening star., 1940-08-31

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By the Associated Press.
LONDON, Aug. 31.-German air
raiders dropped bombs in the Lon
don area this afternoon when the
third of their fierce daylight thrusts
carried through the capitals de-
lenses.
With the brilliant early afternoon
sun at their tails, the attackers
executed a lightning assault which
left an undetermined number of
casualties in a suburban town at
the height of Saturday shopping.
Men, women and children scattered
to shelter.
& Women Machine Gunned.
Suburbanites reported that woman
shoppers were machine-gunned. A
German plane was said to have dlved
low, with fighter planes on its tail,
and fired several bursts as it ap-
Nproached busy crossroads. Bullets
SCARED the walls of a convent.
A spectator said several attack for
nations participated in the assault.
At one time, he said, about 40 planes
mixed up in dogfights.
A resident said eight bombs
dropped in that sector. Buildings
were shaken and clouds OF dust
plumed into the sky. A direct hit
was made on small factory.
Houses were damaged when one
bomb ripped crater in the sub
urban street.
Two earlier attempts ito breach
London's screen of anti-aircraft
Are, barrage balloons and fighter
plane patrols were reported to have
been beaten back, with several
planes downed on the southeast
coast and over the Channel.
Balloons Are Attacked.
Five Messerschmitt fighters at
tackled Dover's balloon barrages with
aerial cannon and machine-guns
and got away. AS fast as the bal
looms were brought down, they were
patched up or replaced.
Great aerial battles were fought
over the southeast coast and the
channel. The attacks were fol-
low-up for London's worst night
raid of the war.
Air-besieged Londoners were
cheered by an Air Ministry an
nouncement that strong force Of
r. A. F. bombers again attacked
military objectives in the Berlin
area" last night.
The fresh fury of the German at
tack defied the mounting toll Of
German planes brought down. The
Air Ministry announced tonight that
So German planes had been de-
stroyed so far today.
The ministry acknowledged that
three of Britain's fast-rising. fight
Ing planes were missing after the
morning combat.
German bombers damaged Royal
Air Force airdrome in Eastern Eng
land today and attacked another
some casualties, the Air Ministry an
nounced.
21st Alarm Since August Is.
The third alarm of the day came
at 1903 pm. and it was London's
21st alarm since August Is, when
the Luftwaffe German air arm)
struck first in the London area with
a dive bomber attack on the Croy-
don air field. The all-clear signal
sounded SIS minutes later.
y,i1ofc IF tt,a sfyro11nrr
nose" squadron of Messerschmitt
fighters were reported routed in a
great battle over a southeast coast
town after what the British called
Suicidal" attacks on balloons.
About the time of the third thrust
against London an elderly Swiss
couple was remanded in custody at
a West London court, charged with
having made torch signals three
days ago under circumstances which
authorities charged indicated they
were trying to guide raiding planes.
The prisoners. Emil Wirth, 81, and
his wife Alma, 81, denied the charge.
A dogfight ragged over a southeast
town as the Germans sought to stab
into the London zone about go miles
from the Dover coast. Spitfires,
British fighting planes which can
climb to 1000 feet in less than S
minutes, were reported to have
checked a large bomber formation
before it crossed the Channel.
A movie cameraman, filming ac-
ton on the Dover battlefront" got
bullet which pierced his tin hat.
German planes were attacking a
balloon barrage at the time.
Several raiders were shot down
and five parachutes were seen de-