The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-11-20
500 Nazi Planes Drop
Bombs On BIRMINGHAM
Continued From Page u

today that tremendous ,anti-aircraft
fire and night fighter patrols had
saved it from becoming another
Coventry"
An estimated 2c1 houses were de-
molished and many others damaged
as bombs smashed into shopping
centers, hotels, a theater and the
working class district.
Damage to military objectives was
said to be comparatively light, al
though the raiders swooped low
over the town and machine gunned
the streets at one time.
Hundreds of high explosive and in
cendiary bombs were dropped on a
wide area and a number of towns
in the industrial midlands during the
all-night attack.
In this town, windows were blown
out of hundreds of stores in the CEN
trail business district. Debris was
strewn along three streets when an
entire block of buildings, including
pub, stores and Offices, was de-
stroyed.
A nearby motion picture theater
was badly damaged, and shopping
center was hit.
Bombs of every calibre were
dropped. One family of five was
killed when a high explosive hit an
Anderson air raid shelter. Three
fremen were wounded when fighting
blaze at the public baths.
At one time the anti-aircraft guns
fired for two hours without a stop.
Were Better Targets
"But this is not another Coven-
try" officials emphasized. 1.-The
raiders flew in at a lower altitude
than is usual over I4nndoD for in
stance and presented a better TAR
get. There also were more British
night fighters in the air."
A series of fires in four main
localities and numerous smaller out
breaks soon were brought under
control.
Official accounts said that princi-
pal destruction was to stores, offices
and houses and one or two small
factories.
The roof Of a large hotel was
damaged severely and the windows
were blown out of a church. Several
parachute mines were dropped. One
demolished houses and others land
ed on open ground. Another perched
atop a telegraph pole before 1t ex-
ploded
Raids extended over a large mid
land area, including towns and rural
districts.
Numerous high explosive and in
cendiary bombs were dropped on
one town and a hospital was hit and
set afire, but patients were removed
without casualties.
In some places, many residents
were trapped in their damaged
homes.
In the business district Of west
midlands town windows were blown
out and the streets were Uttered
with glass. Heavy bombs left craters
In many districts and there was
damage to public utilities services.
Germany Confirms It
Berlin, November 20 - (UP) -
Strong forces Of German airplanes
bombed Birmingham last night in
retaliation for the British aerial
bombardment Of Hamburg, Bremen
and Kiel, the German high COM
mand said in communique today.
Well informed quarters said that
the raids were made by several
hundred planes which bombed the
great, midlands industrial center
for 10 hours. 1t was said also that
Coventry was attacked "to complete
the destruction" there.
Well informed quarters said that
at Birmingham German planes
dropped 100000 pounds Of bombs.
They described the Birmingham
attack as a Concentrated" one, a
reference to the destruction of Cow
entry last Thursday night. The
raiders were favored by good wealth
er and they dropped thousands of
heavy bombs in an attack equal
or SURPRISING that at Coventry"
In the first assault on Birming-
ham, they said, 40 huge fires leap
ed, casting glare over the whole
city and facilitating the work of
subsequent waves Of raiders" They
said munitions works and defense
factories were bombed with "unus-
ual success"
The German planes took off from
bases in north France, Belgium and
Holland and made rolling attacks"
all night, 1t was said.
Nazis said the raid on Birming-
ham was "in retaliation for British
raids on Hamburg. Bremen and
KEEL" They said that reports thus
far showed "about the same number
Of planes were involved in the Bir-
mingham raid as were used against
Coventry, "-reportedly 500 planes.
LOTS OF POWER