Evening star., 1940-12-09
p, the Associated Press.


shattered a 44-hour lull.
Ply the Associated Press.
LONDON, Dec. 9.-German air
raiders concentrated the full force
of night-long assault on London
last night and early today, swelling
the toll of casualties and ruin in
the capital which was kept under
alarm more than IL hours.
Except for a pre-dawn lull when
the fog rolled in, the city was rocked
by explosions and lighted by fires
and shell-bursts from evening until
early morning.
Uniformed Germans in Berlin
said the attack was the heaviest
for London since last September.
They said German bombers from
airdromes throughout German
held Holland, Belgium and France
joined in the onslaught
1t was believed the number of cas-
ualties was not heavy in proportion
to the intensity of the raid. but
property damage was widespread
through the London area.
Nine Hospitals Reported Hit.
Nine hospitals in all were hit, it
was reported this morning. There
were many casualties among the
staff and patients of one of them
which received a direct hit. One of
the hospitals struck was large gen.
eral hospital, another was a hos
pital for women.
In one section of London where
fires famed over a wide area, a
resident said: 1T seemed as if it
were raining incendiary bombs by
the hundred"
While some fires still were burn
ing, bombs were dropped by sue
ceeding raiders who came over in
what one observer said were end
less waves Explosions damaged a
Catholic church and an ambulance
station Considerable damage was
reported done to dwellings, shops and
business buildings.
Number Feared Trapped.
East of London, near the -Ibames
River Estuary, number of persons
were feared trapped in an air raid
shelter by a bomb-hit nearby.
A government communique said
bombs fell in many districts between
tho cntyth CT ocfc
don, along the route the bombers
took to reach the capital.
The attack ended "A hours of
quiet-London' longest respite from
bombings since the air siege began.
The planes in London roared over
in waves and singly, dropping flares,
incendiary bombs and then high ex-
plosives. The raid was described as
mass attack-but not area bomb
ing concentrated on any specific
section Of London.
At times so many planes were
over the city that the drone of their
motors rose to roar that could be
heard above the almost incessant
crash of the anti-aricraft barrage.
Firemen Kept Busy.
The gunf1re was so intense that
waves of light pulsated across the
sky almost continuously. The clouds
reflected the glare of shellbursts and
bomb started fires below. The dis
play of deadly fireworks sometimes
counteracted the London blackout.
Firemen were kept busy all night
long, working while the bombs still
fell. Once the raiders flew in par
allel lines across the city, dropping
long rows of fire bombs.
A. E. Wall, Associated Press staff
member who came to London only
a few weeks ago, found his taxicab
suddenly ringed by sputtering in
cendiary bombs.
He and the cabby sprinted for
shelter in an archway, waited while
five scream bombs" smashed down
nearby, then returned to their un-
damaged cab and continued through
streets lit like in a giant Fourth of
July celebration.
One of the hospitals, which was
badly damaged by explosive and in
cendiary bombs dropped by the night
(See LONDON, Page A-5)