The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-12-12

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 Casualties were heavy. But it was indicated that the raid at no time approached the fury of some others, or gave any sign that Hitler had decided to make good his threat that Britain would now get harder and harder blows each night.
 The early raiding waves started hreS with showers of iIlcendiary and oil bombs. Succeeding waves drop ped explosive bombs. All fires were put out before midnight, however, and it was indicated that no serious fires were started when the raid was resumed this morning.
 TownSpeople were trapped in wreckage in at least four places in the Birmingham area, but the cas- ualty list was believed relatively small considering the scale of the raid.
 The air and home security minis tries described the attack as flair ly heavy" They said that in the main attack, numerous fires were caused but that all were put under control quickly and that most of them were put out promptly. Heaviest of Raids
 An East MidlandS town reported the heaviest raids which that area had endured in some months, but here, it was said, though the Germans attacked for hours, most of their bombs dropped in ploughed fields.
 A southwest England town had it's first raid of the war. Bombs were dropped at intervals for two hours but it was reported that dam age was not heavy. There were nuisance raids at several places in this area.
 German planes flew over Liver pool four times during the night but apparently dropped no bombs. London had an all night alarm, which started early last evening and ended only just before dawn.
 London'S anti-aircraft guns seem- ed to have discouraged the German pilots. There was firing only at in- tervals, and it seemed that only single raiders were flying over the city under the bright moon.
 London had its first daylight raid 1 alarm since December in mid- morning It passed without inci- dent, as had the last one.
 More Ships Sunk
 Berlin, Dec. 12.-(UP)-One sub- marine has sunk four merchant ships totaling 30,000 tons from a British convoy and the remained of the convoy was dispersed, the high com mand said in communique today.
 Yesterday and last night German planes successfully" attacked towns In South England and the Mid- lands. The official German news 1 agency reported thatt he raiders set great fires in oil tanks at the mouth of the Thames.
 The high command said British planes last night attacked German occupied territory and towns in southwestern Germany, causing a ire In the boiler room of a small factory. A Frenchman and Belgian were killed and seevral persons were wounded in occupied territory, the communique said.
 The high command said two Ger man planes were shot down yester- day and four British planes were destroyed by German anti-aircraft fire.
 DNB said planes made attacks on widely scattered points in England.
 Captured Ship
 London, Dec. Seamen of the Netherlands gunneray train- ing ship Van Kinsbergen fought their way aboard the German mer4 chantman Rhein and captured it de- spite attempts by it's crew to scuttle it and set it afire, the admiralty announced today.
 The Van KinSbergen, a compact warship of 1,760 tons built on de- Stroyer lines, with four AT inch guns in its main battery and crew of 190 officers and men, intercepted the Rhein in West Indies waters yesterday, the admiralty said.
 Members of the Rhein crew, who had taken their ship out of Tampico, Mexico, in an attempt to run the British blockade, fired their ship at once, the admiralty said and tried to scuttle it.
 A poardlng party ot the Van klnS- bergen got aboard the Rhein, it was eSaid, and frustrated them. Bomb Invasion Ports London, Dec. 12.-CUP)-British planes bombed invasion ports in German occupied territory and power stations, inland docks and railroad yards in western Germany during the night, the air ministry said today. One British plane did not return