Evening star., 1941-05-09
300 to 400 Planes
Are Used in Fiery
Night Attack

assembled Tor a single nlSHI
raid dumped tens of thousands
of incendiaries and hundreds o.
tons" of high explosives on Ham,
burg and Bremen in the night
the British announced today.
The Air Ministry disclosed that
United StateS-made HavocS Doug
las planes participated in the
nights patrol operations against
German airdromes in Northern
France and Belgium.
One Havoc straddled bombs on a
f1arepath which was guiding homlng
Nazi raiders. Another night fighter
of unidentified manufacture shot
down a German plane taking off
from one of the airdromes.
Although the figure on the num-
Der of raiding planes was withheld
British sources speCulated that the
Air Ministry's superlative reference
meant that at least 300 to 400 planes
20 used.
otIltT ldlSttS httdChCu.
The fiery, blasting assault on the
two centers of the Reich's naval
construction and maritime industry
was but part of the r. A. Fs gen.
eral sweep, which included an attack
on Berlin and Emden, according to
the Air Ministry. as we'll as other
targets in Northwestern Germany,
coastal shipping and the U-boat
base at St. Nazaire. France.
These were called subsidiary at
tacks."
(The Germans, acknowledging
assault by strong British forces"
said the raiders by-passed Berlin
and reached Posen, in German
occupied Poland The R. A. F.
thus crossed Germany.
Gn striking into the Posen area
the long-range British bombers
few at least $50 miles to reach
their destination, or LOO miles
round trip
Growing Strength Reflected.
This assault was taken by OBJ
servers as recognition of the
growing strength of Britain's air
might, augmented by an increased
flow of bombing craft from the
United States.
The Air Ministry news service
gave this account:
More aircraft of the bomber
command than ever before on a
single night with incendiaries to be
counted in the tens of thousands
and high explosives in hundreds of
tons covered Hamburg and Bremen
with fires and smoke last night.
Buildings were rent ana smashed
and Germany's submarine and ship
building yards were remerselessly
bombarded and left with fires blaz-
ing in their midst.
The moon and the weather IA
vored the attack and though it was
claimed by the Germans this morn
ing that their defenses dispersed
the attack, our aircraft were in fact
prevented neither by night fighters
nor anti aircraft barrage from
streaming over both cities in a con-
slant procession and discharging
their whole load on appointed tar
gets.
Areas Mass of Flames.
"Pilots' individual reports speak
Of areas a mass of flames in which
1t was impossible to distinguish sep
Hrate fires of terrific explosions and
smoke rising to 10000 feet and of
our most powerful bombs dropped
into the heart of the raging fires"
The sweep cost the British 10
planes, by their own admission.
Adolf Hitler's air armada swept
across England again last night to
hammer vital port and industrial
areas, inf1icting considerable dam
age at a cost of 13 planes credited to
the blazing guns of British fighters.
The main targets were the Humber
region on the northeast coast and
two districts in the industrial Mid
lands.
Bombs also fell on London for the
first time since April 10, on north
west coast town and on other areas,
mostly in Eastern and Southern
England.
Damage in the Humber region
which was attacked for the second
successive night-Was considerable,
a communique said, and it was
feared that casualties there would
prove heavy. Substantial damage
also was acknowledged in one North
Midlands district.
(The port of Hull, bombed on
numerous occasions during the
World War, apparently was the
objective of the Germans in the
Humber raids. The city, with a
population of about 350,000, is an
important fishing center as we'll as
a port for overseas trade. Berlin
reported that Hull was the major
target)
Pupils Removed From Area.
School children were being re-
moved from the Humber area today
after two nights of mass bombing
1t was also necessary to set up a
compulsory billeting scheme to find
shelter for the homeless.
Buildings destroyed included a
seamen's hote, land several poor
houses were Sc Dusty damaged.
Many person swere made homeless
in one village in Eastern England,
but the casu Hies there were small
becs use the houses were built of
stone
Residential and working -class
areas in the North Midlands were
hard hit.
In Southern England a low-fying
raider dropped bombs which buried
eight persons in wreckage.