Evening star., 1941-07-25
r. A. F. Leaves Fires
Al Kie| and Emden,
British Report
Germans Claim English
Raiders Suffer New
Costly Defect
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
LONDON. July 25-Large fires
and great damage were left in the
German naval bases of Kiel and
Emden when the r. A. F. finished
night raids there, the Air Ministry
announced today.
While Kiel on the Baltic and
Emden on the North Sea were being
hammered, other r. A. F. forces
attacked objectives at Wilhelmshav-
en- and Rotterdam, the Netherlands,
and blasted air fields in German
occupied France Five British planes
were acknowledged lost.
Weather FavOrs Raid.
Weather favored the thrust in
force into Northwestern Germany
where the naval bases lie, the Air
Ministry said, and heavy loads Of
bombs were dropped" The attacks
on Wilhelmshaven another North
Sea naval base, and on Rotterdam
were by smaller forces.
British raids are serving a politi-
cal end for Britain under her joint
action with Russia. Informed
sources said the vigor and extent of
the offensive were expected to quiet
Russian calls for greater aid. Con-
versations between British and Rus
sian officials at the Soviet Embassy
for the past two weeks have been
marked by pleas for more British
air activity.
CThe Germai radio denied
recent British reports that the R.
A. F.'s western front offensive
had forced Germany to shift
Luftwaffe units from the eastern,
or Russian, front.
1t was authoritatively reported
that the r. A. F. shot down 80 Ger
man planes in yesterdays offensive
sweeps.
33 Nazi Planes Claimed.
The Air Ministry declared 80 Ger
man fighter planes were shot down
in yesterdays daylight attacks on
the 26.000-ton German battleships
Scharnhorst and GneiSenau at La
Pallice and Brest, respectively.
Twenty-one were credited to planes
of the bomber command and II to
fighters.
Great Britain put on her biggest
bombing show Of the war, the Air
Ministry indicated today, when four
types of big planes raided Brest
and La PalliCe three times in at
temptS to knock out Germany's twin
26000-ton battleships, the Scharn-
horst and the Gneisenau.
The British have been after the
Nazi men O. war ever since last
March, when the two were reported
docked at Brest for repairs. Both
were straddled by r. A. F. bombs
a number of times, it was said. but
the ScharnhorSt was moved recently
to La Pallice, about 240 miles south
of Brest.
Starting with raid the night be-
fore last, the R. A. F. risked squad
rons of its best bombers in two
daylight foravs yesterday over Brest
and La Pallice, the Air Ministry
said
The attacking British flew in
layers. Four-engined planes went
over extremely high while twin-mo-
tored aircraft maneuvered at vari-
Gus lower levels. the ministry said.
Three-Raid Score.
This was the three-raid score the
ministry reported:
Seven direct hits on the Gneisenau
at BreSt, two direct hits on the
Scharnhorst, loss of Is bombers and
7 fighters and destruction of 30
German planes.
Some of the four -engined planes
we're Boeing flying fortresSes from
the United States, which the R. A.
F. calls Fortress L Aircraft"
1t was not disclosed whether they
had encountered NaZi fighters, but
it was reported reliably all returned
safely to England.
The Boeings dropped American
made explosives, the ministry news
service said.
German aerial activity over Great
Britain during the night was de-
scribed by the Air and Home Sc
curity Ministries as very slight,
causing neither damage nor casual
ties