The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-05-08
German Air Squadron
 Came Over For Fight
Ccontinued from Page ID


 piercing bombs were claimed by the alr ministry.
 Other points of RAF attack were ef. Nazaire, the docks ct Bremen Snd eenrny shipping of the Dutch @oast.
 London, May 8 - CU.P)-British nlght fighters, battling under an almost full moon while King George Xat ct their headquarters keeping &core, shot down 22 German bomb- 4rs last night, e record for any Blight of the war,
 Anti-aircraft gunners shot down ¬her raider, making the total 23 for the night, 73 for the past seven Nights, and 91 night and day raid- @rs shot down 50 far this month.
 Three of last nights total were #hot down over German airports Tn morthern France, which British night fighters now patrol. Waiting 10 ambush Germans returning 70 8heir bases from raids on Britain: % The roar of the night battles Ecarcely had subsided before Ger <nan Messerchmitt fighters were Nooming over the Thames Estuary xh daylight. British fighters met Naen and the sky 500 nwas criSs- crossed with vapor trails. German nlaes naachine-gunned southeast coast areas but dropped no bombs. The people there dropped to the ground or ducked into sellers to Nscape the bullets. British fighters chased most of the raiders out to Hha amid bursts of machine-gunning and cannonading. -
 1t was estimated that 300 to 400 German planes took part and the fiestruction of six to seven per cent Af them encouraged Britons looking for signs that the night raiding Nroblem was being solved.
 Teh Press Association said there was no reason to believe Germany Was increasing It's night raiding 8orces, and that if British night sIghter scould maintain the present *Atio in destroying them, "the menace of night raids may not only se reduced but they may well cause khe enemy seriously to consider the mrivlsability of continuing this form Ng warfare Ion a large scale"
 a Victims Of British
 It was revealed that one British Aauadron had shot down four Hsiders last night. Another shot aown three, and two squadrons got two each. A sergeant-pilot, wounded an the hand, downed his adversary, then brought his plane safely to its uhse. Another pilot, describing Q 4o- Hsile chase of raider, said VI Sgent for him for all I was worth and got him with a long burst. He fred at me but the cratic behavior oS his machine spoiled his gunners aifn, eH was well afire after my sec- end barst and circled around and watched him crash" ..,-
 sTho kings visit to the night sta tzon was informal. He chatted with '4syers, listened to their experiences, la1ked numerous questions about s1igllt lighting technique, talked W3th air gunners and ground crews, azad dlned ct the officers mess.
 aThO previous record of raiders de. stkoyc6 in one night was l6, set last Saturday night. MTn addition to the 73 German naAne@ shot down at nights since nay 1, 16 have been shot down by IzgitiSh fighters and a1lti-aircraft aa,nners in daylight, and ships have sasot down two, making the total gE ..,, @The destruction of six to seven sJer cent of the raiders was viewed Enthusiastically. Each plane carried 6:air or five Germans, hence the loss tgp the German air force was 92 to 1fb men. Air ministry officials be- Nave the morale of German flyers c1ild be worn down soon If a flVe E,2r cent casualty figure were niaiii- 5aaned, but they admitted that con- fIlslong were exceptionally favorable fsr fighting last night. The sky WAs clear and the moon was less fk,hn four days from It's full phase I1zytruments in British fighting u3Anes for detective raiders at night mfk being improved constantly, but t5ere was no assurance that last silkht's success could be repeated E6en the mon waneS and flyers a1eve to rely altogether on theif ulAnes' mechanical eyes,"
 73 Planes in May seSevertheless, last nights total ot nx raised the score to 73 German nlaneS brought down so far in May rkghnpared to 87 for all of April. Oi tllb 73, ei were victims of fighters aT of anti-aircraft guns, and ont nfs the balloon bararge. The previ. ofb night record was l6, set last HAturday night.
 Ihe Merseydde (LiverpooD area w WA NH ' n . A Q