Evening star., 1941-04-13

to ring the domned bell. the Germans
are here"
The notes of the bell fall in iron strokes
over the countryside the Normans never
held. Grimly from field and forge and
farmyard the men come, some in uni
form, some in work clothes.
AS the Germans methodically set up
their machine-guns and consult their
maps, the Springfelds of the Home Guard
bark from behind fences and hedges.
A plane attacking an airfield nearby
Is joined by another. then five more, big
troop carriers Three fighters and three
Junkers dive bombers strafe the field.
German Fire Dwindles.
The guns swing with them. AS the
first palschutist lands he explodes smoke
bombs. The British machine-guns probe
the smoke with thousands of bullets but
a Junkers pancakes on the field and AZ
German infantrymen rush from it and
take cover in hangar.
The last British fighter at the station
takes to the air to combat the attackers
AS it climbs, battery of field guns some
miles distant begins to pour its shells
onto the field.
The Germans, huge in flying coats,
dart from hangar to hangar followed
by billowing clouds of smoke. Once they
are caught In the cross fire of machine
guns and a motorized infantry company
just arrived.
The airfleld is an arena of fire, but
slowly the German fire dwindles.
Night falls on the sea. =.
The grand feet is engaged for the
first time since Jutland There are five
German battleships including two new
ships. They operate from great range
behind packs of submarines, destroyers
and cruisers.
Three of the British battleships are
sinking from torpedo hits. The German
dive bombers have had indifferent sue
cess in penetrating the curtain of fleet
air arm fighters and pom-pom fire.
Slowly the superior weight of metal of
the British fleet takes effect. The Luet-
zow is sunk. the Scharnhorst is burning,
16-inch shell blows destroyer in two.
Two Conveys Destroyed.
To the north, two conveys have been
destroyed by the Royal Navy.
Another is stopped by air arm dive
bombers who harry it until two subma-
rines and cruiser arrive to complete
its destruction A transport sinks almost
Immediately after being hit by torpedo.
The destroyers' searchlights illuminate
a vast stretch of water speckled with
soldiers struggling against the weight Of
their equipment and the chill of the
North Sea waters.
Further south other conveys are
through and landing their troops. De-
stroyers torpedoed by German subma-
rines drift aimlessly in the swell. New
flotillas come out of their bases to strike
at the German line of communications
across the Channel.
From the Brittany Peninsula to the
North Sea, the air is heavy with the
pulsing fire of naval guns. Peasants in
Belgium find the bodies of German SOL
diers washed ashore.
At midnight in London the capital is
going through the worst raid of the
war. ...
Waves of bombers have struck at the
railroad stations, the bridges across the
Thames, at the information centers
Fleet Street and the B. B. c. For the
first time dive bombers have defied the
barrage balloons and dived at their
targets
No. 10 Downing Street q Ruin.
No. 10 Downing Street is a ruin. The
Prime Minister is directing the war from
an underground shelter. The War Office
is burning. The Cenotaph erected tc
the memory of the dead in the Worlc
War CLEANS whitley in the freight.
At headquarters the imperial genera
staff surveys the situation. The Germans
have landed at six places on the south.
(See MIDDLETON, Page C-O