Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-01-25
BY ROBERT q. NIXON
nt1 News Service stan Correspondent


Int1 News Service star Correspondent
The hottest spot in England to-
day is Dover. Twenty-Five miles
away across the channel. behind
the lowering white cliffs of Cap
Griznez. the German army lies
massed awaiting the signal 70 the
invasion of Britain.
To American war correspond
ents this port, from which virtu-
ally all the peace-time traffic with
France poured, is identified today
only as "Hel's Corner"
For il is here that the German
luftwaffe concentrated its dive
bombing attacks on channel ship
ping seeking to close the Thames
estuary and the Port of London
In September and October. 1t is
here that the German long range
guns pour their destruction at
regular intervals.
FOLLOW RADIO BEAM
1t is here that the main forces
of German bombers en- route to
bomb English cities, inland indus
trial areas, and important ports
sweep across the skies in the hun
dreds along ''Hell's Corridor" in
such precise tracks that il has be-
come certain they are riding radio
beams.
1t is at Hells Corner where the
most vicious air fighting of the
war has taken place-and it is
here that Germany is certain 10
make one of its main thrusts when
the signal is given finally for the
full scale attempt TO take Britain
by direct assault.
For the shortest distance be-
tween two points-between Ger
man-occupied France and the
defending armies of Britain-ls the
Dover-Calais cross-channel route.
London, where the heart of the
British empire beats, is only 80
miles away. In these narrow
waters, with German long range
guns massed on the French cliffs,
commanding the channel, and with
heavy concentration OF German
bombers sweeping out from some
500 French airfields, it will be
suicidal for the British fleet to
attempt to hold these waters.
LEARNED LESSON
So here at Dover must come the
total war if Germany attempts to
invade Britain this Spring.
Late in December, short while
before leaving London TO return
10 the United States, went down
10 Hells Corner for a look around
in the hope that if the German
invasion were touched off during
Christmas week I would be there
TO cover IL. =
l had been TIPPED off that Raj
reconnaissance planes had OBJ
served heavy troop activity across
the channel, and the British de-
fense forces ha6 been ordered TO
stand to" The lesson of the holt
day weekend when G e r m n y
launched its invasion Of the low
countries and France last May 10,
has not been lost in England.
The weather was crystal clear,
ideal for an invasion attempt. a
bright December moon flooded the
night with soft luminescence. and
even at 3 o'clock in the morning
the chalk cliffs of the French
coasts could be seen.
Raj AT WORK
We went up TO Shakespeare
Cliff 10 watch and wait. On the
English side all was quiet, but
across the channel from Calais 10
Boulogne the night was lit by
dazzling flashes of white and GRIM
son torches climbed into the
heavens.
The Raj was at work on the
invasion ports!
For five hours the bombers
hammered the ports and barge
concentrations. The flash of their
exploding bombs. thet bright in
candescence Of parachute flares
dropped TO locat e targets, the
streams of tracer shells and flam-
ing onions from one of the in
tensest anti-aircraft barrages
had seen. and the muffled thud OF
heavy caliber bombs finding their
targets q miles away made an
unforgettable sight.
II the Germans were coming
over that night, the Raj changed
their plans!
SMELLING BEGINS
When dawn came we had tea