Evening star., 1941-11-09
British Air Force
Continuing Drive
Without Letup
BY the Associated Press.

stream as soon as the moon rose
last night, continuing without
a let-up the giant new offensive
which sent 600 to 300 planes
against Berlin and the continent
Friday night and Saturday.
The British declared it was the
greatest offensive of the war, with
300 planes in the air over France
at one time Saturday in addition
to the several hundred planes used
Friday night.
The bombardments attained full
scope Friday night when hundreds
of bombers thundered against the
continent, from Oslo. Norway. to
Brindisi, Italy. and for hours held
Berlin under a tempest of fire and
explosions.
So British Planes Lost.
The cost, the British acknowl-
edged officially. was Is fighter
planes and IA pilots yesterday and
81 bombers and 200 airmen lost
Friday night in the shell-fllled skies
and ice forming fogs over Germany.
The German radio claimed so
British planes shot down in "a
hoursl
Hurricane fighter-bombers made
very successful" daylight attack
on a factory at st. Pol, Northern
France, and Blenheim bombers
scored hits on another factory near
Lens. the Air Ministry said. report
ing that large force" of German
fighter planes was encountered over
Lens.
The Nazis hit back at England
early last night when a single dive
bomber attacked a southeast coast
town, causing minor damage and
a few casualties, and four or f1ve
planes dropped bombs near a
Thames Estuary town which re-
ported no damage.
Vague on Ruhr Results.
Although the British said Several
big. beautiful bombs" were dropped
Friday night in the Ruhr region OF
Cologne and Mannheim. they were
vague as to actual results there and
elsewhere.
The loss OF 81 planes was the
largest ever announced by either side
in a night attack although daylight
losses have run several times higher.
Authoritative sources said the
smash was but part OF long term
plan of attack which calls for
heavy and continuous pressure" on
Germanys war bases, industry and
communications. The scale OF the
raids will be increased as the
winter nights lengthen, it was said.
Speaking at Manchester, Lord
Beaverbrook, Minister of Supply and
former Minister of Aircraft Produc-
ton, declared. Il am convinced that
the day of vengeance is near at
hand-a day of wrath, a day OF
distress for the enemy, a day Of
waste and desolation, a day of
| darkness and gloom in Germany
40 Killed at Brindisi.
The Italian announcement that
serious damage was done at Brindisi
from hundreds of explosive and in
cendiary bombs which killed 40 and
injured 80. and that Crotone and the
Sicilian base of Catania were at
tackled, also was taken as an in
dication that the steady pounding of
Italy from North African bases will
be intensified
Brindisi was the second Italian
city to undergo prolonged ham,
mering from the R. A. F.. Naples
having undergone a similar raid
October 81.
Following up the night Operations
in the heaviest scale" against Ger
many. Hurricanes and Spitfires in
layers made daylight sweeps against
German-Occupied territory yester-
day. Their roar filled the skies over
the Channel coast for more than
an hour.
Fighters Carry Bombs.
The British disclosed they had
equipped these fighting planes with
bombs, thus emulating the Germans
who converted their Messerschmitts
into bombers last fall.
These daylight sweeps. too. an au-
thoritative source said, will be
pushed deeper and deeper into Ger
many and may be expected to reach
greater Importance by spring when
numbers of planes of increased
range will become available.
Already, it was said, the Germans
have been forced to move many of
their forward air bases back from
the Channel coast.
The R. A. F. flyers said they
dropped heavy loads of bombs on
Berlin, and at Cologne, Mannheim
and other cities, and the observers
noted numerous fires spring up from
their bomb bursts Some of the
attacks were pressed home at low
! level.