The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-04-16

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 During the sweep, not one of the Hurricanes, bombers or Spittires was hit, the Air Ministry sadi. on Che return trip the pilot of a Spit fire damaged an enemy torpedo boat of about 200 tons in the Eng Hlsh Channel with bursts from his machine and canon guns.
 From dawn to dark yesterday British planes had attacked French occupied territory; they attacked through the night while the long range planes were attacking the Ruhr, and they were out again soon after dawn for daylight raids.
 Extends Night Raids
 The night raids extended not only through the German Ruhr but to airdromes in the Netherlands and Belgium and docks at L'e Havre and Et. Nazaire on the French coast.
 Four planes were missing after tlne night attack.
 Hundreds of tons of bombs a day were now being dropped by the Royal Air Force. Targets of every sort were being attacked through out the day and night. So terrific was the attack that there were few challenges now by German fighter planes and the British bombing planes were. attacking at low level.
 Experts said that the British of- Eensive seemed to be entering the stage when 1t would be bigger and more sustained than was the Ger man offensive during the battle of Britain, when Germany was send- ang up to 1000 planes a day over this country.
 Center of Attack
 Tho center of this mornings day. Eight attack was the Dunkirk- B0ulogne district. German guns put up a terrific barrage as the planes hurled bombs at targets along the coast and for miles in- land.
 Small forces of German planes bombed points along the northeast England coast during the night. There were numerous casualties and nome damage, the air ministry ad- Enitted, mostly confined to one town where the bodies of seven persons trapped in debris were recovered by rescue squads. In this town, the X bomhs fell in a thickly populated district and it was necessary tc open new centers for families made homeless.
 Flying Ohicer L. A. Skinner, Webb City, Mo, and Flying Ojcer R. & EndeY, Fetgus Falls, Minn., shot down 6 German fighter plane eacn an yesterdays dawn to dark sweeps over occupied territory.
 Aviation quarters said the Royal Air Force had put new sting into ats attacks by using American Bos- ton (Douglasl bombers, which carry twice the load of equivalent British h0mbers and are much faster.
 It was revealed that bomb. carrying British Hurricane fighters are also being used with Spitfirt ARhters to proaect them.
 Yesterday a Hudson (Lockheed) coastal command bomber bombed a medium sized German supply shir of the Norwegian coast.
 Imu0rtant Conferences ! London, April 16-(UP)-Confer' eAces here of Gen. George 0. Mar aisall, United States army chief oI stan, and Harry L. Hopkins, de 1snse co-ordinator, are so important tnat Prime Minister Winston i Churchill may postpone a planneS ! speech on the war, Foreign Minis 1 ter Anthony Eden said today in thu House of Commons.
 1 Churchill hopes to make @ state 1 naent on the war at the third sit < ting of the House of Commons a Us forthcoming session, he said. He added that postponemen l might be necessary because therI I are two most distinguished Amer { lean visitors, Mrs. Hopkins and Gen 1 Marshall, with whom the print ] minister and other members of tn ar cabinet are carrying on mos sn1uortant discussions, and who's tne is limited"
 sI can not, therefore, give an ab e1lute guarantee that the prim l minister will be able to make sfatement on that day." he said.
 Tze did not make it clear whethe Churchill would speak at 6 puhli' or e secret session.
 He said it was hoped Q govern ment white paper on the abortiv' India home rule negotiations of Si &fafford Cripps, lody privy seal, a New Delhi would be ready mex week.