Evening star., 1942-02-28
Nuzi Radio Stution
On Coast Rozed
With Infantry Aid
BY the Associated Press.

|
LONDON, Feb. 28.-Daring
British parachutists and sea-
borne infantry combined today
in a destructive attack on a Ger
man radio detector post in the
first sizable incursion of the
Northern French coast since the
fall of France.
Under cover OF a protecting UNI
brella of Royal Air Force fighters
and with navy assistance the raid
ers then withdrew.
Timed to the minute, the para
chutists dropped out of the clouds
to form hastily as, an assault group
against the German garrison at the
same time that infantry, ferried
acroS: the English Channel, landed
on the beach.
Radio Stations Wrecked.
Joining forces, the two detach-
ments which military spokesman
said could not be assumed to be
SMALL dealt a one-two punch to
the Nazi force while demolition
squads wrecked the radio stations
Then they departed as quickly as
they had come, leaving behind a
ruined location post and a dis
persed force of German guards.
Early this afternoon a military
/ spokesman in London said it was
not yet known whether ships bring
ing the raiding parties back had yet
landed in England.
Major Air Battle Possible.
The spokesman said the possibility
OF a major air battle between Ger
man bombers dealing an aerial
counter-stroke and the r. A. F..
hghter umbrella cannot be denied"
apparently this meant that
possibly German bombers might
be attempting to destroy the
ships carrying the homeward-
bound troops in the English
Channel and were meeting stiff
opposition from British fighter
| planesJ
No mention was made in a Joint
air, army and navy communique
of the location of the raid except
''on the north coast of France"
Some British sources predicted
this feat by parachutists and in
fantry might be the opening gun
of series of stabs against the
Germans long, exposed flank from
the Arctic Circle to the Bay of
Biscay.
Large-Scale Raid.
The attack, against radio post
which presumably was used to de-
tect British bombers crossing the
Channel, was the first major British
raid on Northern Europe and also
the first reported use OF para
chutists since the raid on Southern
Italy February IA, 1941.
The raid apparently was on a
large scale since the troops were
mentioned specifically as infantry
and not as Commands. 1t was the
first time regular British infantry
had been in France since the last
of the B. E. F. left Brest June l8,
1910, a few days before the French
armistice
The use of an air-borne division
suggested that the British might
employ this unit-which had been
trained secretly since the fall of
France-in a series of extended
raids on occupied territory.
Parachute Army Built Up.
The formation of an air-borne di-
| vision was first mentioned of1cially
in q House of Commons speech by
Sir Archibald Sinclair, air secre-
tary.
Following German successes with
parachute troops, Britain has been
building up parachute army
equipped with the most modern
weapons.
The parachutists are all volun-
teers. The men can leave a plane
in six or seven seconds. Canisters
containing weapons. ammunition.
equipment and food are dropped
simultaneously from the bomb
racks.
A joint Admiralty, War Office and
Air Ministry communique said:
I'm a combined operation, joint
forces of the Royal Navy, of the
Army and of the r. A. F. success
fully attacked an important radio
location post on the north coast
of France.
Parachute troops of an air-borne
division were dropped by bombers
of the Royal Air Force.
"The task was finished according
to schedule and the parachute
troops were supported in the latter
part of their task by infantry and
are being brought back by the Royal