Evening star., 1942-04-16
Doylieht Attack
Follows Night
Roid on Ruhr
~ the Associated Press.

~ The Associated Press
LONDON, April 16.-British
and German flyers fought Bit
ter air battles high over France
today as the r. A. F., still hitting
on an around-th clock schedule,
smashed back in a daylight Of
fensive following heavy attacks
on the Ruhr last night.
Two NaZi planes we're reported
authoritatively as having been shot
down in the dogfights this morning
The Air Ministry news service
said three others were damaged by
r. A. F. fighters during the sweep
in which bomb-bearing Hurricanes
scored hits on railroad sidings and
the dock area of Dunkerque.
None of the British Hurricane
bombers or their Spitfire escort was
hit during the sweep. the service
said,
Battle at 12,000 Feet.
In one sky battle. 1t reported
wing of Spitfires engaged IL
FW-l09s at 10000 feet and prob
ably destroyed" two of the German
planes. The Spitfires we're so high,
however. that their pilots could not
see the end of their victims.
In another, still higher battle, it
said. the leader of the r. A. F.
fighter squadron drilled another
FW-l09 which rolled over and
went steeply down with smoke pour
ing from it."
The service also reported that a
lone Spitfire, on shipping recon-
.naissance, spotted a 200-ton Ger
man torpedo boat in the Channel
and dived on II from 5000 feet
with cannon and machine guns
firing It said the boat was dam
aged In the dive attack, which the
pilot kept up until his plane was
almost touching water.
Second Big Night Attack.
The night attack on the Ruhr
was the second large-scale pene-
tration OF Germany in as many
nights.
-Four planes were announced as
missing from the attacks, which
also included raids on ST. Nazaire,
docks at lie Havre and airdromes
in the Low Countries.
The Ruhr. site of the Krupp
works and other industries which
form a backbone of the Nagi war
effort. caught most of 1000 tons of
bombs reported dropped on Ger
many last week and observers ex-
pressed belief it was we'll on the
way toward receiving another 1000
tons this week. ,.e E
Sunday. Tuesday and last nights
the valley targets were blasted in
attacks officially described as heavy.
Raids Resumed at Dawn.
Warplane formations droned over
the Channel coast at Folkestone
soon after dawn today and obServ-
ers heard the distant explosions of
bombs and snti-aircraft fire for an
hour and half before they re-
turned
The oft-raided area about Calais,
a center of German Notifications
skirting the French shore, was bat
tered again in the night after
virtually uninterrupted attacks
throughout Wednesday against it,
Boulogne. Cherbourg and a Nazi
airdrome
Heavy blasts thundered across
the sea, Three British fighters were
listed as missing after those day
light sweeps and three German
planes were declared definitely de-
stroyed.
The German air force struck back
with a night raid on a town in
Northeast England which killed at
least 10 persons. Heavy bombs scored
direct hits on blocks of houses in
three streets, The National Fire
Service was called out to fight a
number of blaZeS
A few bombs dropped elsewhere
caused neither damage nor casual
ties, British communique said.
A total of IL bodies had been re-
covered by morning from the North
east England town, and many per-
sons were hoSpitalized
Five babies were among those
killed, and two or three mothers of
the children were believed lost also.
Two emergency centerS were opened
for the homeless from at least a
dozen oomb-wrecked homes.