1940-08-17 — Page 7

HONGKÔNG DAILY PRESS

200 MESSERSCHMITTS

ONE-SIDED BATTLE

High-Flying Raiders Bomb

Croydon Airport

LONDON. Aug. 16 (Reuter) The RA.F. scored another brillant victory In a one-sided battle between 30 Spitfires and Hurricanes and 200 Messerschmitts and Dornlers in A south- we aren Last evening.

It was stated ag & coast town which had the tail end of the fight that anything up to 20 enemy planes were accounted for, Germans who had baled out were being brought into the town from, all directions..

VICTORY IN HIGHEST SENSE

TACKLED IN

one fatal casualty There was when 80 German bombers raided the south-east coast in the ever- All the bombs fell near the ing. sea front, a hall being wrecked by

a cluster of four bombs.

4

A

mass formation of German

WICKHAM

* STEED

Continued from Page 1

CABLE

New Soviet Decrees

MOSCOW, Aug. 16 (Reuter)—– The Presidium of the Supreme. Sovlet has Issued decrees on nationalisation, land, banks, Indus trial enterprises Fallways, and

may twist the German figures of communication facilities in Bes their lesses, he cannot humbug sarabla, in Northern Bukovina.

the German airmen-they know ünly too well and they don't like what they do know.

“YOU HAVE JUST HEARD IT ANNOUNCED IN THE NEWS BROADCAST THAT THE NUMBER OF GERMAN PLANES SHOT DOWN YES- TERDAY WAS 169, 25 ABOVE THE FORMER FIGURE, THIS IS. PERFECTLY CORRECT AND IS PROBABLY ` BELOW THE TRUTH,

"O1 course." continued Mr.

NEW CHIEF OF STAFF

General Merelskov, Commander of the Leningrad Military District during the Russo-Flaniah war has been appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army, Ee La replacing Marshal Shapeshnikov who requested to be relieved of his duties for health:

reasons.

General Meretskov „retains his duties as Deputy Commissar for defence.

bombers ralded the south-east yes-Steed. "the Battle of Britain may Marshal Budieniny, ex-Head of Commenting on the British air terday afternoon.

be just beginning, but we are the Red Cavalry was relieved of victory over the Germang on

A barrage balloon was brought ready now for anything that may his duties as commander of the Thursday, Mr. Oliver Stewart, down in flames and three Spitares come after this.

VERY CHARACTERISTIC

a broadcast from Daventry last engaged two bombers which were night stated, that it represented a separated from their formations victory in the highest sense. What and one bamber crashed into the "This week something very had at first appeared to be the sea. spearhead of a German victory . Bombs had all the signs now of the be ginning of their defeat,

He pointed out that apart from the historic fact of this achieve ment, the result was a testimony of the way in which the attack Was met.

The figures officially given out," said Mr. Stewart,, "sup- port the view that against the aeroplane. the best defence is the aeroplane.”

were dropped on and around Croydon Aerodrome. Some damage was-dorie but detalls are not yet available.

Reports so far received have shown that in all areas during the day 88 enemy aircraft have been destroyed, 11 of these be- Ing shot down, by anti-aircraft Are.

Nineteen of our fighters were lost but five of their pilots are safe.

Several German planes had been the balloon brought down by

The first raid in this district was cables and one had been destroyed seen by the people living for miles by one of these aeroplane traps. around.

A woman living in a nearby dis- The Germans had made drastic efforts to put Britain's balloon triet saw about 30 planes, British barrage out

of commission, but and Gethe air at the

these balloon barrages and the same time.

quick firing anti-aircraft gun had provided an answer to the dive- bomber.

The speaker also paid a tribute to the manner in which the units

of the passive defence had carried

GRANDSTAND VIEW Passengers on top of a bus had.

grandstand view of the

battle.

air

When the raiders first appear- ed, buses were running normally out their work during "these ralds. but all stopped. After about three-

quarters cf an hour nearly 20 am-

||

troops in the Moscow military area, and becomes the first Deputy Commissar for Defence.

Marshal Shaposhnikov accepted characteristic happened. A Ger- man plane, dying very low, ma- office as another Deputy Com·! chine-gunned a group of navles missar for Defence. at work on a road. The machine was brought down by our troops and when it crashed, the, navvies

WICKHAM STEED

.

invading Germany day and are hitting him hard every time. The other night a considerable num- ber of our bombers flew, 1,600 miles to Tunis and Milan to give Mussolini a taste of the Same thing:

"No part of Germany is more. distant than the Northern - Italian eftles and there is not a single factory in Germany that is safe from our bombers today.

BASE

OF EMPIRE

SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 1940. -PAGE 7

ALLSOPP'S

Beer

BRITISH

PILSENER BEER

100%

BRITISH

BE BRITISH

DUY BRITISH-

SOLE AGENTS:

CALDBECK MACGREGOR & CO, LTD.

S.M.C. SUPPORT S'HAI DEFENCE PROPOSAL

Continued from Page 1

Note: That part of D Sector at.

"As Lord Trenchard said," "Mr.present allotted to the British

has approximately the.. Steed declared; "Great Britain is forces

not only a fortress. but the base following boundaries: The railway f the British Empire, which will line from Soochow Creek to Hung- carry on the war against the Nazao Road, Rockhill Avenue, Averiue cult-this is the way the war will Halg. Jessfield Road and Kinnear Road to a line drawn north-west Kinnear- from the junction of Edinburgh Roads to Creek,,along the Soochow Creek to the railway,

be won.

"I have good reason to think that Lord Trenchard is not alone

Soochow

in this view. Other governments have been weighing the prospects LONDON. August 18 Reuter)bulances went out in the direction

"B sector runs from Avenue Ed- of this struggle in the light of the Over 1,000 children from all parts of the aerodrome and returned

information they have received ward VII, on the south, to Boun- of the Brtish Isles are on their some time later to the Croydon

went after the crew with their from many quarters. They have dary Road. Its westerly boundary of way to Canada where they will Hospital: find their homes for the duration One bomb is thought to have picks and shovels and our soldiers got the impression that Britain is Yu Ya-ching Road, north

Koing to win Thibes Road and its eastern boun- of the war.

hit a hangar on the outskirts of just got to the German airmen in and her allies are

dary is the Bund--Soochow Creek time to prevent them from feeling

-north of Honan Road:" the anger with which our people "When Herr. Hitler's attack regarded such acts.

on Britain fails, as it is bound to fall, ค great many other governments will come to the same conclusion.

They left some time ago.

the aerodrome.

Destructive R.A.F. Raids

On Nazi Oil Refineries

extraordinary scene of LONDON, Aug. 16 (Reuter)----An destruction was witnessed by R.A.F. pilots participating on Wednesday night in highly successful raids.by a strong force of heavy bombers on oil refineries and storage lanks on the Gironde. near Bordeaux, according to the Air Ministry's news service...

These installations are stated. to be among the must im- portant in France and since the German occupation the 'doubtless been has enemy making full use of this valu. able addition to his fuel re-

sources,

Wednesday

prived the Germans of their use,

refineries and tanks were totally destroyed.. ·

BLAZING WRECKAGE The refineries and nearby tanks

were reduced by a succession of heavy and accurate attacks to a vast m153 of blazing wreckage from which streams

of burning oil were seen flowing along the ground.

For two and a half hours raider after ralder flew into position and

HUNGARY AND dropped bombs.

RUMANIA

**

PALL OF SMOKE

"Most of our people are like that. The German airmen may. succeed in filling our people with wrath, but wrath and terror are

two different things."

this war.

are

PROPOSAL SUPPORTED

Colonel Dewitt Peck, Commander | of the United States Fourth Marine Corps in Shanghai.

SUMA Continued from Fage 1

The Council has decided to com- municate to the Defence Com- mittee its support of the proposal. "We shall welcome help from

made by the majority of the. De we every quarter. 'because Today.continued Mr Steed, thinking of the kind of Europe sector, now allotted to the British

fence Committee that a defence STATEMENT BY Btain was fighting alone and and the kind of world that will forces should be allotted to the the British people would not feel have to be refashioned after the American forces and that part of that they were doing their bit if war. If we are fighting single-B defence sector, now allotted to they were not fighting alone. They handed in this war, we do not the British forecs should be allot sion is that such an idea has little did not envy the rest of the world claim any special rights in this ted to the Japanese forces. because It

non-combatant, task. It is to us an enterprise of

possibility of realisation, especial- because the fact that they were all people who care for freedom.

The Council, however, notedly as Shanghai is not part of the standing alone against the villainy

that the Japanese member of the American possessions." of Herr Hitler and his associates

Defence Committee had reserved

DOUBTS CAST had created a spirit of regenera

Mr. Suma" cast doubts on the the right to submit alternative "If we are to carry this warplans and, "therefore, the Council necessity for the continued pre- through single-handed, we Mr. Steed went on to state that do so. Before the week is over, has further decided to inform the sence of troops for the mainten- last week correspondent, who

Defence Committee that the Coun-jance of peace and order when we shall see how the fighting

cll reserves its right to give full discussing "the question of the

tion..

was

WE SHALL DO SO

This correspondent com-developments

what wa wanted

ודי

shall

Mediter-

- WILL BE DOOMED

·

"The

FURTHER MEETINGS

VIEW OF LOCAL CHINESE

of

Shanghai,

169 German Planes Lost

Continued from Page 1

tail spraying it with machine- gun bullets, The Heinkel went down in flames.

"I then attacked a straggler. After two or three bursts of Are, this bomber also burst into flames. Then across my bows flew another Heinkel. I tired. two, or three short bursts and when I last saw it, smoke was coming from the fuse. lage."

SCHOOL DAMAGED

During the German rald on a south-west coast town on Thurs- day night,"bombs were dropped on school grounds, causing damage to the school buildings.

When the "roll was called, several boys were missing and today they were still unac- counted for.

The body of one boy was re- covered this morning and a few others injured are in hospital:.

Several Junkers dive-bombers which had taken part in the at- tack on the south-east coast area yesterday were brought down ́ by British fighters on land and sea

they made off for the Channel. Thirty planes took part in the attack.

|HONAN MENACED BY FLOOD

Yellow River Dyke Breached

The Honan Provincial Govern- ment has sent an urgent tele gram to the National Relief Com- mission in Chungking for Hef measures,

FATAL FALL

A Chinese woman aged about

So many fires were started that was unknown to him had sent develops. instead of helping pilots coming him from Nova Scotia a cutting "If we continue beating off these consideration to such a counter-British withdrawal from China of night's operations, later, the fumes made identifica- from a Central Canada newspaper German attacks. Herr Hitler may proposal, should it be communi- their garrisons in North China says the Air Ministry's news sertion more difficult.

which charged Mr. J.B. Priestley put up a smoke-screen and try cated to the Counell by the De- and in Shanghal. vice, may well have entirely de-

Mr. Vernon Bartlett and himself with Mussolini's help to do some arrangements to be made before should be kept in mind on this Honan le again

fence Committee in time to enable Two factors, Mr. Suma stressed, One pilot even saw the glare with doing their jobs pitiably be thing elsewhere.

LOYANG, Aug. 16 (Central),

threatened by for it is belleved a great part of 140 miles away.

jeause they had failed to enlist "Italy's action in torpedoing the the withdrawal from the B and D question.

food, The district of Talkang in the

A cracking plant in which of greater assistance from the United Greek ship may, foreshadow other sectors of the British forces.

Firstly, he said, Japanese troops eastern, Honan" is inundated as a States. residues are further broken down,

in the

are responsible for the mainten- result of breaches in the "dyke and an oil storage farm 12 miles plamed tha

ance of peace and order in the along the Yellow River at Yang- ranean. Though Italy's attacks on were almost was more heart to heart talks Somaliland have made progress, Further meetings before the areas under their occupation: north of Bordeaux

from democracy to democracy. totally destroyed.

they are not having their own transfer of the two areas of the

Secondly, "It is highly doubtful" chuying, Hwangkow, Bunglao and Sanlikiao. The situation is no A MISUNDERSTANDING way in Africa. Nor has the Italian British defence sector in Shanghai whether any part of China - lese serious than during the great "I am obliged to this correspon- fect been able to cut our com- are expected to be held by the quires stationing of foreign troops flood in 1938.

Joint Defence dent and this Central Canadian fmunications in the Mediterranean. Shanghai

Com-for the maintenance of peace and Journal and I would like to take How the fighting will go in thisjmittee to discuss the tentative order this opportunity of clearing up a region in the next few weeks or plan voted through by the ma-. misunderstanding of what we are months only a soothsayer can fority at Thursday's meeting of the Committee whereby the Americanis Pilots described how they saw trying to do," said Mr. Steed. "We say,

would take over the central LONDON, August 16 (Reuter)- streams of blazing of gushing are not trying to put something

and western Hongkew areas, while Regarding the withdrawal The Berlin News Agency says that from shattered tanks, and to-over "somebody. We are not en-

from one important thing is the Japanese would take over the British troops that negotiations between Hun wards the end the pall of smoke gaged in propaganda" and what gary and Rumania opened this was so dense that a rakler ar- this heart to heart talk from de: that unless Herr Hitler wins the areas outside the Settlement, fol- competent Chinese observers here morning

found ob-mocracy to democracy may be I' Battle of Britain, he will be doom-lowing the evacuation of the Bri-agreed that it is better for the 35 years, slipped and fell on the at Turnuseverin, but riving at 10,000 feet

ed and Mussolini with him, Frank-tish garrison in Shanghai, accord- British to strengthen some other stairs of No. 397 Lockhart Road after half-an-hour's discussions, servation difficult owing to the really don't know.. "

ly I think the prospects of his ing to semi-official Japanese positions in the Far East. the talks were interrupted for two smoke through which he was fly-

"Our country is doing some- thing better days, as the Rumanians wished to Ing. place the Bungarian proposals be-

about" democracy -- we One pilot described getting a

We are not panicky. We fore their Government.

fighting for "it and for the " ara fighting with clean hands whole world and for the

and stout hearts for a' cause, chance that we have of put-

that transcends our national ting a stop to Herr Hitler's interests. We are the main villainy to make the world. bastion of the world's freedom safe for free peoples.

and we are its hope. "We look upon the people of the The time will come when the NEW YORK, Aug. 16 (Reuter) United States as wise enough to gates of our bastion will be thrown The Rome correspondent of the look after themselves without ad- open and we shall set about the New York Times in a despatch to vice from foreigners

We creation of new Europe. New York about the British air

Statistics show that Chinese At the present moment the Chi- "It is an unquestionable fact," shall make an end of the false ties, he said, were demanding that BERNE, Aug. 18 (Reuter) The raid on Milan and Turin, says: continued Mr. Steed, that during claim that might is right and we the Japanese should take over the factories in Shanghai in 1936 nese are contented. If the United Swiss Minister in London was in "The raid is certainly the talk of last week our airmen and our shall teach the deluded. German defence of the International Bet amounted to some 5500 of which states take over the British area, structed to protest to the British the day everywhere in Italy.

tlement. gunters Kave given Herr Hitler a people that bitter is better than

almost half were destroyed by gun- These quarters further emphasis Government against violations by "The people are greatly impress-very, bad "time indeed. Herr Hitler guns.

Any objection to the present are during the Sino-Japanese hosed that the most important thing. British planes" on the nights of ed with the fact that the RAF may still breathe of invading "When that day dawns, we intentative agreement, on the part tilities in the Shanghal area m in the Shanghai question was, the Aug. 13 and 16 and request that machines succeeded in flying un-Britain · and he may try Britain shall be humbly thankful of the Japanese Commander" in As regards who is to take over protection of the whole of the. In- steps be taken to ensure that such molested all the way from England it, but he will surely fail, that to us was given the chance. Shanghai, will be supported by the British sector, authoritative ternational Settlement not just a action does not recur.

and back again."

Meanwhile, ouz bombers are to serve in its fulalment."

Chinese quarters in the Colony de-, single Power.

direct hit following which a sheet

The Rumanians are returning to of flame shot 400 feet into the: Bucharest this afternoon and will air, after which three explosions) return to Turnuseverin on Mon- bumped, his aircraft.

day, adds the German Newa Agency.

SWISS PROTEST

TALK OF THE DAY..

than talking

aro

winning are very poor."

sources.

CHANGES INDICATED

The same circles believed that the British had no alternative

yesterday and died in the Queen Mary Hospital after admission. She sustained head injuries.

It is not likely to be put into since the United States could do operation, as further changes were nothing to help before the coming election, which will fall in Novem- indicated here tonight.

ber.

clared that there was no legal An official Japanese spokesman

According to those who are treaty guaranteeing the stationing emphasised the agreement was closely connected with business of foreign in Shanghai, ... only a tentative matter to be fur-circles the handing over of part In fact, the Chinese Govern- ther discussed at another meeting of the Settlement in Shanghai ment, but not the Japanese, could of the Defence Committee. would not hamper Chinese bastaak foreign garrisons to leave

The Japanese military duthori-ness a great deal, 12

Shanghai.

Tokyo,