Brussels, May 13.
An air raid alarm was sounded this morning at 430 pin. and lasted for fifteen minutes. At 530 am. an official radio broadcast was interrupted and it was announced that twelve German planes were flying over Brussels heading westward.
Though sorely outnumbered, Belgian troops launched a successful counter-attack against the German forces in Belgium yesterday, Belgian Radio announced last night. It estimated the invading force at 1,800,000 men, the German High Command apparently aiming to over-run the little country by sheer weight of numbers. An official Belgian war communique stated last night that Germany launched powerful motorized units and squadrons of bombing planes against the Belgian lines, but the defenders maintained their positions. In an Allied counter-attack against German motorized units several enemy tanks were destroyed. The attack was s the communique stated. A German attempt to cross the King Albert Cahal by the use of small canoes was checked, a considerable number of the canoes being sunk by withering fre from the defenders. German planes carried out several raids over the rear lines of the Belgian forces and some 20 enemy craft were brought down over Belgian territory during the day, the communique concluded, It was learned last night that sey-eral diplomatic missions still in Brussels are rushing preparations to leave the town as soon as possible in view of repeated German serial bombardments.—Havas,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.