Twenty-one Soviet planes were shot down by a single Japanese plane, piloted by Sergeant-Major Saito, during the clash over the western border of Manchoukuo and Outer Mongolia on Thursday, Japanese Air Force officers claimed yesterday.
Three Soviet planes which had made forced landings were put out of commission by Sergeant-Major Saitots craft. He returned to his base safely after shooting his way out of a ring of hostile craft surrounding him.
Two other Japanese fliers who distinguished themselves in Thursdays clashes were Lieut. Koichi Suzuki and Lieut. Jiro Furukawa-
Of the bombs, one was incendiary. It was the last one of the night and it burst in a pillar-box on Marylebone Road. Firemen had to rush to the spot to extinguish the fire. Of the earlier bombs, two exploded in Piccadilly Circus, and the third exploded in a bank on the corner of Aldwych and Bow Streets, in the West End, at the moment the theatre audiences were streaming out after the evenings performances.
This third blast injured at least six persons, hurling bits of glass and metal among the packed theatre-goers.
Three persons were injured by flying glass in the first explosion of the night, at 10 p.m: One of them had to be taken to hospital for treatment; the other two were able to go home after emergency medical aid on the spot.
This initial blast occurred in front of a jeweller's shop in Piccadilly Circus, not far from a newsreel cinema, It was so violent that it was felt 100 yards away, where several pedestrians were thrown to the ground. Many thought that an earthquake had occurred and fled in panic, The pavements were strewn with splinters of glass. The huge bow-windows of a Chinese restaurant nearby were shattered and people inside came -through the openings after the explosion, They were bewildered, but the speedy arrival of police and ambulances prevented any serious panic.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.