Paris, June 3.
More than 1,000 bombs were showered on Paris by between 240 and 300 high-flying German planes this afternoon and 200 civilians were injured, 45 of them fatally, while the attacking air forces suffered the loss of seventeen of their craft, official French communiques announced this evening, The Premier's office issued a brief communique to announce:
"Enemy air forces carried out a ce of bombings in the Paris region early this afternoon, probably with a view to attain objectives of a military character, More than 1,000 bombs of all sizes were dropped, claiming 200 civilian victims, including 45 killed,"
The French General Staff, in its evening war communique, gave a more comprehensive picture of the German series of raids and declared:
"Paris and the Parisian region were attacked early this afternoon by a large enemy bombing force heavily protected by pursuit planes, "The enemy force met with the defence of our fighter planes and anti-aircraft guns, which inflicted heavy losses on it. The majority of our pursuits were of the latest type and, according to first reports, seventeen enemy planes were brought down and have been counted," The Air Ministry issued a very curt report on the whole raid and stated only:
"Early this afternoon a strong force of German bombers operating over our territory was attacked by our fighters and anti-aircraft guns, During the furious combats that took place, a great number of enemy planes was shot down. Seventeen German machines were counted as they were shot down in the Paris region alone,"
Dealing with French air operations both yesterday and today, the Air Ministry went on to state: ' "Our heavy bombing squadrons violently attacked a great number of aerodromes in Germany last night, dropping more than 30 tons of high explosives, "On the northern front (Flanders). our air force repeatedly attacked enemy mechanized convoys, inflicting heavy losses on them, A large number of reconnaissance and photographic missions were also carried out at various places along the war fronts, All our machines returned safely to their bases," the Air Ministry concluded—Havas,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.