Three waves of German raiders, totalling 150 bombers and escort planes, attacked the London area and censed an alarm between 11.49 a.m. to 12.55 p.m. today, during which time six Nazi craft were believed to have been shot down in dogfights.
Many of the German planes, taking advantage of the clouds, penetrated the terrific defensive fire and heavily bombed the south and southeast Lon-on areas.
One German bomber was set on fire and exploded over central Lon-gon. Two were shot down in south London, where 10 raiders were chased southwards by swarms of Spitfires.
Earlier the R. A. F. engaged an unprecedented number of German bombers over London in a spectacular daylight air battle which prevented the Germans from inflicting heavy damage or casualties on the capital yesterday.
The greatest number of R.A.F. fighter planes ever seen over London intercepted wave after wave of German bombers and drove them of before they could drop their cargoes of death and destruction.
The German planes attacked London at high altitudes, apparently in an attempt to avoid the capital's antiaircraft batteries, the most formidable ever assembled.
Before the seventh air alarm was sounded here, continuous gunfire was audible from the east, where flashes of shells and bombs and tracer bullets ited up skies.
Many Civilians Killed Three hours earlier a German dive bomber scored a direct hit on a pa lion in a north-western town, inflicting heavy civilian casualties believed tv have included many children. The building was demolished while another bomb landing in the recreation field buried a number of merry-makers. ARP. workers were attempting to dig out survivors early today.
High explosive and incendiary bombs also were dropped in the middle of a town in southern England, where damage and casualties were reported. Bombs also fell in three other southern towns and a town in eastern England as the German Blitzkrieg assumed broader proportions than at any time in the past week.
One of the heaviest raids of the day on the London area began at 6.17 pin. last night when the first group of German planes appeared out of the west. They were clearly visible against the clouds from the United Press observation tower on one of London's tallest buildings.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.