TOLL ON SHIPPING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 238, 21 July 1941, Page 5

TOLL ON SHIPPING

ENEMY LOSSES LAST WEEK.

EXCEEDS BRITAIN'S IN JUNE.

OVER GOO, OOO TONS IN FOUR

MONTHS.

(United Press Association —Copyright.) (Roc. 10.25 .a.m.) LONDON, July 20. With the probable destruction of 48,000 tons of enemy shipping in two .successful attacks on convoys yesteiday, the Royal Air Force during the last week has destroyed or seriously damaged 42 enemy ships of a total of some 242,000 tons. In the last week the Royal Air Force has sunk a greater tonnage of enemy shipping than the total of British shipping lost for the whole of June.

Most successful attacks on shipping have been carried out during the last four days and the amount then sunk is not included in the total of 300,000 tons of enemy shipping destroyed in the last four months given by the Air Minister (Sir Archibald Sinclair) in his speech yesterday. / * In a daylight raid on Rotterdam on Wednesday between 90,000 and 100,000 tons were probably sunk. And a further 10,000 tons were almost certainly sunk.

On Thursday 16,000 tons were destroyed and yesterday a further. 48,000 tons were, probably destroyed. These totals do not include successes in the Mediterranean against shipping, which also have been considerable recently. The Air Minister’s figures for the total enemy losses in the last four months must have now grown to some 500,000 tons sunk and about .as much again severely damaged. Sir Archibald Sinclair said: “The rate of destruction increases and the weight of attack delivci’cd on enemy shipping in the . last fortnight exceeds anything previously achieved.”