BIG SUCCESSES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 191, 13 August 1940, Page 7

BIG SUCCESSES.

NAZI ARITHMETIC. , Berlin Accounts Of Recent Air Actions. United Press Association.—Copyright. (Reed. 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, Aug. 12. The Berlin communique says that air units which attacked Portland on Sunday destroyed a jetty, a floating dock and a loading pier/ and set fire to oil depots, while two merchantmen and a destroyer received direct hits. "In the neighbouring harbour of Weymouth we sank a merchantman. We also attacked a British convoy in the Thames estuary, sinking three merchantmen totalling 17,000 tons and badly damaged two destroyers and four merchantmen. "Air fights developed in the course of these attacks, in which the enemy suffered heavy losses. Our 'planes made a night attack on aircraft works at Filton and Crewe, harbour works at Cardiff and Bristol, and an oil depot at Avonmouth. "We dropped mines at the entrance to British harbours.

"Enemy 'planes made night raids on non-military objectives in Northern and Western Germany, but the results were negligible. "The enemy's total air losses yesterday were 90 'planes and eight barrage balloons besides three brought down by our anti-aircraft. Twenty-one of our 'pHnes are missing. "A U-boat sank a convoyed merchantman." A later communique states that 'planes attacked a convoy off Margate this morning and sank four merchantmen totalling 10,000 tons, and setting fire to several others. The Berlin news agency states that 71 British 'planes were brought down over England to-day and 17 German 'planes are missing from the battle over the Channel. The news agency earlier announced that German 'planes were attacking the port of Portsmouth, also the naval dockyard, and that German fighters again attacked barrage balloons in the south of England and shot down many of them. All day the German radio has endeavoured to maintain "a 'plane for 'plane description of the air raids. They admitted that heavy anti-air-craft fire from escorting warships greeted a dive-bombing attack on a convoy at Margate and claimed that the R.A.F. station at Manston was reduced to ashes. During a number of attacks on souHicoast bases bombs were said to have ploughed up runways and hangars and other buildings collapsed. One squadron shot down 40 British 'planes in air battle over Portsmouth, it was claimed, where a naval installation wharf was straddled with bombs. The German news agency wound up its account of the day's operations with the declaration that the German losses were slight because the R.A.F. was avoiding engagements, adding: "This is interpreted as the first sign of broken resistance."