DARING RAIDS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 169, 19 July 1941, Page 7

DARING RAIDS

ON ENEMY VESSELS

Beauforts Find Targets Off Norway Coast r.rilish i illicia 1 Wire-less. Rec. 1.30 p.m. RUGBY, July 18. Details of ;i strong attack by the K.A.I<. Coastal Command on enemy snipping last night, in the course of which enemy shipping, totalling nearly 10.000 tons, was almost, certainly sunk, are given by the Air Ministry News Service.

A tanker of 6000 tons and a supply ship of 3500 tons were hit and almost certainly sunk. Two more supply ships, each of 2000 tons, were straddled by sticks of bombs and probably damaged. Torpedo-carry-ing Beaufort aircraft, attacked a tanker near the French coast in the English Channel. She had five "flak" ships spread around her.

The Beauforts found the convov just as daylight was fading. There was no cloud cover, and the fire put up by the escort ships was intense. All the Beauforts came back with holes in them, but no serious damage was done, and there were no casualties. The aircraft launched torpedoes from close range. One was seen to strike the tanker near the foremast, and a column of smoke sprang into the air.

A supply ship of 3500 tons was found at the entrance to a fiord north of Bergen by a Hudson bomber patrolling the Norwegian coast. The squadron-leader piloting the aircraft first saw the ship's wake, and then the ship herself making out to sea. He dived to a height which just enabled him to clear the top of the ship's masts and released a stick of heavy bombs with slightly delaved action.

"1 saw a bomb burst on the ship," the rear gunner later reported. "Immediately there was a violent explosion from the after hold, and flames shot up." The crew of the Hudson, however, saw a second bomb enter the water so close to the side of the ship that it must have done more severe damage. They think it may have acted like a torpedo and holed the ship below the water.

When the anti-aircraft fire died down the Hudson returned to the ship and saw her enveloped in flames and down at the stern. As the aircraft flew away the ship was well on fire and travelling in circles.

A second force of Beauforts attacked two 2000-ton supply ships which were anchored 150 yards apart at St. Nazaire. Several sticks of bombs were dropped across the position from a low level, but fierce opposition prevented the crews from observing the exact results. Two bombs of one stick, however, were seen to strike the water directly between the ships.