HEAVY TOLL TAKEN OF ENEMY SHIPPING

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 170, 21 July 1941, Page 7

HEAVY TOLL TAKEN OF ENEMY SHIPPING

MORE RAI. SUCCESSES

Eight Vessels Damaged And Probably Destroyed L'.P.A. and British Wireless. Rec. 1 p.m. LONDON, July 20. The R-A.F. took heavy toll of the enemy's coastal shipping yesterday, when eight ships, totalling 48.000 tons, were badly damaged and probably destroyed. In the first operation Blenheims of the Bomber Command carried out a very successful attack on an enemyconvoy escorted by anti-aircraft ships off the Dutch coast. Four ships of the convoy were probablv destroyed. Three of them, each of about 6000 tons, were set on fire, an.l the fourth, of about 4000 tons, blew up after being hit astern. The convoy was so heavily escorted that the flak-ships almost equalled the number of vessels they escorted. The fact that the convoy was nevertheless broken up, and that four of the largest vessels were probably sunk, is a tribute to the courage and daring with which the attack was delivered. The vessel which blew up received at least four direct hits. The Blenheim which hit one of the others approached almost at sea level through violent anti-aircraft fire. Second Convoy Suffers A second convov was attacked off Nordernev Island. A 10.000-ton tanker was hit and left blazing fiercely. a 6000-ton mechantman was directly hit four times, set on fire, and had its bridge blown away 1 Two other merchantmen of 8000 arid 2000 tons were repeatedlv hit and left burning. None of the British planes is missing from this operation. The R.A.F. last night again pounded Hanover, causing large fires which were visible for miles. A further communique states that heavy bombers, escorted by fighters, 3ombed the docks at Dunkirk this afternoon. Four enemy fighters were destroyed by the escort. From all these operations three of our bombers and two fighters are missing. Details of an attack bv aircraft of the Coastal Command on an enemv supply ship off Norway this morning, and of the welcome the bombers received from the Norwegian inhabitants, are given in an Air Ministrv bulletin. The German ship was sighted off the Norwegian coast by Beaufort iircraft. They attacked, flying low to drop their bombs, one aircraft actually passing between the masts of the ship. The pilot of another saw his bombs fall through the rigging. A few minutes later the bombers, which had banked away steeply to avoid anti-aircraft fire, returned to rake the decks with machine-gun fire. The vessel was listing heavily and was steaming very slowly. As the aircraft went over the Norwegians came to the doors of their houses and waved, and fishermen stood up in their boats, also waving. Losses of Aircraft Air losses during the week ending at dawn on July 20 total 47 Axis aeroplanes and 44 British machines Over Britain and the coast the Germans lost 10 planes to the R.A.F.'s nil. while over Germany and German occupied territory the enemy lost 22 planes and the R.A.F. 40. In the Middle East the Axis lost lo machines and the R.A.F. 4. SLx Hurricane pilots to-dav attacked an enemy tanker off the French coast and set it on fire, says the Air Ministry News Service. Two columns of black smoke, each 50 feet high, were coming from the centre of the tanker as the British aircraft flew away. While this attack was in progress six other Hurricanes poured thousands of machine-gun bullets into a flak-ship escorting the tanker. This attack was one of several that had been made on enemy shipping by British fighters in the last few days. Half a dozen Hurricanes attacked a flak-ship on Saturday streaking down one after another from 2500 feet to 50ft. After the fourth of the six fighters had dived all the guns of the flak-ship stopped firing. Another attack on Saturday was by a lone fighter pilot on a 1500-ton motor vesel, half a mile from the French coast. Diving down nearly to sea level, he blazed away with his guns and cannons and stopped firing only when nearly hitJ, f? tne mast. As he broke away flashes and small explosions followed smoke which was coming from the bridge. The vessel turned and made for the snore. Sweep Over Northern France Formations of fighters swept over Northern France, but the few Messerochmitts kept their distance, except for one which was shot down. An Air Ministry communique, in confirming details of the attack on the tanker in the Channel, states that later in the day Blenheims of the Bomber Command, with a fighter escort, bombed and hit the same target. From these operations two of our bombers are missing. ri,^^i in^ air ac " v,t V over Britain during the da.v, the official commurcport S3 " S there is nothing to