TALLY MOUNTING

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

TALLY MOUNTING

42 SHIPS IN WEEK Half Million Tons Sanlr In Past Four Months , < " »libBritish Official TTlidca, ~ Rec. 2.30 p.m. RUGBY, Ju!y 10. "With the probable destruction of 45.000 tons of enemy shipping in two successful attacks on convoys yesterday the K.A.F. during the past week has destroyed or seriously damaged 42 enemy ships, of a total of some 242.000 tons. In the past week the R-A.F. have sunk a greater tonnage of enemy shipping than the total of British shipping lost for the whole of June. Most successful attacks have been carried out during the past four days, and the amount then sunk is not included in the total of 300,000 tons of enemy shipping destroyed in the past four months given by the Secretary of State for Air, Sir Archibald Sinclair, in a speech vesterdaj'. In a daylight raid on Rotterdam on July 16 between 90.000 and 100 000 tons were probably sunk. A further 40.000 to 45,000 tons was severely damaged. On the night of that date a further 10,000 tons was almost certainly sunk. On July 18 16.000 tons was destroyed, and yesterday a further 48,000 tons was probably destroyed. These totals do not tnclude successes in the Mediterranean against shipping, which also has been considerable recently. The Air Minister's figure for the total enemy losses for the past four months must now have giuua to some 500,000 tons sunk, and about as much again severely damaged. As Sir Archibald said: "The rate of destruction increases, and the weight °f the attack delivered on enemy shipping this month exceeds any- | thing previously achieved/'