VALUE OF AZORES IN ATLANTIC BATTLE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 295, 13 December 1943, Page 3

VALUE OF AZORES IN ATLANTIC BATTLE

Rec. 1 p.m

FIRST "KILL" MADE

Major U-Boat Onslaught

Frustrated

RUGBY, Dec. 12

Within two weeks of the R.A.F. forces beginning operations from the Azores, Coastal Command aircraft from the islands sunk a U-boat in the Atlantic. This speedy flesstruction of the submarine emphasises the great value of the air facilities granted Britain by the Portuguese Government which enable the Atlantic gap to be closed.

It can now be disclosed that the combined British forces, consisting of naval, military and air units, which went to the Azores following the agreement with Portugal are commanded by Air Vice-Marshal G.

R. Bromet. He is the senior British officer in the islands and he has with him a senior naval officer. Air ViceMarshal Bromet has had long experience of air and sea warfare. Recently he has been directing a relentless air offensive against U-boats in the Bay of Biscay as air officer commanding a Coastal Command group in the west of England. The principal units of his new command consist of squadrons which have already been successful In anti-submarine operations in the Battle of the Atlantic. . . .

Use of theste important facilities enables Coastal Command to patrol a million square miles of sea in addition to 10 or 12 million square miles over which the Command has been previously operating. The first U-boat "kill" from the islands was made by an R.A.P. Fortress. It sighted a fully surfaced submarine and carried out three attacks. The first was made with machine-gun fire and the second with depth charges, which exploded alongside the submarine from stem to stern. In the third depth charges straddled the U-boat. After the second attack the submarine settled by the stern and heeled over to port. At the end of the third attack it appeared to disintegrate in wreckage and thick oil, 15 survivors being seen in the water by the Fortress crew. A strong concentration of U-boats which had gathered in the North Atlantic to launch a major attack on Allied shipping was recently decisively defeated by British warships and aircraft of the Royal Air Force Coastal Command working in close co-operation. The Admiralty and Air Ministry announcement of the operation is as follows: —

"This vigorous offensive action prevented the enemy from launching any concerted attack on two valuable convoys and more than 99 per cent of the Allied ships reached harbour safely. The British warships sustained neither casualty nor damage but three aircraft were damaged in combat and two forced to alight on the sea. The air crews suffered casualties, but the_ majority were rescued by British ships.

Frigate's Rapid Action

"In one action between the frigate Byard and a U-boat the submarine was apparently blown to the surface by depth charges from the frigate and appeared about three cable lengths ahead of her. The Byard immediately engaged with every gun which could be brought to bear and scored hits along the waterlme and the base of the conning-tower. Fire from the frigate's close-range weapons, meanwhile, prevented the Üboat's crew from manning the guns. While the engagement was still m nroeress, they abandoned ship and the U-boat sank. A few minutes later 27 survivors were picked up bv the Byard." , . , Another episode was a Sunderland flying boat's battle with two U-boats. About 20 miles from the convoy it caught sight of the U-boats on the surface and dived straight into the attack from a height of 100 ft. The U-boats poured a hail of fire and severe damage was done to tne attacker, but it straddled the U-boats t which disappeared. The navigator of the Sunderland was gravely injured, but he refused to lie down before passing on to his colleagues their course to the nearest convoy. He died a few minutes later. The officer in command, Flight - Lieutenant Sergeant, of Toronto, lost his life with the plane.