DIVE BOMBING ATTACK ON ILLUSTRIOUS

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 13242, 18 January 1941, Page 3

DIVE BOMBING ATTACK ON ILLUSTRIOUS

BRITISH COURAGE AND DEVOTION TO DUTY

FOUGHT BACK FOR SEVEN HOURS

Rugby, Jan.l6

Correspondents of new agencies on the British aircraft carrier Illustrious during the attack by German dive-bombers in the Mediterranean last week give remarkable accounts of the episode, which will find a place in naval history as an example of fortitude and devotion to duty of officers and men under most severe bombardment, and may prove to have been one of the most historic tests of the effectiveness of the air weapon against warships at sea. The stories were written as the Illustrious battle continued, but the Illustrious made port under her own steam after she had fought off waves of German dive-bombers at intervals for seven hours, Correspondents agree that the German Air Force in its first appearance in the Mediterranean gave the Illustrious one of the most severe poundings ever delivered from the air against a single ship. The Illustrious never ceased to fight back and correspondents cannot find words to express their admiration for the coolness and discipline of the entire crew.

The first attack occurred soon after noon, when two torpedo-carrying aircraft appeared, but their torpedoes passed harmlessly astern. Approach From Clouds

Then, somewhat later, the main assault developed. Three Junkers 8 7 were seen approaching out of the clouds. Guns on all ships opened up a terrific barrage. Four more planes joined the first three. The sky seemed filled with bursting shells and twisting planes. The noise was ap palling. As the leading plane dived, it released a single 100 01b bomb, which fell in the sea slightly astern.

The first hit was scored by German bombers soon after the last of the Fleet Air Arm machines had taken off from the flight deck to engage the enemy. A tremendous explosion shook the ship as a 10001 b bomb burst below the bridge but fortunately the damage was slight. One correspondent describes how the next thing he saw "was the wing of a German plane drop from the sky and fall across the after lift of the Illustrious. The air was filled with the almost overpowering flames. The guns of the Illustrious continued to roar, the chatter of pom-poms mingling with the harsher crack of heavier armaments. "The planes continued to dive so low that they sounded as though they were almost landing on the flight deck. At intervals the ship continued to shudder from * near misses."

Daiing Of German Pilots

All correspondents comment on the daring of the German pilots. The German dive-bombers, it is said, ap pea red to converge from all sides and then dive in rapid succession. Meeting the full strength of a terrific barrage, they nevertheless held their bombs for release at the very last moment. At last the attack came to an end. The correspondents, to whom the short time seemed eternity, were naturally comforted to hear the Admiral remark, as he descended from the bridge to examine the damage: "That was the longest five "minutes I have had in my life." .Splinters and riddled steel struts and wires sprawled where a few minutes before they had stood trim and solid.. Cascades of water escaped from holed pipes. • The flight deck was covered from end to end with debris from the bomb explosion. Further forw r ard was a wrecked crane.

Respite Only Temporary

The wounded were tendered as fast as possible, but the respite was only temporary. Eleven planes at high level drew a further tremendous barrage of fire from the guns of the Illustrious. This attack did not result in any further hits and was apparently part of an attack against the fleet in general, as distinct from the concentrated fury of dive-bombers brought against the most vulnerable target in the whole escort, namely the Illustrious herself.

The high-level attack was followed by a second appearance of divebombers. In this onslaught the Illustrious received a few near misses, causing many perforations above and below the waterline. The afternoon dragged slowly on with further intermittent bombing. At dusk the enemy tried further aerial torpedo attacks. Once more the barrage went up, only two of the guns having been put out of action. Then darkness brought an end to the story- On reaching port the wounded were quickly removed to hospital.