SUPPLY VESSEL TORPEDOED

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23330, 16 May 1941, Page 9

SUPPLY VESSEL TORPEDOED

Attack by R.A.F.

Machine

NO NIGHT RAIDS ON BRITAIN (Received May 15, 11 p.m.) (U.P.A.) LONDON, May 15. An aeroplane of the Coastal Command torpedoed an enemy supply vessel in an escorted convoy off the Dutch coast yesterday. An Air Ministry communique issued this morning says there was no enemy air activity over Britain last night. During daylight, raiders were reported over the south coast, the East Midlands, and East England. Bombs were dropped, but the damage was slight and the number of casualties was small.

The Royal Air Force raid on Tuesday night on the German island of Heligoland was described by the pilots who took part as the perfect theoretical attack put into practice. The bombers swept over the island at a height of only 150 feet, and sticks of bombs fell across jetties, harbour works, gun positions, and barracks. The island was taken completely by surprise, and the British machines were on their way home before the ground defences/got into action. One of the pilots said that after a two-hours’ flight the aircraft came in at exactly the right spot and saw their targets as they had seen them on the photographs they had studied before the raid. “It was a punch in the face for Heligoland,” said another of the pilots, "with our knuckle marks right across the island." .... The British aircraft dropped sticks of high explosives, and columns of smoke, mixed with the dust and debris of shattered buildings, rose immediately and spread over the ground to obscure the cliffs. . . , During the attack, the front and rear-gunners poured bullets into a street and naval barracks. A German flying-boat which appeared above the British aircraft was also machinegunned. . . , ... One aircraft is missing from this ra other Royal Air Force units in an attack on St. Nazaire damaged dockside buildings and an enemy supply ship of about 12,000 tons was hit amidships and set on fire. Another supply ship of about 2000 tons was encountered off Ushant. It was hit and was left sinking. Two aircraft are .missing from the attack on St. Nazaire, Attack on Aerodromes

Os ten 4 aerodrome was attacked by fighters about dawn yesterday. One pair of Hurricanes swept across the aerodrome at 100 feet. The squadron leader gave a short burst at a large hangar and saw a brilliant red explosion. An Australian pilot officer, who followed closely, fired two bursts at a barrack block and hangars. Another pair of Hurricanes, flying low over the Belgian coast, fired at gun posts between the aerodrome and the sea. They silenced several and caused casualties to the crews. The British fighters flew through an intense anti-aircraft fire, but suffered no damage and returned safely. The King and Queen yesterday inspected the ruins of Westminster Abbey and paused to see the spot, now covered by a heap of rubble, where they were crowned four years ago. The King also saw the damage done to the House of Commons. Damage by bombs to Westminster School includes the destruction of a 200-year-old dormitory. Damage was done to the great school room, where the anrtual ceremony of tossing the pancake took place, while the panelling in the big hall with the memorial containing the names of old Westminster boys has been destroyed. It can now be revealed that a big time bomb came down in Fleet Street in a recent raid a few yards from the Australian Associated Press office which, with neighbouring buildings, was temporarily evacuated. A Czech pilot who on Sunday shot down three German bombers was decorated yesterday by the Czechoslovak President (Dr. Benes) with the Czech War Cross and medal for gallantry. ATTACKS OK SHIPPING 12 ENEMY VESSELS DESTROYED WEEK’S NAVAL AND AIR OPERATIONS (8.0. W.) RUGBY, May 14, Enemy shipping was again continually attacked by units of the British fleet and the Royal Air Force in the week ended on May 12. At least 12 vessels, ranging from an armed merchant cruiser acting as a commerce raider which Was sunk by H.M.S.' Cornwall in the Indian Ocean, to patrol vessels attacked off the coasts of Norway, Holland, France and Germany, were sunk or rendered a total loss. ' , Supply ships, with an estimated tonnage of 18,000, were sunk and at least six others were severely damaged. During an attack by British naval forces on Benghazi harbour on May 8. an enemy ammunition ship between 5000 and 6000 tons was blown to pieces, A supply ship of 3000 tons was sunk In the same engagement, while a further bombardment from point-blank range on the night of May 10 caused more damage to enemy snipping and military objectives. The Royal Air Force made two more successful attacks on the German battle cruisers, Scharnhorst and Gneise* nau, at Brest on the nights of May 4-3 and 6-7, direct hits with powerful armour piercing bombs being obtained. On May 11, a German raider in the Indian Ocean and the Norwegian tanker, Ketty Brovig (7031 tons), which had, been captured by the raider, were intercepted by the Australian cruiser Canberra and the New Zealand cruiser Leander.

TASK OF NIGHT FIGHTERS

PROGRESS MADE IN INTERCEPTION

(8.0.w.) RUGBY, May 14. The Home Secretary and Minister for Home Security (Mr Herbert Morrison), referring in a speech in London to the progress made by night fighters, said: "We do not underrate their task. It seems to us that night interception must be like trying to swat a fly in a large dark rooih at midnight •with a small fly swatter and in the knowledge that maybe the fly is not there, anyway. “Yet there have been great achievements. I am told that research and development have gone as far in this last 10 months as they would have gone in 10 years of normal peace time, so that to-day those Who know best think that in night interception we are rather more than a shade ahead of the enemy. There has been good progress With moonlight Interception and some progress even with interception on dark nights, “Yet we must beware of jumping to conclusions too easily,' or Setting our hopes too high, or counting on. their fulfilment too soon, but the significant thing is the' steady, consistent rise in the curve of .victories-since the dark tiroes pi the Motor.