BRITISH LOSSES

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 175, 19 April 1940, Page 9

BRITISH LOSSES

What German Public Is Told AMBITIOUS LIST (By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Received April 18, 8.30 p.m.) LONDON, April 18. The extent of the German appetite for naval successes is shown in the following German list of British losses in the first six days of the Scandinavian campaign published in a German newspaper: Four battleships two battle-cruisers, three heavy cruisers, three cruisers, one aircraft-carrier, nine destroyers, seven submarines, seven transports, and 24 aeroplanes.

A British Official Wireless message says that an announcement, by the German wireless of the “destruction” of a Sunderland flying-boat and its crew was heard witli some amusement by the persons concerned after they returned safely to a Scottish base. What, really happened was that the dying-boat had alighted in a Norwegian fiord alongside a British destroyer when the aircraft and vessel were attacked by four Junkers SS and two Heinkels. Circling at about 5000 feet, ibe .1 tinkers made level bombing attacks and tlie Heinkels used diving tactics. The attack on the destroyer was continued for some time, but though 24 bombs were dropped no damaged was done. Dodging The Bombs. The bombers then concentrated their attention on the flying-boat. While some of them machine-gunned it another dropped six incendiary bombs round it. Al! the time the flying-boat zigzagged on the surface of the water. An officer in its upper observation dome watched the release of the bombs and successfully guided the pilot so as to evade them. As the flying-boat dodged about the crew brought seven machine-guns into action against the raiders, who withdrew, having caused no more damage than a wound in an officer’s knee and two bullet-holes in the fuselage. Back in Scotland the crew laughed when they heard the Nazi wireless claim “both the British cruiser and flying battleship were sunk by bombs.”