BELIEVED SUNK

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 83, 8 April 1941, Page 6

BELIEVED SUNK

GERMAN DESTROYER

TORPEDOED BY R,A.F.

OFFENSIVE ACTIONS

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received April 8. 11 a.m.) RUGBY, April 7

An Air Ministry communique states that enemy warships, supply vessels, and troops were once more attacked in daylight yesterday by ihe Coastal and Fighter Commands.

Coastal Command Beaufort aircraft torpedoed a German destroyer off the north-west coast of France and it is believed to have sunk. Another destroyer was damaged by a bomb which struck its bows.

A Beaufort sighted three German destroyers a few miles west of the He de Batz, off the northern coast of Brittany. The pilot dived to release his torpedo before the escorting Messerschmitts could intercept. His crew saw the torpedo make a direct hit amidships on one of the destroyers, throwing up a great spout of water.

The German fighters swooped on to the Beaufort, which went down to sea level and circled there only ten feet above the water, returning the Messerschmitts' fire so fiercely that they broke off the engagement. TARGETS ON LAND. Bombs which were dropped by the Bomber Command on targets at Ijumden, Holland, fell among blast furnaces, iron and steel works, and a line of gasholders. Clouds of smoke and steam prevented further observation of the results.

Troops, aerodromes, lorries, and gun positions were machine-gunned from low altitudes by single aircraft of the Fighter Command which carried out offensive patrols over northern France. During one of these patrols an enemy fighter was encountered and attacked. It was seen to crash when attempting to land and was probably destroyed.

Last night the Bomber Command made another attack on Brest. Very bad weather and thick cloud, although making it difficult to observe the results, did not prevent the aircraft reaching the dock area and dropping a large number of bombs, some from a low level.

Other aircraft attacked docks at Calais and Ostend and aerodromes in the Low Countries. Three aircraft of the Coastal Command are missing from the daylight operations yesterday and one of the Bomber Command from the night operations.

R.A.F. fighters this morning destroyed a Dornier 17 off the Suffolk coast. Also this morning a Messerschmitt 109 was shot down by R.A.F. fighters of the Coastal Command.

RAIDERS AROUND BRITISH COAST

(Received April 8. 9 a.m.)

LONDON. April 7

The Air Ministry states that a small number of enemy planes were active around the coast last night. Bombs were dropped at one place on the north-east coast of Scotland and others on the north-west coast of England. Little damage was done at either place. The casualties were confined to a few injured in England.