ENEMY FAILS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 44, 21 February 1942, Page 8

ENEMY FAILS

ATTACK ON CONVOY

A NIGHT ACTION

."■■■■. (Rec, 12.30 p.m.) RUGBY, Feb. 20. > The Admiralty and Air Ministry : announce that enemy E-boats and aircraft were destroyed, and others damaged, when an unsuccessful attack was made last night on one . of our convoys. No casualties or damage were suffered by the merchant ships in the convoy, the surface escort, or our aircraft. The.Fighter Command was engaged in'shipping protection duties over the convoy. Seeing six enemy bombers : approaching the convoy, the squadron leader' at once led his Defiants into action and drove off the enemy. One enemy bomber was destroyed, and four of"the remaining five were damaged. The first surface attack v/as made before midnight, when a force of Ebqats. was sighted by the destroyer Holderness and immediately engaged. The enemy at once made a smoker screen and turned away. The destroy- :, ers Holderness, Mendip, and Pytchley gave chase, doing considerable damage to the,enemy before contact was lost. On returning to take up station with other escorts of the convoy, H.M.S. Mendip engaged and drove off two more E-boats. Two hours later H.M.S. Holderness sighted and engaged two E-boats at r close range, hitting one of them with ' her opening salvo. The E-boat blew up and sank. '. Further E-boats were sighted, and a general chase ensued during which a .second E-boat was sunk. In the early hours of the morning a further attack by E-boats was driven off by the trawler Turquoise. Eighteen enemy survivors were subsequently picked up and made prisoners of war. An enemy aircraft which was shot down was a Dornier 217—the latest long-range fast bomber. Three others and a JUBB were damaged. A surviv- - ing Dornier escaped into thick low cloud.

The British air commander was Squadron Leader I. S. Smith, D.F.C., of New Zealand.—B.O.W.