CONVOY RAIDED

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 October 1939, Page 7

CONVOY RAIDED

GERMAN ATTACK A FAILURE FOUR BOMBERS SHOT DOWN [by CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.] LONDON, October 22. An Air Ministry bulletin states that a North Sea convoy sighted enemy ’aircraft this morning. A British lighter aircraft, responding to a signal, was dispatched to the scene. The enemy made off. Five German airmen who took part in the raid on the convoy were picked up by trawlers and landed at Grimsby. Three Germans were rescued clinging to the wing of a German bomber. '1 he chief officer of one of the steamers in the convoy described the German attack. He said that two flights of German bombers dived over the escorting ships. The escorting vessels opened fire with anti-aircraft guns. Bombs were dropped, but none of the ships was hit. A later message stated: Twelve aircraft took part in the attack. They were engaged by fighters and escort vessels, and at least three enemy aeroplanes were brought down. A fourth enemy machine was forced on to the sea, after intensive fire. All reports are not yet to hand. British aircraft sustained no casualties. No ship of the convoy or the escort was damaged.

FURTHER DETAILS. (Recd. Oct. 24, 11.40 a.m.). RUGBY, October 23. Further facts now available state that from time to time during the morning, enemy seaplanes were sighted, shadowing the convoy from lowlying clouds at an extreme range. Their appearance was greeted with spasmodic bursts of' fire from the escort vessels. At 12.30 p.m., out of the mist, appeared three bombing planes, diving at the convoy. Fire was opened by all the escort vessels, and the enemy, after passing over the convoy and dropping several bombs, banked steeply and vanished into the mist. The sky to the southeast now cleared, and there was extreme visibility to seaward. At 1 p.m., seaplanes were sighted high up in the clouds to south-east, and’ presently two flights of three turned to attack the convoy. The leading escort vessel opened a heavy barrage, from which the attackers turned away. Bombs were seen falling on the horizon. Again they turned towards the convoy, and were visible now to all the escort ships, which opened fire in line of advance, and again turned them. A flight of British fighters now came swooping across the convoy from the land, and when last seen from the leading escort vessel, were disappearing into the clouds to the eastward, in pursuit of the flying seaplanes.

No hits were obtained on the convoy, and there were no casualties. The convoy reached its destination in due course, without further molestation.

RAIDS ON SCOTLAND. ENEMY LOSE THIRTEEN PLANES. LONDON, October 22. Early this afternoon two enemy aircraft were seen over the south-east coast of Scotland. Fighters were sent up, and according to an announcement by the Air Ministry one of the German aeroplanes was shot down. It fell into the sea and a collapsible boat was seen leaving the wreck. None succeeded in crossing the coast and no bombs were dropped. The allclear was sounded an hour later. The shooting down of this aeroplane off the coast of Scotland made the thirteenth enemy machine brought down in the week. This morning air-raid warnings were sounded on parts of the north-east coast and fighters went up. for unknown machines were seen. The air-raid warning interrupted church services, but ministers advised their congregations to remain, saying special prayers during the period of the alarm. A FALSE ALARM. LONDON, October 23. An air-raid warning was sounded in the Firth of Forth area, after the approach of unidentified aircraft. It later became known that no enemy aircraft were in the area. DISAPPOINTING RESULTS. LONDON, October 21. 1 The recent German air attacks on the British Fleet and naval bases are interpreted, by many shrewd obseivers, as indications that results of the U-boat campaign are now recognised as disappointing in Berlin. By a new effort, it was, no doubt, hoped to reduce the margin of British superiority in warships, with a view to breaking the stranglehold of the British • navy in shutting off Germany from overseas supplies. Only the Baltic remains open to German shipping. Judging by the outcome of the first raids —the small amount of damage done and heavy casualties suffered by the raiders —it is likely that the hopes which Nazi leaders may entertain of success for this method are going to be as greatly disappointed as those formerly held out to the German public in respect of the U-boat attacks. It is clear that accuracy of bombing, upon which the German air force may have counted, is unobtainable under conditions of the anti-aircraft gunfire which the German pilots have met. Furthermore, the German command may have under-estimated the quality of British interceptors. It is interesting to note that British pilots who shot down three of the four German aircraft destroyed in the raid on the Firth of Forth belonged to the auxiliary air force, and. until three weeks ago, were stockbrokers, lawyers, or sheepfarmers.- No single British plane was lost, and, actually, only one hit (which did no damage), was obtained by the German gunners in all of the aerial combats over the Firth of Forth. It is pointed out that the loss of 30 per cent, of their attackers by the Germans in the recent raids, like the loss of a third of their submarines, is too heavy a wastage to be borne for long. Nor are the results achieved in either form of attack commensurate.

HEAVY GERMAN LOSSES

[BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.] (Recd. Oct. 24, 12.15 p.m.). RUGBY, October 23. Interesting facts regarding German air losses in raids on British shipping, compared with the damage done _ by the raiders, were authoritatively given in London, to-day. In the raids on the Firth of Forth, on Scapa Flow, and on the North Sea convoy. 16 German long-range bombers were definitely accounted for, at a total cost of 36 casualties in the destroyer Mohawk, slight damage to the . cruiser Southampton and the “demilitarised ’ battleship Iron Duke. All ships subjected to attack were ready for sea on the same day, and the only damage to the Southampton was a hole in the bridge, caused by a bomb which went through the outer part and burst in the water. The result of the raids, so far, has been very satisfactory to Britain. As regards U-boat activities, although two British, four French, and three neutral ships were sunk last week, the losses are small compared with an average 1917 week, being 10 per cent, in number and 21 per cent, in tonnage of the comparative figures. It is also announced that there is no confirmation of the report that a cruiser has sunk the German air-base vessel Schwahenland, which is thought to be the raider that sank the Clement. It is officially denied that the Iron Duke had been re-armoured and rearmed.