NOTHING IMMUNE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20142, 11 January 1940, Page 7

NOTHING IMMUNE

NAZI INHUMANITY SMALL SHIPS BOMBED ALLIED AND NEUTRAL CREWS MACHINE-GUNNED CLAIMS BY GERMANY (Klee. Tol. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 12 noon RUGBY, Jan. 10. Further proof was afforded yesterday that Allied and neutral unarmed merchant ships are considered by Germany as legitimate targets for her bombers in the attacking of the British steamer Gowrie, of 689 tons, and two Danish ships, the Ivan Kondrup, of 2369 tons, and the Feddy. of 955 tons. In addition, live other steamers, one of which was a Trinity House boat which was relieving lightships off the east coast, and five fishing smacks, none of which were sunk, were also bombed. The bombing of the Trinity House ship, which was crowded with men returning to their duty of keeping watch in the lonely lightships along the east coast after Christmas leave, and resulted in injury to 31 men and the death of one officer, is considered a particularly barbaric assault. Hitherto Spared Hitherto ships of this essentially non-military service have been spared by the Nazi bombers, but it appearsthat now nothing that ventures on the seas, from a raft of shipwrecked seamen to vessels bearing lightship personnel, are immune from the inhuman Nazi attacks. Crowds ashore saw a lightship bombed. As the men took to the boats, the planes machine-gunned them until the boats were riddled. Those injured sprawled on the deck. Tlie plar.es ff'd --.-hen six fighters appeared. The injured men were taken ashore by a lifeboat and the lightship was towed to port.

It is also reported that planes attacked a small Scottish lightship.

It is officially announced that the Danish ships Ivan Kondrup and Feddy, which previously were reported to have been sunk, are still afloat and are expected' to reach port. Nazi planes sank with bombs the steamer Oakgrove, which twice escaped bombing during the Spanish war. Captain W. Falconer was killed, but all other members of the crew were landed at an east coast port. Three were taken to hospital.

Scared Off by" Lewis Gun

Two German bombers off the east coast yesterday missed the steamer Northwood with 40 bombs and machine-gunned the ship, but there were no casualties. The Northwood’s Lewis gun hit the fuselage of one plane, whereon both departed. The Northwood reached port. Nazi planes also attacked the Upminster in the North Sea, killing three of the crew and seriously injuring two. Eight others were landed at an east coast port. The German High Command, in a communique, claims that German fighter planes sank eight ships off the English and Scottish coasts yesterday, and , adds: “A fighter during a reconnaissance sank two armed naval and two merchant ships in a convoy off the Norwich coast. Four armed merchantmen unexpectedly. fired on German planes off the Scottish coast and consequently were sunk. Our aircraft ‘suffered no casualties.”