TWENTY SHIPS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20603, 3 November 1941, Page 6

TWENTY SHIPS

SUNK OR DAMAGED TOLL BY R.A.F. BOMBERS THREE NIGHTS' ATTACKS (Elec. Trl. Copyright—Unifpil Press Assn.) (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 1 p.m. RUGBY. Nov. 2. In three nights squadrons of the Coastal Command have sunk or seriously damaged 20 ships, states the Air Ministry news service, adding that the total may be higher as some pilots, because of the bad weather, were unable to see what happened after they had dropped their bombs. Thus four ships may have been the Coastal Command’s bag this morning with Hudson, Blenheim, and Beaufort aircraft resumed the attack on merchant vessels along the European coastline.

A Canadian squadron, which knocked out six ships on Friday night, accounted for another two large ones and a possible third this morning in a series of low-level attacks on convoys off the Dutch coast.

A sergeant-pilot flew out of a rainstorm over the convoy, his front guns blazing as he swooped on a heavily-laden ship, and unloaded a stick of delayed-action bombs. “Then,” said the sergeant, “the whole sky was lit up as two bombs burst and the ship seemed to disappear into thin air. I have never seen anything like it before.” Mast-High Attack

A second Hudson also scored two hits on a ship and the rear gunner saw a red glow which indicated that a fire had broken out. The third ship to be attacked was flying a protective balloon, but the Hudson went down to mast height, avoided the cable and dropped his bombs. As the aircraft flew away, the re:-; gunner saw stream rising from amidships and a hit is believed to have been scored.

Saturday’s daring torpedo attack by a Beaufort at La Pallice was repeated this morning. The Beaufort attacked a ship that was lying stationary. It raced in and dropped a torpedo from close range. When it turned away, the torpedo was running straight towards the ship. Just then the enemy ship’s guns opened fire and the tail gunner, blinded by the flashes, lost sight of the torpedo, but 'it is considered that it would score a hit.