ENEMY RAIDS

Grey River Argus, 29 July 1940, Page 7

ENEMY RAIDS

Thursday’s Losses [British Official Wireless] RUGBY, July 26. A full total of 28 German aircraft, shot down on the British coasts yesterday, makes the highest figure yet of enemy losses in one day in the air attacks on Britain. In addition to announcing that this total was reached by a further five enemy machines being accounted for by British fighters, without further loss to the R.A.F., a Ministry of Home Security communique states in an attack on a south-east coast town this morning enemy aircraft destroyed some houses and damaged others. The casualties were small. One person was killed. Early this morning an enemy bomber was shot down in the southwest of England, and later two enemy fighters were brought down. An Air Ministry announcement that 28 enemy aircraft were destroyed ■ round the coasts of Britain during, yesterday brings the total since June 18 to 216. Since the beginning of the war, 284 enemy aircraft are definitely known to have been destroyed, apart from the large number damaged and not expected to return to their bases. The German losses included at least three machines shot down by antiaircraft defences. With reference to the official con-j firmation that 28 German aeroplanes! were definitely shot down yesterday,, it is interesting to note that a German High Command communique on| yesterday’s operations off the British coast announced: "Only two German aeroplanes were shot down." A communique later admits the loss of nine other aircraft, in unspecified circumstances. RUGBY, July 26. In to-days’ air raids over Germany at Sterkrade a big chemical works, which is one of the chief supply centres for cobalt, nickel and catalyst, used in oil hydrogenations, washeavily bombed by several aircraft, which scored a number of direct hits.] Six German bombers crossed the south-east coast to-night but turned back when fighters appeared. German bombers also attacked a J convoy off the coast of Northern Ire-j land. British fighters went into ac-j tion and it is believed that a raiderj was shot down.

.A German communique states: “The air arm attacked British aerodromes in the Midlands, and a radio station at Dover. Air fights in the English Channel- resulted in the destruction of eight Spitfires and one Hurricane. Only two of our aeroplanes were shot down. 1 “The British Air Force continued its raids on north-west and central ; Germany on the night of July 25. i There was no military damage and other damage was unimportant.' Anti-aircraft defences brought down four aeroplanes. The total British losses on July 25 were twenty-three

f aeroplanes. Nine of ours are miss!ing." GERMAN FIGURES QUESTIONED. Attention has been drawn on many occasions to the somewhat imaginative figures of air losses contained in the German High Command . communiques. A further illustration of this is found by comparing the German and British official communiques for the period, July 13 to July 26 inclusive. One hundred and ten enemy aircraft were definitely destroyed durj ing this period, but the German . communiques admit the loss of only I thirty-seven. They also claim that I no fewer than 130 British aircraft were lost in action against the true figure of fifty-seven. These figures show that as on previous occasions when this comparison has been made, that the Germans have adopted the simple expedient of dividing their own losses by three and multiplying the British by two or more. It is interesting to note that even the Germans have shrunk from attempting to maintain a ratio of 5 to one in their favour during the last fortnight, but to-day they have actually appropriated the figure of twenty-three from this morning’s British communique and used it for their own. The crews of many German aircraft shot down over and around Britain escape by parachute. In some cases they are detained by civilians and handed over to the police or military authorities. Several have been saved from the sea as a result of the good offices of the very opponents who shot them down and who gave directions for the res cue efforts. On the most recent list of 109 German prisoners 55 were from the air force, 45 from the army, and 9 from the navy. FARMER CAPTURES PILOT DAMAGE IN SOUTH-EAST [Aus. & N.Z. Cable Assn.] < LONDON, July 26. 1 A farmer captured the pilot of a German bomber, brought down in ■ south-west England, this morning. Three other occupants were killed. i In addition to the attack on a town 1 in the south-east of England, bombs fell in another south-eastern town this morning, apparently from an enemy plane unloading its bombs while pursued by fighters. Several houses and a school were damaged, and there were some casualties. I GERMAN COMMUNIQUE i BERLIN, July 26. I A communique states: The Air arm attacked British aerodromes in the Midlands, and the radio station at Dover. Air fights in the English Channel I resulted in the destruction of eight 1 Spitfires and one Hurricane. Only two of our planes were shot down. I GERMAN CLAIMS LONDON, July 26. The Berlin radio in a special announcement, states’: German motor torpedo-boats, without loss, sank three armed British merchantmen, of 10,000, -7,000, and 5,000 tons, respec- , tively.’ Another 2,000-ton vessel was set on fire.

A rumour recently emanated from Italian sources, to the effect that the Germans are now using in British waters new types of a midget submarine, whose engines are so silent that they cannot be detected by warships. Authoritative circles in London are not impressed by this rumour. They point out that if the Germans had a new type of submarine in their possession the last thing they would do would ’be to reveal it to the world. The rumour is regarded as yet another variation of the secret-weapon type of propaganda, designed to undermine faith in the power of the British Navy.