GERMAN LOSS

Grey River Argus, 19 March 1942, Page 3

GERMAN LOSS

Five E-Boats

LONDON, March 17.

The Admiralty reports that in the North Sea three German E-boats were sunk and a further two damaged by naval forces on Saturday night and Sunday morning. During the week-end the enemy lost five apart from losses inflicted by Jthe E-boats with two others damaged, R.A.F. At 9 p.m. E-boats attacked one of our convoys in the North Sea. No ship was damaged. The destroyer “Vortigern” was hit by two torpedoes and sank. The E-boats were engaged by the destroyers Holderness and Wallace. One E-boat was sunk by the Holderness and the Wallace damaged another. H.M.S. Guillemot heard the torpedoes and gunfire and sighted an E-boat lying in wait, stalked it and got within 50 yards without being seen. The Guillemot opened fire with every gun that could bear. The E-boat was y hit amidships on the waterline by a four-inch shell and by a large number of rounds from heavy machine-guns. Another E-'boat was sighted in a favourable positions to attack the Guillemot. The Guillemot gave chase but was unable to come up with the enemy owing to his superior speed. The Guillemot returned, but could find no trace of the E-boat she had previously attacked and it is considered this boat was sunk. On Sunday morning three of our motor gunboats intercepted an E-boat, nine miles from a German base on the Dutch coast. The E-boat was heavily engaged and when last seen was sinking by the bow. Later four E-boats approached from the eastward. One of our motor gunboats fought a running fight with three of these until all her ammunition was exhausted. She then withdrew. During the engagement one E-boat was severely damaged. All our motor gunboats returned safely. Spitfires later found four E-boats, one of which was badly damaged. They set one on fire and badly damaged the other three.