NEW NAZI RUSE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 227, 23 August 1940, Page 7

NEW NAZI RUSE

BATTERIES ATTACK SHIPS COMPLETE FAILURE. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph —Copyright.) (Britisli Official Wireless.) ; Received August 23, 10.23 a.m. RUGBY, Aug. 22.

Enemy shore batteries on the French coast to-day shelled a British convoy passing through the Straits of Lover, according to eye-witness reports contained in agency messages this afternoon.

It is estimated that the fire of the shore batteries was at the rate of ten rounds every minute, and that from 80 to 100 shells were fired, but, as far as is known, no ship was hit or damaged. R.A.F. fighters drove off German bombers which attacked the convoy after the shelling ceased, and one eyewitness believes that at least two enemy aircraft were badly hit. )? It is believed an aeroplane flying at great height was being used by the enemy as the spotter for their shellfire, but the escorting British warships made a smoke screen round the convoy as. the firing proceeded. The distance of the shore guns must have been, some 20 miles away. OFFICIAL VERSION. The official account of the shelling of thq convoy is contained in a joint Admiralty and Air Ministry communique, which states that shortly before noon one of our convoys in the vicinity of the Straits of Dover came under fire from heavy guns mounted on the French coast. The warships' escorting the convoy immediately laid smokescreens to conceal the convoy from the enemy, Altnough some shells fell fairly close to the ships, no ship of the convoy, or the escort was hit or received damage. The same convoy xvas later attacked by enemy aircraft. No damage xvas caused by this attack, and the enemy were driven off by our gunfire and fighter aircraft. Our fighters shot down one enemy aircraft in the course of this action.

German guns on the French coast shelled the South-Eeast Coast tonight.

DOVER SHELLED. ACTIVITY~AT DUSK. (From Daventry.) The Germans shelled the Dover area from across the Channel, last night, for more than an hour from dusk. The It.A.F. retaliated xvith an attack along the French coast xvhich lasted after the Gei’man shelling had ceased. The battle over Calais and Boulogne lit the sky with a dull red glow atter dark. This incident followed the attack by long-range guns on the British convoy which escaped unscathed. It came, incidentally, as a surprise to most Englishmen to know that British convoys are negotiating the narrowest parts of the Channel in daylight hours, and not xvaiting for darkness. The convoy attacked xvas on its xvay to the Port of London, xvhich lias beeu unusually busy during the. last txvo or three xx’ceks. Commenting on the incident, Mr Vernon Bartlett, M.P., remarked that perhaps one should regard as a sensation the shelling of Britain for the first time in historv, but it xvas difficult to feel excited about the incident when Parliament had just adjourned with thoughts of the Prime Minister’s encouraging speech.