CONVOY ATTACKED

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 141, 16 May 1941, Page 5

CONVOY ATTACKED

BY BRITISH BOMBERS

SHIPS SET, ALIGHT. (United Press Association—Copyright) (British Official Wireless.)

(Bee. 12 noon) 11UGBY, May 15. The Air Ministry reports highly successful bombing attacks on an enemy convoy. This afternoon, aircraft of the Bomber Command attacked an escorted enemy convoy off the Frisian Islands. Three supply ships, of about 5000, 4000 and 2000 tons, were bombed and left burning.

Shortly afterwards enemy fighters attacked our bombers and one enemy fighter was shot down. One of our aircraft is missing.

The Fighter Command to-day made several offensive sweeps over the Channel and Northern France in the course of which several enemy aircraft were machine-gunned on the ground and one was shot down. Ships were mach-ine-gunned from a low level a.nd one set on fire. None of our fighters is missing. AIRCRAFT TORPEDOES VESSEL.

An Air Ministry communique states that an aircraft of the Coastal Command, on patrol off the Dutch Coast, yesterday afternoon torpedoed a 5000ton enemy supply ship which was one of an escorted convoy. Our aircraft returned safely. The British aircraft was on an offensive patrol, skimming along the enemy-occupied coast close to sea level. Through the mist the pilot suddenly sighted a convoy of seven German vessels. The ships opened fire aa the aircraft made its runs in just above the sea. The navigator machinegunned the ship as the pilot released the torpedo, which was seen to run true. Then the navigator hurried to the observation cabin in time to see I a large column of smoke rising through where the ship had been. Four docks at Brest have been attacked on -17 occasions, on 24 ol which the German battle-cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were among the objectives, the Under-Secretary for Air (Captain Balfour) stated in the House of Commons.