TANKER TARGET

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 196, 21 July 1941, Page 5

TANKER TARGET

REPEATED ATTACKS. [(llec. 11.35 a.m.) RUGBY, July 21. Air losses during tile week ending dawn on July 20 total -17 Axis aeroplanes and -id British. Over Britain and the coast the Germans lost ten to tho R.A.l'.'s nil. Over Germany and German-occupied territory the enemy lost 22 and the R.A.E. forty. Jn the Middle East tho Axis lost 15 and the R.A.E. four. eux Ttiirrieanc pilots to-day attacked an enemy tanker off tho French coast and set it on fire, says the Air Ministry News Service. Two columns of black smoke, each 50ft high, were coming from the centre of'the tanker as the British aircraft flew away.

j While this attack was in progress six i other Hurricanes |KHtred thousands of ! machine-gun bullets into a flak-ship escorting the tanker. This attack was ; one of several that have been made on i enemy shipping by British fighters in j the last few days. Half-a-dozen Hurricanes attacked a flak-ship on Satj urday, streaking down one after another from 2500 ft to 50ft. After tho fourth of the six fighters had dived, all tho guns on the flak-ship stopped firing. Another attack on Saturday was made by a lone fighter pilot on a 1500-ton niotor-vesso] half a mile from the French coast. Diving down nearly to sea-level, lie blazed away with jus guns and cannon and stopped firing only when nearly flitting a mast. As lie broke away he saw flashes and small explosions, followed by smoke, coming from tho bridge l as tho vessel turned and made for the shore.

Formations of fighters swept over Northern France, but the few M esSerschmitts seen kept their distance, except one which was shot down.

An Air Ministry communique confirming the details of the attack on the tanker in the Channel, given above, states that later in the day Blenheims of the Bomber Command, with a fighter escort, bombed and hit the same target. From these operations two bombers are missing. Regarding air activity over Britain during the day an official communique says there is nothing to report.—Official Wireless.