Nazis’ Cowardly Attacks On Defenceless Trawlers

Northern Advocate, 21 December 1939, Page 6

Nazis’ Cowardly Attacks On Defenceless Trawlers

(Received 2.30 p.m.) RUGBY, December 20

X'HE RECENT GERMAN CAMPAIGN OF BOMBING AND MACHINE-GUNNING UNARMED TRAWLERS AND SMALL FISHING VESSELS, WHICH IS CREATING CONSIDERABLE INDIGNATION HERE, IS GENERALLY CONSIDERED TO HAVE RESULTED FROM THE FAILURE OF THE GERMAN EN- * DEAVOUR IN THE ILLEGAL MINE-SOWING CAMPAIGN AND IN ALL OTHER FORMS OF SEA WARFARE.

The skipper of the trawler Isabella Grieg, gives an account of how his ship was bombed and machine-gunned by a German aircraft last Sunday—-an example typical of many such eowiardly • and merciless attacks.

....... “Our..trawl was down, ” he said, “when two aircraft, which I recognised as twin-engined Hcinkels, were sighted, coming from east-south-east. ” v

* Machine-gun Fire, Bombs. “The trawler’s crew of 10 took cover. “The aircraft came on, flying low, and passed one on each side of the trawlers. “The rear gunners fired their machine-guns. “Altogether they circled us eight times, with their wing ,tips nearly touching the water ,as they turned. “Besides machine-gunning us,” he said, “They dropped between 15 and 20 bombs. “During one. short respite the crew started to lower their boat, but the planes returned and opened heavy •fire, wounding two men.” The skipper, meanwhile, had got off a distress signal. Boat Riddled With Bullets. Finally the boat was lowered and put into the water, riddled with bullets, and the water barrel was punctured. When the boat was 500 yards away from the trawler which was still afloat, the aircraft returned and opened fire on the boat, luckily without result, and dropped three more bombs. British aeroplanes then appeared and the Germans made off in the direction of home. The trawler was entirely unarmed, and flying the British merchant flag. Gave No Wanting. The Germans gave no warning, and had apparently flown 350 miles for the purpose of attacking fishermen. Evening papers gave details of further similar outrages. The trawler Trinity was bombed and machine-gunned in the North Sea yesterday.. The survivors, while escaping, were machine-gunned in the water by the Nazi, bombers. Two were killed and one wounded. Last night the German announcer brazenly admitted air attacks on 24 defenceless fishing vessels, and tried to excuse them by describing the vessels .as warships and naval auxiliary.

Six Trawlers Attacked.

A German bomber, flying over the North Shetlands, attacked six unarmed trawlers. One reached an island with two men dead and two wounded. A mine sank the Danish steamer Bogo (1214 tons). A trawler picked up the crew. The Berlin official news agency enlarges on the claims made in earlier German communiques with reference to the attacks on merchant and fishing vessels. It says that two patrol boats and two other ships were sunk, and three other war vessels, among them two steamers of 2500 tons, showed heavy lists.