Nazi Plane Attacks Dinghy Fishermen

Northern Advocate, 13 February 1940, Page 3

Nazi Plane Attacks Dinghy Fishermen

(Received 3 p.m.) RUGBY, February 12. In a recent speech, Mr Chamberlain declared that Nazi raids on British fishing vessels is no war but murder. “The justice of this accusation,” says the “Yorkshire Post,” “is sharply revealed by the news today of contemptible attacks by German planes on a tiny fishing coble off the Yorkshire coast. “Two fishermen and a boy were out in a boat when two Nazi planes swooped down and tried to bomb and machine-gun them,” it is stated. “All they could do was to crouch and make for the shore. “Once their boat was blown clean out of the water by the explosion of a bomb. Sheer Frightfulness. “Attacks such as these can have no object, but sheer frightfulness. “Nazi airmen must get the same pleasure preying upon helpless fishermen as their Gestapo colleagues do in torturing Poles, Czechs and Jews. “Such a story as brought home by our Yorkshire fishermen is a crushing reply to the excuses offered by German newspapers that British fishing boats are armed to fight Nazi raiders, and that the attacks on them, are, therefore, honourable and legitimate. “What arms had these two men and a schoolboy? A boathook?”