SIX U-BOATS SUNK

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24760, 7 December 1943, Page 3

SIX U-BOATS SUNK

ALLIED AIR ATTACKS BERIEB OF SUOCE3SEB THREE CONVOYS PROTECTED LONDON, Dec. 5 Another striking victory against U-boats iB recorded in a communique issued by the Air Ministry, which states that aircraft of the Coastal Command of the United States Navy, operating with the British Coastal Command, inflicted severe losses on U-boat packs which recently attempted to attack three Atlantic convoys. In these operations, which covered eight days, aircraft attacked 15 U-boats and six are known to have been sunk. On the first day two of the convoys were escorted by aircraft from Iceland. No U-boats were sighted near the convoy, but three were attacked by aircraft while sweeping the approaches. Next day Liberator bombers provided close cover, while Hndsons and Venturas, of the United States Navy, flew offensive sweeps in the neighbourhood. Survivors Seen In Water Soon after dawn a U-boat was attacked by a Hudson, but bad weather made it impossible to observe the results. Later a Ventura sighted a U-boat on the surface and straddled it with depth charges. The U-boat slowly lost way, settled by the bows and sank, leaving about 30 survivors in tl«e water. Two hours later a Liberator sighted another U-boat and made two attacks. Its depth charges exploded beneath the U-boat, which sank stern first, leaving between 20 and 25 survivors in the water. Anothar Liberator signalled that it was attacking a U-boat, but no further reports were received, and this aircraft and crew are missing. Toward nightfall a Hudson attacked another U-boat, but the results could not be seen owing to darkness. Oil and Wreckage Early on the third day a Hudson sank a U-boat, which left a patch of oil, debris and bodies floating in the vicinity. On the sixth day a Liberator attacked a U-boat which was on the surface near the third convoy. The U-boat dived, but an hour later the Liberator again attacked it when it came to the surface, and the submarine went dovyji stern first, leaving wreckage and bodies in the water. An hour and a-half , later another U-boat was destroyed by four Liberators, the submarine leaving between 15 and 20 survivors in dinghies. A sixth U-boat was destroyed by a Sunderland of a Royal Canadian Air Force souadron of the Coastal Command, the submarine leaving 15 survivors and much debris in the centre of a large patch of oil. Orews Congratulated The Commander-in-Chief Western Approaches, Admiral Sir Max Horton. sent his congratulations to the captains and air crews. He told them that such timely successes were likely to have a big effect on the enemy's renewed offensive in the battle of the Atlantic. • The aircraft which was lost was commanded by Wing-Commander R. M. Longmore, son of Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore, formerly Com-mander-in-Chief R.A.F., Middle East. NOTED PERSONALITIES MEMBERS OF DELEGATIONS (Reed. 10.45 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. f. Those present at the three-Power conference in Teheran included the following:— Britain. —The Foreign Secretary, Mr. Anthony Eden; Permanent Under-Sec-retary to the British Foreign Office, Sir Alexander Cadogan; the First Sea Lord, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Andrew Cunningham; the leader of the British Military Mission in Washington, Field Marshal Sir John Dill; the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, General Sir Alan Brooke; the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief-Marshal Sir Charles Portal; the deputy-Military Secretary to the British Cabinet, Major-General Sir Hastings Ismay; the British Ambassador to Moscow, Sir Archibald Clark Kerr; the head of the British Military Mission to Moscow, Lieutenant-General Gifford Le Quesne Martel; and Mrs. Vic Oliver (Mr. Churchill's daughter). United States. —The Presidents personal representative, Mr. Harry Hopkins; Chief of Staff to the President. Admiral William D. Leahy; the United States Ambassador to Moscow, Mr. Averell Harriman; the United States Ambassador to Britain, Mr. J. G. Winant; Chief of Staff United States Army, General George C. Marshall; Chief of United States Army Air Corps, Lieutenant-General H. H. Arnold; the President's representative in the Middle East. Brigadier-General Patrick J. Hurley; the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Atlantic and Pacific Fleets, Admiral E. J. King; and Lieu-tenant-Colonel Elliott Roosevelt. Russia.—The Foreign Affairs Commissar, M. Molotov; President of the Defence Committee, Marshal K. A. Voroshilov; Security Officer, ColonelGeneral Arcadiev. The names of Marshal Stalin's other military and civilian advisers have not been revealed, but Marshal Timoshenko and General Zhukov are believed to have been included in the delegation, says Renter's correspondent in Teheran. The presence of Lieutenant-Colonel Elliott Roosevelt in Teheran with the United States delegation recalls a message published on November 24, in which reference was made to a report from Berlin that a son of President Roosevelt had been shot down and taken prisoner during an air raid on Germany. Lieutenant-Colonel Elliott Roosevelt is the only son of the President in the United States Army Air Corps. Mrs. Roosevelt said at the time that she had received word from Elliott only a few days earlier, when he was all right.

INACCURATE WEAPONS meed. 6.35 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 The "War Department has reported that tests show that the latest design Japanese rifle and light machine gun are inaccurate over long distances Ordnance experts are at present tramming approximately 1100 major types of captured Japanese and German equipment consisting of 600,000 separate items.