DARING NAVAL RAID

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24969, 11 August 1944, Page 5

DARING NAVAL RAID

BRITISH TORPEDO BOATS GUNFIRE AT ST. H ELI ER (Reed. 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 10 British motor-torpedo boats have been active off the Channel Islands. Soon after dawn yesterday they made a daring incursion right into the roadstead of Jersey's main port, St. Helier. They caught two German minesweepers and gave them a jjuud plastering with gunlire before withdrawing. Off the island of Jersey our torpedoboats struck at an enemy convoy heading south toward St. Malo. Before the enemy could escape one ship was hit by a torpedo and another damaged by gunfire. Off the eoa.st of north-west France early yesterday, the Germans tried to move more of their shipping under cover of fog but our light coastal craft gave the enemy some surprises. Off Le Havre more of our light coastal forces found a German ship, obviously of some importance as it. was escorted by six U-boats. The ship was sunk and one R-boat was probably sunk.

"GHOST" snipers RUSE IN EMPTY VILLAGE (Reed 0.30 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 10 The story of a German "ghost," weapon found on the Orne River front is told b.v an Associated Press correspondent. He says the British troops storming into a village heard shots from the houses but coin bed them without finding a single sniper. The riddle was solved when a sharpeyed infantryman spotted a rope hanging from a rafter in one house. The rope was smoking like a slow burning fuse, which indeed it was. Three-foot: lengths of impregnated rope, each with seven paper cartridges, had been left dangling inside the houses like strings of Chinose crackers, to counterfeit the sound of troops firing. The Hermans had deserted tlio village .some hours previously. ST. MALO REFUGEES MASS EJECTION FROM TOWN (Rrrrl. 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, Autf. in While the Brittany port of St, Malo was besieged, the Germans drove 20.0D0 men, women and children out of the town into the American lines, reports TJ. B. Knickerbocker, correspondent of the New York P.M. "The Mayor told me that the civilians were herded in the streets last. Baturday. They were driven out of the town at a run on the threat of being shot. They were not allowed to take any baggage or food. Thev ran to the American lines at the risk of being shot if not recognised ns refugees. Those homeless people were camped behind the American lines a waiting the conquest of St. Malo to let them return to their homes." A Frenchman notified the Americans that the Germans in Lorient wished to surrender. Apparently two colonels were for surrender and ona against, j