ENEMY SUPPLY SHIP TORPEDOED

Southland Times, Issue 24438, 19 May 1941, Page 2

ENEMY SUPPLY SHIP TORPEDOED

(8.0.W.) RUGBY, May 15. : An Air Ministry communique states: i “An aircraft of the Coastal Command ■on patrol off the Dutch coast yesterday afternoon torpedoed a 5000-ton enemy supply ship, which was one of an escorted convoy. Our aircraft returned safely. The British aircraft was on offensive patrol skimming along the enemy-occupied coast close to sea level. Through the mist the pilot suddenly sighted a convoy of seven German vessels. The ships opened fire as the aircraft made its runs in just above the sea. The navigator machine-gunned the ship as the pilot released a torpedo, which was seen to run true. Then the navigator hurried to the observation cabin in time to see a large column of smoke rising through where the ship had been.”

Another Air Ministry report says highly successful bombing attacks were made on an enemy convoy when on Wednesday afternoon the Bomber Command attacked an escorted enemy convoy off the Frisian Islands. Three supply ships of about 5000, 4000 and 2000 tons were bombed and left burning. Shortly afterwards enemy fighters I attacked the British bombers. One i enemy fighter was shot down. One I British aircraft is missing. The Fighter Command on Wednesday made several offensive sweeps over the Channel and over northern France in the course of which several enemy aircraft were machine-gunned on the ground and one was shot down. Ships were machine-gunned from a low level and one was set on fire. None of our fighters is missing. It is now revealed chat the four docks of Brest have been attacked on 47 occasions. Cn 24 of these the German battle-cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were among the objectives. This was stated by the Under-Secre-tary for Air, Captain H. H. Balfour, in the House of Commons.