ENEMY SHIPPING ATTACKED

Southland Times, Issue 24565, 14 October 1941, Page 5

ENEMY SHIPPING ATTACKED

Successes Of Coastal Command (8.0.W.) RUGBY, October 12. Beauforts, Hudsons and Blenheims and fighters of the Coastal Command on Saturday night continued the offensive against enemy shipping and land targets on the Norwegian coast. From before midnight until near dawn aircraft crossed the North Sea and bombed and machine-gunned targets from Aalesund to Lister. Their successes included a medium-sized supply ship left in flames, two hits on a smaller vessel, a herring oil factory bombed, and aircraft and buildings on aerodromes riddled with machine-gun bullets. A large ship which was heavily escorted was found in Signe Fiord by a low-flying Hudson. Swinging round to bring the vessel into the moonlight the Hudson dived through a curtain of anti-aircraft fire to 20 feet. The pilot had to pull up sharply to clear the masts, but so low was the aircraft when bombs were unloaded that the second pilot heard them thudding on to the deck. Two bombs certainly scored hits and it is believed that two others also found their mark. A few seconds after the Hudson flew over the ship there was a series of violent explosions amidships on the vessel and a column of white smoke drifted up followed by sheets of flame.

When Beauforts 30 miles away patolling the coast near Aalesund located a smaller ship at anchor in the bay a low-level bombing attack was made and two hits were scored. Sparks and smoke rose and, as the Beauforts left, the ship appeared to be sinking rapidly. Another Hudson attacked an important herring oil factory on the Norwegian coast. High explosive and incendiary bombs were dropped and a shower of sparks first shot into the air. The pilot said: “I saw next an enormous column of greyish matter go up. I think it must have been some kind of oil. It rose 100 feet above the Hudson and spread out like a gigantic geyser.” Blenheim fighters made a roof-top machine-gun attack on Lister aerodrome, taking the place completely by surprise. The first Blenheim over saw a twin-engined aircraft about to take off. It was taxi-ing across the tarmac and the Blenheim swept low, sweeping the Nazi machine with bullets. Hie aircraft fired hundreds of rounds into the hangars and other buildings on the aerodrome.

On Friday night and early on Saturday morning disaster befell another enemy convoy which attempted a passage of the Central Mediterranean, saya the Air Ministry News Service. The convoy consisted of four medium and two large merchant vessels, including a tanker and escorted by five destroyers and aircraft. The gruelling attack to which it was subjected lasted intermittently for seven hours. The convoy was first attacked by naval aircraft. The destroyers, according to the description given by our pilots, were “milling around in all directions” and within 20 minutes three vessels had been hit bytorpedoes. An Air Ministry communique states: “Aircraft of the Bomber Command attacked Emden and other objectives in north-west Germany last night. Large fires were left burning. Coastal Command aircraft attacked two enemy supply ships off the Norwegian coast and the Frisian Islands. A fish-oil factory in Norway was also bombed. Aircraft of the Fighter Command on offensive patrol attacked enemy aerodromes in France. From the night’s operations one aircraft of the Coastal Command is missing.”