HIT BY BOMBS

Waikato Times, Volume 129, Issue 21525, 13 September 1941, Page 7

HIT BY BOMBS

ATTACKS ON CONVOY AIR FORCE ACTIVITY SURPRISE FOR GERMANS (Omcial Wireless) (Received Sept. 13, 11.30 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 12 Diving low over a German convoy in bright moonlight off the coast of Norway last night, a Hudson aircraft of the Coastal Command scored two on the leading ship—a medium-sized supply vessel, stated the Air Ministry News Service. A stick of heavy delayed-action bombs was released when the Hudson was at little more than deck-high and the pilot had climbed steeply clear of the ship’s masts. As the Hudson swept over the convoy the rear gunner and the wireless operator saw a violent explosion in the ship which they had attacked. The escort vessels with the convoy opened up heavy anti-aircraft fire, but the Hudson returned to the base undamaged. Hudsc.ns of another Coastal Command squadron attacked a large convoy off the Dutch coast early this morning, scoring hits on one large and one medium-sized supply ship, i The convoy was sighted off Terschelling by a Canadian sergeantpilot, who selected a large ship for a target. The attack was delivered so swiftly that the Germans were taken completely by surprise and the Hudson encountered no opposition from the convoy. A second Hudson bombed a smaller ship and an explosion was seen on board. The docks at Haugesund and an aerodrome near Stavanger, in Southern Norway were bombed last night by Beaufort aircraft of the Coastal Command. Three aircraft of the Bomber Command are missing. Another Attack on Kiel A.n Air Ministry communique states: Last nignt aircraft of the Bomber Command attacked objectives in Northern Germany, including Kiel and the Baltic port of Rostock. The weather was not good but considerable forces bombed targets at both places and left large fires burning. The docks at Le Havre and Boulogne were also bombed. An Admiralty communique states: An enemy bomber which attempted to attack one of cur convoys was promptly shot down in flames by ; H.M.S. Vimiera. No damage or I casualties were suffered by our conj voy or its escorts. This was the third enemy aircraft shot down by the Vimiera while escorting convoys. Unceasing British Attacks The unceasing British attacks on enemy shipping were continued to- ! day, when bombers damaged one of : the larger ships in a convoy off the i Dutch coast. An Air Ministry com- | munique states: “Early this afternoon ] noon Blenheim aircraft of the i Bomber Command, escorted by ! fighters, attacked an enemy convoy j oil' the Dutch coast. One of the j larger ships was hit and set on fire and left with a heavy list to port.

Aircraft of the Fighter Command this afternoon carried out offensive operations over the North Sea and the coast of Holland. In the course of these offensives one enemy fighter was destroyed. One of ours is missing. Exaggerated Nazi Claims Wildly exaggerated Nazi claims of the results of an air attack on a British North Sea convoy are disposed of in an Admiralty communique, which states: “It is now known that in addition to the enemy bomber shot down by H.M.S. Vimiera in an air attack on one of our convoys in the North Sea last night a second enemy aircraft was damaged. One small merchant ship was damaged, but it is now safely in harbour, and one man lost his life in another merchant ship. Several attacks were made by the enemy, but the majority were driven off by the fire of the escorts and the defensive armament of the merchant ships in the convoy. A German High Command communique today claims that the German air force last night sank three freighters, totalling 21,000 tons, out of a strongly-protected convoy south-east of Yarmouth. In fact no ship was sunk and the ship damaged was under 3000 tons. German Bases Attacked Last night British bombers attacked two bases which supply and shelter German naval units operating against the Russian Baltic Fleet, states the Air Ministry News Service. One base is at Kiel and the other at Rostock, a port eight miles up the River Warnow from the coast and almost due north of Berlin. A great deal of railway traffic carried to and from Denmark by the train ferry goes through the town. It is the most important city in the Province of Mecklenburg, and has docks, shipyards and factories.

There were clouds over Rostock, but visibility was good beneath them and there were gaps. After so long a journey the crews were not to be baffled by the weather, and they searched carefully for clear intervals or dived well below the clouds. A Hampden pilot dived several thousand feet below the clouds and from only 1200 feet got his bombs into the ship-building yards causing a tremendous explosion. A seaplane base in the neighbourhood was bombed and a fire started. At Kiel there was less cloud and the results of the bombing were very evident. Raid on Suez Fails A Royal Air Force Middle East communique states: “During last night enemy aircraft attempted to raid a locality in the Suez Canal zone. Several bombs were dropped but no damage was caused to military property or to shipping. Royal Air Force fighters quickly engaged the enemy, and as a result cne raider was shot down in flames and became a total wreck. Others were intercepted and are believed to have been damaged.”