Smashing Blows At Nazi Harbours

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 221, 17 September 1940, Page 7

Smashing Blows At Nazi Harbours

HAVOC AMONG SHIPS Large Concentrations Repeatedly Hammered

(British Official Wireless.—Rec. 11.30 a.m.) RUGBY, September 1 6. A German supply ship, which was sunk while at anchor at a North Holland port, last night by aircraft of the Coastal Command, is stated officially to have been of 5000 tons. Other aircraft of the Coastal Command attacked German convoys and again struck heavily at shipping concentrations on the Channel coast. Tlle , first convoy was attacked off the Dutch coast by a Hudson aircraft. The pilot dived on the nearest large ship and sank it with his bombs. Then he machine-gunned an armed |£awler and followed this by thoroughly machine-gunning an E-boat which was escorting a convoy. After that the pilot resumed his patrol. A second German convoy was stationary off the Dutch coast when it was attacked by another patrolling Hudson at dawn to-day. The pilot dived on one of the ships in semi-darkness and let go three bombs. One at least struck home, for as the Hudson pulled out of the dive it was peppered with splinters from the ship, which is believed to have been sunk. Last night s attacks oft concentrations of German vessels at Channel ports were made by waves of Blenheims. Two ships were damaged when Blenheims attacked a convoy off Sangatte, near Calais. The main attack, however, was rejerved for Le Havre, where pilots of the first wave of Blenheims saw four large ships moored alongside the deep water quay. Repeated salvoes of bombs struck squarely on the quay. There were fires when the Blenheims flew away. Pilots in the second Wave made their atta-ck in bright moonlight. Amid intense anti-aircraft fire the Blenheims dived over , the harbour and bombed systematically. burst among the ships and direct hits were seen on a fishtail pier, the Jeanne* couvert quay, th|e Quai de New York and a deep water quay. Damaged ships, shattered masonry and stone houses were the results of the bombings. Sir Archibald Sinclair, Secretary for Air, passed the following message to the Coastal Command, "I have been asked by the War Cabinet to convey to all squadrons of the Coastal Command their admiration of the skill and courage with which they have carried otit the arduous but often unspectacular tasks allotted to them, and of the enterprise and success with which in recent days they have struck at the harbour, shipping and coastal defences of the enemy."