MINES LAID

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24407, 19 September 1940, Page 7

MINES LAID

ENEMY HARBOURS EXTENSIVE SCALE R.A.F. OPERATIONS CEASELESS DESTRUCTION '(By Wireless)

LONDON. Sept. 18. (Received Sept. 18, at 11.45 p.m.)

Information has been released by the Air Ministry that bomber units have completed the task of laying mine fields in all enemy harbours from Norway to the Bay of Biscay Since the first mine was laid late in May British planes have flown hundreds of thousands of miles, and in some harbours mines have been laid within a stone’s throw of the quayside In these operations the losses of British planes have been remarkably small. Thirty mine fields have been laid, and already many enemy ships have been lost The bombers also carried a few bombs, in case they should meet enemy ships during the operations, and it is reported that a 7000-ton supply ship was bombed and probably sunk, as it received a direct hit. while a German tanker was also bombed and machine-gunned. Following the dispersal of the German ship and barge concentrations by the gale of the past day or so, steps were immediately taken by the Royal Air Force to discover their new ports of refuge, and the Air Ministry has now issued a communique stating that large-scale attacks have been carried out on enemy ships and barges, as well as centres of communication and certain targets in Germany.