ENEMY CRUISER HIT

Taranaki Daily News, 18 September 1940, Page 7

ENEMY CRUISER HIT

By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.

British Official Wireless.

BOMBER PLANE SCORES NAZI CONVOYS ATTACKED

Rugby, Sept. 16. Successful attacks on enemy shipping were a feature of the night's operations by Royal Air Force planes of the coastal command. An enemy cruiser sighted off Terschelling Island just before midnight was hit by a high explosive bomb from a heavy bomber which at once came under intense fire from the warship. The bomber had the leading edge of its starboard wing and part of its tail unit shot away, a landing wheel punctured and many bullet holes in the wings, but despite the damage was brought safely to its base. A supply ship of 5000 tons was attacked by another heavy bomber while at anchor at Ijmuiden and left in a sinking condition after several direct hits were scored on it, Tanker Bombed. A 6000-ton oil tanker was seen steaming westward without lights. It was also intercepted and attacked with bombs and machine-gun fire from a height of only 500 feet. Two direct hits were scored, one op the after part of the vessel and the other amidships. »- Other aircraft of the coastal command attacked German convoys- and again struck heavily at shipping concentrations on the Channel coast. ^ The first convoy was attacked/off the Dutch coast by a Iludson aircraft. The pilot dived on the nearest large ship and sank it with his bombs. Then he machine-gunned an armed trawler and followed this by thoroughly machinegunning an E-boat which was escorting the convoy. After that the pilot resumed his patrol. The second German convoy was stationary off the Dutch coast when 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 wa's peppered with splinters from the ship, which is believed to have been sunk.