NAZI RAIDS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 December 1939, Page 9

NAZI RAIDS

ON BRITISH & NEUTRAL SHIPPING COASTERS AND TRAWLERS ATTACKED. MANY SEAMEN KILLED OR WOUNDED. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. LONDON,- December 18. It is revealed that German planes made a series of attaccks on a total of 14 British and neutral merchantmen and fishing vessels in the raids yesterday in the North Sea and English Channel. Together with the small British mot-or-vessel Serenity, the trawlers New Choice, Compagnus, Pearl and Isabel Greig were bombed and sunk. There were many deaths from bombs and intensive machine-gunning of the crews. The Admiralty announces that the trawler Evelina, with a crew of nine, and the trawler Sedgefly, with a crew of 16, are overdue and are presumed to be lost. The names of the members of the crews are published as believed killed. The Tuscan Star (11.449 tons) was attacked with bombs and the second wireless operator was killed. The Germans then machine-gunned the vessel. The trawler Craiglea was machinegunned and two members of the crew wounded. The Eileen Wray has reached port leaking. Other vessels attacked, were the trawlers Benclair, Dervish, Sheldon, Arnold Bennett and Dromio, and the Italian ship Valentino Coda (4486 tons) Two German planes attacked the Eileen Wray. The first dropped eight bombs and the other machine-gunned the crew 16 times as they were lowering the boats. The Compagnus was attacked in the same manner. Machine-gun bullets killed a member of her crew as he raced across the deck, and wounded another. A bomb penetrated the en-gine-room. The crew took to a boat and was picked up by another trawler. The Pearl was attacked off the east coast and three men were wounded. Two R.A.F. coastal command machines sighted 10 survivors of the New Choice in an open boat 100 miles from the Scottish coast and guided a drifter to the scone. The men were picked up suffering from exposure. A German communique claims that German planes reconnoitred fanshape the whole of the North Sea from the Shetland Islands to Portsmouth and attacked and sank two patt-ol ships and damaged three warships. London circles deny that German planes reached Portsmouth. They state that the German claims refer to trawlers, not warships.

ENEMY CLAIMS BERLIN, December 19. The official news agency enlarges on the claims of the earlier German communique in reference to the attack on merchant and fishing vessels and says two patrol vessels and two other ships were sunk and three other war vessels, among them two steamers of 2500 tons, showed heavy lists.

MORE DETAILS ATTACKS ON DEFENCELESS SHIPS. ADMIRALTY AND AIR MINISTRY REPORT. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10 a.m.) RUGBY, December 19. r Fuller details of the new campaign of terrorism launched by Nazi airmen against defenceless British and neutral shipping were referred to by Mr Winston Churchill in his broadcast have been disclosed in a joint Admiralty and Air Ministry statement. Bombing attacks were made on Sunday on 14 merchant and fishing vessels in the North Sea and in most cases the men on their decks were machinegunned. Two men have been killed and six injured. Eleven of the ships were fishing trawlers. Two were motor-vessels and one was an Italian steamer. One motor-ship and four trawlers were sunk. Royal Air Force fighters twice flew to the rescue of ships, but the raiders hastily made off. though some damage was inflicted by British machine-gun-

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