RAIDERS COUNTERED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 February 1940, Page 5

RAIDERS COUNTERED

NAZI ATTACKS ON SHIPPING British Fighters Repulse Raiders (By Telegraph.—Press Association. —Copyright.) LONDON. January 30. The Nazi air force launched a. further vicions attack on British coastal •shipping today in raids which extended lor ;>()() miles along the east coast. At. least. 20 bombers participated. They again attacked a lightship in addition'l o a number of merchantmen under convoy Iml. failed to achieve the results obtained yesterday when merciless tactics were used, frosh accounts of which have been brought back by badly damaged ships and exhausted seamen reaching their home ports. In connection with the second successive day of the air attacks it is suggested by air critics that, knowing Europe is in the grip of the severest, winter for -Hi years, the German air ■staff has assumed’ that Britain’s fighter force would be immobilised. But from Aberdeen to the Kenf.ist. coast. Fighter Command patrols were ready Io drive off Iho German raiders looking for unarmed British and neutral merchant ships. Before they retired they left one bomber in the sea; and another was disabled.

Of the number of merchant vessels attacked those in convoy were protected by the naval escorts, which drove off the enemy with anti-aircraft fire.

From one North England fighter station two pilots got oft' at midday and, in spite of the poor visibility, brought down a Heinkel bomber which was trying to bomb a helpless fishing boat.

The two pilots sighted two I-lein-kels five miles away from their intended victim. The enemy tried to escape by flying low over the water, but the fighter pilots attacked again and again until one of the Heinkels was seen to dive into the sea and break up. Almost at the same time another Heinkel was intercepted by fighters off the Firth of Forth as he was trying to bomb a merchant ship. One of die fighters fired a belt of bullets and put the German rear gunner out of action before the Heinkel dived into a cloud. The Nazis unsuccessfully attacked the collier Coryton and the tanker British Triumph off the east coast. A bomber off the Durham coast shortly before dark circled an outward-bound steamer and dropped two bombs harmlessly before fleeing from the British fighters. A reconnaissance plane appeared off the coast early this morning and disappeared out to sea when fighters approached.

NAZI CLAIMS TEN BOATS REPORTED SUNK. LONDON, January 31. In a Berlin communique on the second series of raids it .was officially claimed that Germans sank seven armed merchantmen! and three patrolboats. One German plane was missing. The British Air Ministry authorises Ihe statement that the German claim to have brought down a British fighter aircraft in the previous day’s raids is untrue. RUTHLESS ATTACKS DEFENCELESS CREWS BOMBED AND MACHINE-GUNNED. ONLY ONE MERCHANT SHIP LOST. LONDON, January 30. In the raids yesterday the Nazis bombed and sank the small British steamer Stanburn. Only two of the 28 members of the crew survived, and both of these are in hospital. An east coast lifeboat was unable to locate the ship's boat, in which it is believed there were other survivors, though it picked up several bodies of members of the crew from the steamer

Gripfast, which was also attacked, but went to the Stanburn’s assistance. From the rescuing steamer a rope was thrown to a raft, on which some of the Stanburn’s men were clinging, but their hands were too frozen to hang on and all were washed off and not seen again.

The Nazis machine-gunned the Stanburn’s crew as they attempted to escape in their boat.

None of the several Grimsby trawlers which were machine-gunned were lost, but the skipper and mate of the trawler Rigoletto were killed when attempting to put out a fire caused by an incendiary bomb. When the Nazis returned they machine-gunned them. Machine-guns claimed victims in two other trawlers. Bullets maimed two deck-boys, who had taken refuge in the galley of one of the vessels. The complete ruthlessness of Nazi attacks on shipping is clearly shown in other details of the attacks. Two lightships at which the Nazi bombers directed their bombs and machineguns were vessels whose only object is the safety ol all shipping.

The lone survivor of the East Dud-, geon described how a Heinkel bomber flew over at 9.30 a.m., suddenly dived, and sprayed the docks with machinegun bullets. It then dropped nine bombs, the last of which hit the vessel. The crew took to a small boat, though only two were able to row. The others were alive at this time. Near the shore the boat capsized, and only one of the eight men was able to reach land.

Only one British ship is reported sunk in these attacks.

The Nazi propagandists have given up, all pretence that these aerial attacks are restricted to naval vessels, and they claim a great success in the sinking or damaging of merchant vessels, whether Allied or neutral.