FACTS STATED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 March 1940, Page 5

FACTS STATED

NAZI RAID ON SCAPA FLOW

EXPOSURE OF UNFOUNDED CLAIMS. SLIGHT DAMAGE DONE TO ONE WARSHIP. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, March 17. The claims of the German High Command to have damaged “three battleships and a cruiser,” to say nothing of “probable damage to two further warships” in .Saturday evening’s Sea pa Flow raid are received with interest by British naval and air circles. The claim to have bombed airfields evokes surprise.

The dropping of bombs on land resulting in the death of one civilian, injury to several more, and the destruction of five cottages—presumably in the middle of an “airfield” —had hitherto been thought to be a result of haste and faulty aiming on the part of the Nazi airman, though the village so attacked is about five miles from the harbour. The actual military advantage gained by the Nazis is seven casualties among naval personnel and slight damage to one warship, whereas the raiders lost one aeroplane, which was brought down, and several were damaged. Some light is thrown on the Nazi method of assessing results of air raids when it is realised that German machines are accompanied by members of Dr. Goebbels’s "special corps of war correspondents,” one of whom Guenther Kleingaertner, was killed, according to an obituary notice in the ‘Voelkischer Beobachter,” during the raid on England on March 2. It is interesting to note, in comparing the care with which British reports arc compiled, that no aeroplane was claimed by the R.A.F. to have been brought down on March 2 as the evidence given, by fishermen, that a Nazi bomber crashed in the sea was considered insufficient.

R.A.F. fighters- intercepted four enemy bombers off the Scottish coast and damaged two of them, one of which is unlikely to reach its base.

According to the German wireless, British patrol vessels were attacked by Nazi aircraft today. Though there is no official confirmation, agency messages say that two bombers attacked the Aberdeen cargo vessel Redhall and the trawlers Mirabella, Avondee and Braconlea. According to these reports, the German bombers ceased their attacks when met with machinegun fire and were finally chased away by British fighters. No damage was done to any ship, except that the Redhall was si ruck by machine-gun bullets. It is now believed that these Nazi bombers are those referred to in the Air Ministry as having been damaged when driven off. SKY THE LIMIT FURTHER GERMAN CLAIMS. BERLIN, March 18. The commander of the squadron responsible for bombing Scapa Flow claimed direct hits with the largest bombs on the Hood, Repulse, Renown and an unnamed cruiser. He said all the Heinkels returned, some slightly damaged. BOMBS ON KIRKWALL TREES & HOUSES SET ON FIRE. LONDON, March I'B. The Scapa Flow raiders came down to 2000 feet over Kirkwall. Bombs fell every few minutes, scattering debris 40 feet into the air and setting fire to trees and homes. The Nazi raid was made when twilight was falling. Nearly 100 explosive and incendiary bombs were dropped in 85 minutes. Berlin has put out its usual boast, but actually only one warship was slightly damaged. More than 50 high explosive bombs fell in the west mainland area of the Orkneys, and also scores of smaller incendiary bombs, one of which set fire to a haystack.