FALSE CLAIMS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 April 1940, Page 6

FALSE CLAIMS

MADE BV THE GERMANS ALLEGED HEAVY DAMAGE TO WARSHIPS. ADMIRALTY GIVES FACTS. Uy Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received This Day, 10.30 a.m.) LONDON April 10. A German High Command communique claims that the German Air Force inflicted an "annihilating defeat” on British naval forces late yesterday. It says that “practically every enemy warship suffered direct hits from bombs of heaviest calibre. Four battleships were each struck by two or three bombs, two battle-cruisers each by one bornb. and two heavy cruisers by one and two bombs respectively. One heavy cruiser was set on fire by bombs and two transports were hit by one bomb each. A Sunderland flying-boat was shot down." The communique adds that the action forestalled by a narrow margin a British plan to occupy important. Nor-' wegian bases and was a victory unp.nr-1 alleled in history. (These claims have been denied ex- ■ plicitly by the British Admiralty.) The German News Agency admits' the British air attack on Bergen, but ' says the bombs missed all military objectives and fell into the water and on i moorlands. Severn] planes were so acts, ously damaged that they would mil be I able to reach home. It is confirmed in London that the I Royal Air Force bombers participating | in the Bergen raid all returned safely. I after a flight lasting for eight hours. I