COVERING OPERATIONS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 June 1940, Page 5

COVERING OPERATIONS

SOME DETAILS OF AIR AND NAVAL ACTIVITIES Much Bombing Behind Enemy Lines MANY WAR AND MERCHANT SHIPS ENGAGED THREE BRITISH DESTROYERS SUNK The withdrawal of the Allied armies from Dunkirk is still going - on, says a Daventry message. Yesterday ’thousands of French soldiers, dog tired but still full of fight, landed at a south-east port and others were taken to a French port. The R.A.F. has continued its operations in covering the withdrawal. In support of the Allied armies, an Air Ministry communique states, medium bombers attacked enemy concentrations, transports and supplies in the Dunkirk area and these operations were continued during the night by heavy bombers. At the same time, further formations of heavy bombers attacked enemy aerodromes and other military objectives in North-west Germany. All the British aircraft returned from these operations. Fighters continue to maintain their offensive patrols in the Dunkirk area. At Narvik six enemy planes were shot down on Saturday and Sunday. An Admiralty communique gives some details of the work of the Navy and merchant ships in the withdrawal of troops from Dunkirk. Altogether 222 British naval vessels and 655 other British craft and boats have been engaged. The destroyers Basilisk, Keith and Havant have been sunk. Out of 170 auxiliary craft only 24 have been sunk —mine sweepers, drifters and tugs. Losses were inflicted on German submarines and motor torpedo boats. Concrete filled ships have been sunk at Zeebrugge and other ports have been made virtually useless to the Germans. On land the Germans appear for the moment to have given up the idea of forcing the defences of Dunkirk and the flooded area around the city and instead they have been trying to prevent the embarkation of Allied troops by long-range gunfire and incessant air attack, but those operations have boon singularly unsuccessful. Two more British hospital ships the Worthing and the Paris, have been attacked by bombing and machine-gun fire by German planes off the coast of France. There were no troops on board, but a 17-year-old boy was killed. The Paris had to be abandoned and the Worthing has returned to port. Two British hospital shipse were last week reported to have been sunk at Dieppe. The Germans also attacked transports with fast torpedo boats armed with one torpedo tube, but these attacks met with little success. Aircraft sank several, sometimes with machine-gun fire.