BRUTAL OUTRAGE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 July 1940, Page 6

BRUTAL OUTRAGE

NAZI ATTACK ON FRENCH LINER VESSEL MACHINE-GUNNED PRIOR TO TORPEDOING. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright! (Received This Day, 12.50 p.m.) LONDON. July 25. “The explosion of the torpedo which sank the Meknes, killed several men outright,” said a survive.r. “We barely had time to launch the boats. Hundreds jumped overboard and clung to rafts until picked up.” An officer on the bridge of the Meknes at 1.30 heard motor engines, and the wake of a strange vessel. Mach-ine-guns immediately fired on the Meknes, which stopped and whistled to indicate that she had stopped. She then signalled: “Who are you?” There was no reply, whereupon the Meknes signalled her name and nationality several times. The machine-gunning continued, after which heavier fire from a small-calibre gun rendered unseaworthy the port lifeboats. The Maknes was torpedoed at 10.55 and soon sank.

British warships landed survivors, including 120 officers and 41 men who were taken to hospital. GERMAN REPORT (Recevicd This Day. 11.10 a.m.) BERLIN. July 25. A communique states: "One of our speed-boats sank an 18.000-ton armed merchantman oil Portland. The above is taken to relate to the French liner Meknes. “German fighters attacked shipping on the English coast and also industrial plants in south-east England and Scotland. Three merchantmen received direct hits and probably were lost. Our planes attacked the Vickers aircraft factory at Welbridge, destroying four planes on the ground and also bombed industrial plants at Great Yarmouth and Glasgow. "Violent dogfights occurred during an attack on a convoy, resulting in six enemy planes being shot down. “Enemy machines penetrated north Germany last night. The enemy yesterday lost 10 planes. Six of ours are missing.”