FIFTEEN-HOUR ATTACK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 May 1941, Page 6

FIFTEEN-HOUR ATTACK

HUNDREDS OF NAZI BOMBERS ENGAGED EPIC BATTLE BETWEEN AIR AND NAVAL FORCES. GERMAN CONVOYS DISPERSED. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright* (Received This Day, 1.5 p.m.) LONDON, May 27. ’ The greatest air versus sea battle of all time, staged northward of Crete, culminated on May 22, when the Germans flung in hundreds of bombers, subjecting the Navy to an incessant fifteen-hour attack. The warships' guns blazed throughout, the day until red hot. The air was filled with the scream of bombs, tho roar of planes, the crashing of shells and tho blasting of pompoms. The fleet was unprotected by fighters and the German planes swooped at will, machine-gunning and bombing the crews of the sunken cruisers and destroyers while they were swimming for their lives. The attack followed the smashing of i one German convoy and the dispersal of another. The British naval forces entered the Aegean Sea on May 20 to prevent seaborne landing on Western Crete. That night eight E-boats attacked but were repelled and at least three were sunk. The Juno was. hit by a stick of bombs and plunged to the bottom within seventy minutes. Reconnaissance reports on the night of May 21 indicated that an attempt at the seaborne invasion of Crete had started and it was this convoy which was broken up. Meanwhile other units, which found the shores of Candia all quiet during tho night, continued at dawn to search northward towards Milos. Throughout these days the Germans bombed the'ships heavily but hell was let' loose at dawn of May 22. the battle fleet then going eastward through the Straits of Kythera to assist the hard-pressed squadron, which had been dispersing the convoy. Some planes at 5.30 a.m. attacked cruisers and others the battle fleet. The bombing continued, with only half an hour’s respite, until 8.15 p.m. At least 500 planes participated, over one hundred attacking simultaneously.