DAYLIGHT RAIDS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 June 1941, Page 5

DAYLIGHT RAIDS

BY BOMBER & COASTAL COMMANDS HEAVY DAMAGE DONE AT ZEEBRUGGE ENEMY SHIPS SUNK OR SET ON FIRE. SWIFT DESTRUCTION OF TANKER. LONDON, June ix. Planes of the Bpniber and Coastal Commands of the R.A.F. have made particularly successful daylight raids on the enemy base at Zeebrugge and on shipping. Coastal Command aircraft dived through a thick,bank of clouds and attacked a 3,000ton ship tied up to the Zeebrugge mole. Bombs were seen to strike the mole elose to the ship.

The results of previous raids were also seen. One ship could be seen submerged in the middle of the harbour and another listing heavily was alongside the mole. No British plane was hit by the ■ heavy anti-aircraft barrage put up, but the Germans probably succeeded in bringing down one of their own planes, as one of two enemy fighters was seen diving steeply towards the sea. Another base was also attached and a small enemy patrol ship was sunk. A German seaplane was shot down, An attack on an enemy tanker in the Straits of Dover lasted one minute. In that time seven bombs made direct hits and three others fell close by. The 5000-ton tanker was ablaze, the decks were awash and she was listing heavily when last seen. An enemy supply ship of 2000 tons was torpedoed off the Norwegian coast during the night. One British plane is missing.

ATTACK ON BREST SCHARNHORST & GNEISENAU STILL THERE. PRINCE EUGEN BELIEVED TO BE SHELTERING. LONDON. June 11. A strong force of Royal Ail” Force bombers last night attacked the docks at Brest where the German cruiser Prinz Eugen is believed to be shelter-' ing along with the battle-cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Prinz Eugen was in company with Bismarck when the latter was engaged olf Greenland and eluded our forces in the subsequent chase. A large load of bombs was dropped on the Brest docks. MESSERSCHMITT CRASHES AFTER BEING ENGAGED BY NAVAL CRAFT. LONDON. June 11. An Admiralty communique states: “On Monday afternoon a Messerschmitt 109 was engaged by H.M.S. Blencathra. The German plane was seen to be severely damaged, and it is now known that it crashed four miles inland. H.M.S. Blencathra suffered neither damage nor casualties.