LIST OF SUCCESSES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 September 1941, Page 6

LIST OF SUCCESSES

AGAINST ENEMY WARSHIPS & SUPPLY VESSELS SINKINGS IN THE ARCTIC & MEDITERRANEAN. BRILLIANT WORK BY BRITISH LIGHT FORCES. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 12.55 p.m.) RUGBY, September 9. From Murmansk to the Mediterranean comes further evidence of the success of Britain’s offensive against the Axis powers. An Admiralty communique states: ‘'Light forces, under the- command of Rear-Admiral. P. L. Vian have been operating against German convoys and troops on the Murmansk front. These operations have been successful. A German destroyer, an armed trawler and another vessel were sunk. The German light cruiser Gremse was damaged by a naval aircraft raid on Kirkenes in July and is believed to have been sunk, while other ships probably were damaged. We sustained no casualties. "'An enemy convoy, of two supply ships, with a strong escort, was intercepted and attacked last night by our patrols in the English Channel. In the first attack, just before midnight, one supply ship of about 3,500 tons was hit by a torpedo, obviously badly damaged and probably sunk. While the enemy convoy was being shadowed after the first attack, an. engagement occurred between our ships and the enemy convoy escort. In this engagement one E-boat was probably sunk and an armed trawler was set on fire. Shortly afterwards, a second attack was made on the enemy convoy, and in this attack, the remaining supply ship, of about 4,000 tons, was torpedoed. This caused a very big explosion , and much wreckage was seen thrown into the air. The sinking of this ship was confirmed by air reconnaissance this morning, when the masts of a new wreck and much wreckage were seen. The only casualties suffered by our ships during the operations were four men wounded. One of the vessels which torpedoed and sank a supply ship was a motor torpedo-boat, manned by men of the Norwegian Navy. “A large Italian, schooner has been torpedoed and sunk by one of our submarines in the Central Mediterranean.

“Off the harbour of Benghazi, another of our submarines engaged two self-propelled supply lighters by gunfire. Both were hit and damaged and one may have been sunk.”