POWERFUL BLOW

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 March 1942, Page 3

POWERFUL BLOW

STRUCK BY COMBINED BRITISH FORCE In Daring and Successful Raid on St. Nazaire DOCK GATE AND HARBOUR EQUIPMENT DESTROYED FORMER AMERICAN DESTROYER USED AS EXPLOSION SHIP LONDON, March 29. A daring and successful raid was made yesterday by British forces against the enemy-occupied port and submarine base of St Nazaire, on the French Atlantic coast south of Brittany. The raid was carried out by light forces of the Royal Navy, special service troops and aircraft of the K.A.F. It was directed primarily against the gate of the large dry dock and harbour installations at St Nazaire. A communique from the Combined Operations Headquarters makes it clear that the main purpose of the raid—the destruction of the dry dock gate and harbou? installations at St Nazaire —was successfully carried out. All the, German precautions to protect this dock, the only one on the Atlantic coast able to accommodate the German battleship Tirpitz, proved a failure. A former American destroyer, the H.M.S. Cambeltown, rammed the main dock gate at 1.34 a.m., only four minutes late on the programme time. The Cambeltown had had her bows specially stiffened and filled with five tons of high explosive. A delayed action fuse had been fitted to give our forces sufficient time to complete other demolition work and withdraw before the main explosion took place. The Cambeltown was driven with such force against the dock that she came to a stop with her bridge abreast of the gates. Our special service force landed and destroyed the pumping station and dock opening gear. This and other demolition work was carried out according to plan. One of our motor torpedo-boats fired two delayed-action torpedoes at the entrance to the U-boat basin. Motor launches took off the gallant crew of the Cambeltown. The Germans were taken completely by surprise and in the panic fired indiscriminately on their own men as well as on the raiding force. Shells from one of the enemy’s six-inch guns sank one of their own anti-aircraft ships when she was firing on our forces. The British troops began their withdrawal in motor launches, which were attacked by German torpedo-boats. The latter were driven off by escorting British destroyers. At 4 a.m., while our forces were on their way back, they heard a big explosion, followed by a smaller one—4 a.m. was the time the delayed-action bombs were set to go off. There were low clouds over the area of operations and some of our aircraft taking part did not release any bombs for fear of inflicting casualties on the French civilian population. On the way back several air battles took place between Beaufighters, Hudsons and Blenheims of the Coastal Command, which protected our forces, and enemy planes. One German plane was intercepted and shot down but as it fell it fouled a Beaufighter, which also crashed into the sea. A number of enemy aircraft were damaged. One other British plane is also missing. Some of the British forces were prevented from withdrawing by enemy machine-gun fire. Early this morning a naval vessel, with the White Ensign at half-mast, drew quietly into the quay at a British port. Ambulances were waiting to take wounded men to hospital. The wounded were cheerful and pleased that the task they had undertaken had been carried out.

NAZI REPORTS

FAILURE OF THE RAID ALLEGED. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) LONDON, March 28. The Berlin radio, quoting a German High Command communique, stated that British naval forces last night attempted to land in the Loire Estuary in order to attack the submarine base at St. Nazairc and destroy the harbour gates. Under fire from the German naval batteries, an old American destroyer loaded with explosives with which it was planned to ram the lock gates, blew up before it attained its objective. Such enemy forces as succeeded in landing attempted to attack the dock and penetrate into the town, but were wiped out. “As far as is known we destroyed cne destroyer, nine speedboats and four torpedo-boats, apart from heavy losses by the enemy, who left more than 100 prisoners in our hands,” it stated. “The submarine base is undamaged.” The German High Command, amplifying the statement, reported: “Shortly after midnight waves of enemy planes bombed St. Nazaire, apparently intending to divert the attention of the coastal defences. While our antiaircraft defences were still in action against the planes, large British naval forces attempted to penetrate the Loire Estuary, but naval batteries discovered and fired on them. The enemy had drawn up plans on the model of the Zeebrugge enterprise in the last war. “Developments occurred at great speed. While speedboats and assault boats were rushing toward various points of the coast, an old American destroyer laden with explosives set its course on the sluice gates. Under the fire of our naval batteries, the destroyer blew up before reaching the sluice. Simultaneously British torpedoboats, speed-boats and assault boats were sunk by coastal fire. Some enemy ships succeeded in landing troops, but these were dispersed by attacks in which units of all three branches of the German forces participated. With their i retreat cut off, the British forces took refuge in the surrounding houses, where they gave themselves up. “German torpedo-boats at dawn, while pursuing the few remaining fleeing units, encountered British destroyers waiting off the Loire Estuary. The German forces opened fire, precipitating a running fight with torpedo attacks. In spite of a smoke-screen the enemy offered' a clear target and five torpedo hits were scored. ’