VERY LITTLE DAMAGE

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21188, 10 August 1940, Page 7

VERY LITTLE DAMAGE

NAZIS PAY DEARLY ATTACKS IN THE CHANNEL (Official Wireless) (Received August 10, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, August 9 Authoritative figures relating to the losses to shipping in yesterday’s air attack on convoys in the Channel are given in London and effectively dispose of the claims in to-day’s German communique. In the first attack, which took place in darkness and was carried out by E.-boats, three small ships were sunk, as announced by the Admiralty last night. Their total tonnage was approximately 2500. One Eboat was sunk by gunfire and another is believed to have very seriously damaged. According to the German claims this attack accounted for three ships with a total tonnage of 17,000. It is significant comment on this claim that the aggregate tonnage of the whole convoy, which consisted of j over twenty ships, was only about 18,000 tons.

During the succeeding air attacks j by day the Germans claim to have ! sunk twelve ships, totalling between 50,000 and 55,000 tons, and damaged seven others. The latter part of the claim is correct. Se\#n ships wer. damaged and have been brought safely into port. All these ships were | small, only two being over 1000 tons. Two ships, totalling 2540 tons, were sunk. Thus, out of a convoy of well over twenty ships (on these voyages some ships leave the convoy for coastal ports and others join the convoy, making it difficult to give the exact numbers), for a cost of at least 60 planes and their irreplaceable crews, one E-boat sunk and one badly damaged, Germany destroyed 5039 tons of shipping, damaged about the same amount, and destroyed 16 British fighters. A feature of the convoy protection was the first recorded presence of a barrage balloon. Claims By Germany A Nazi communique says: Our motor torpedo boats attacked a stronglyprotected convoy on the night of August 7. Despite intense defence from the accompanying enemy destroyers, from the other convoy units, and from the strongly-armed merchantmen themselves, we sank an 8000-ton tanker, a 5000-ton steamer, and a 4000-ton steamer, and set fire to a smaller tanker. Our torpedoboats returned undamaged. German dive-bombers, with an escort of fighters, attacked stronglyguarded British convoys southward of the Isle of Wight on August 8. Twelve merchantmen, totalling 55,000 tons, were sunk and seven others severely damaged. Our air force sank or damaged a total of 28 British ships yesterday. Messerschmitts destroyed twelve barrage ballons near Dover. German fighters hit 49 British machines, including 33 Spitfires, during a larger air battle near the Isle of Wight, also at Dover. We lost ten planes and two made forced landings. Our planes carried out night attacks on British aeroplane industries in the vicinity of Liverpool and Bristol, in addition to harbours, aerodromes and anti-aircraft positions in southern England. Mining of the entrances to British ports from the air continued according to plan. British planes last night penetrated different places in Western Germany. Our defences forced part of the enemy planes to turn tail or prevented them from bombing. Isolated bombs caused insignificant damage to houses and fields. Some people were injured at a small place in the frontier region. Anti-aircraft guns shot down two enemy planes.