MUCH DESTRUCTION

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21190, 13 August 1940, Page 5

MUCH DESTRUCTION

CLAIMS BY GERMANY BRITISH SHIPS SUNK HARBOURS WORKS DAMAGED (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyrig-ht) (Received Aug. 13, 11.40 a.m.) BERLIN, Aug. 12 A communique states: Air units attacking Portland on August 11 destroyed a jetty, a floating dock, and a loading pier, and set fire to oil depots. Two merchantmen were destroyed, having received direct hits. In the neighbouring harbour of Weymouth we sank a mechantman. We also attacked a British convoy, in the Thames Estuary, sinking three merchantmen totalling 17,000 tons, and badly damaging two destrcj’ers and four merchantmen. Air fights developed in the course of these attacks, in which the enemy suffered heavy losses.. Our planes last night attacked aircraft works at Filton and Crewe, harbour works at Cardiff and Bristol and an oil depot at Avonmouth, and dropped mines at the entrance to British harbours. Enemy planes last night bombed non-military objectives in Northern and Western Germany. The results were negligible. The enemy’s total air losses yesterday were 90 planes and eight barrage balloons, besides three brought down by our anti-aircraft fire. Twenty-one of our planes are missing. A U-boat sank a convoyed merchantman. A later communique states: Planes attacked a convoy off Margate this morning and sank four merchantmen totally 10,000 tons, and set fire to several others. “ English Resistance Broken ” All day the German radio has endeavoured to maintain a plane-for-plane description of the air raids. It has admitted that heavy anti-aircraft fire from escorting warships greeted the dive-bombing attack on a convoy off Margate. It claimed that the Royal Air Force station at Manston was reduced to ashes during a number of attacks on south coast bases. Bombs ploughed up runways and hangars, and other buildings collapsed. One squadron shot down 40 British planes in an air battle over Portsmouth, where the naval installation and wharf were straddled with bombs. The German news agency wound up the account of the day’s operations with the declaration that the German losses were slight because the Royal Air Force was avoiding engagements, adding: “ This is interpreted as the first sign of broken resistance.”