SUNK OR DAMAGED

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21220, 17 September 1940, Page 6

SUNK OR DAMAGED

DESTRUCTION IN PORTS HITS BY BRITISH FLIERS (omcial Wireless) (Received Sept. 17, 3.15 p.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 16 A German supply ship which was sunk while at anchor at Ijmuiden last night by aircraft of the Coastal Command is stated officially to have been of 5000 tons. Other aircraft of the Coastal Command attacked German convoys and again struck heavily at shipping concentrations on the Channel coast. The first convoy was attacked off the Dutch coast by a Hudson aircraft. The pilot dived on the nearest large ship and sank it with his bombs. Then he machine-gunned an armed trawler, and followed this by thoroughfly machine-gunning an E-boat which was escorting the convoy. After that the pilot resumed his patrol. A second German convoy was stationary off the Dutch coast when it was attacked by another patrolling Hudson at dawn today. The pilot dived on one of the ships in semidarkness and let go three bombs. One at least struck home, for as the Hudson pulled out of the dive it was peppered with splinters from the ship, which is believed to have been sunk. Last night’s attacks on concentrations of German vessels at Channel ports were made by waves of Blenheims. Two ships were damaged when Blenheims attacked a convoy off Sangatte, near Calais. The Main Attack The main attack, however, was reserved for Le Havre, where pilots of the first wave of Blenheims saw four large ships moored alongside the deep-water quay. Repeated salvoes of bombs struck squarely on the quay and there were fires when the Blenheims flew away. The pilots in a second wave made their attack in bright moonlight. Amid intense anti-aircraft fire the Blenheims dived over the harbour and bombed systematically. Bombs burst among the ships and direct hits were seen on the Jeannes Couvert Quay, the Quai de New York, and the deep water quay. Damaged ships and shattered masonry and store-houses were the results of the bombings.