VESSELS SUNK

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21365, 8 March 1941, Page 10

VESSELS SUNK

ITALIAN AND GERMAN OTHER SHIPS CAPTURED NAVAL HARBOUR BOMBED (omcial Wireless) (Received March 8. 3.15 p.m.) j RUGBY, March 7 ] An Admiralty communique states: j It can now be stated that five Italian | merchant ships, with a total tonnage . of 28,153 tons, fell into our hands as j a result of the capture of Kismayu, i in Italian Somaliland. The ships are: Adria, of 3809 j tons; Savoia, 5490 tons; Ermina j Mazellia, 5472 tons; Manon. 5597 ! tons: and Leonarda Da Vinci, 7515 j tons. Four other ships scuttled them- 1 selves in Kismayu harbour. One of j these is known to be the Italian Marchera, of 4531 tons. Losses were also inflicted on the j Gorman mercantile marine as a re- ; suit of the capture of Kismayu. The German ship Uckermark, of ' 7021 tons, attempted to escape. She j was intercepted by our forces and j tried to scuttle herself. The Ucker- j mark subsequently sank while in tow. ; The German ship Askari, of 590 tons, was driven ashore, in addition ! to the 6800-ton Italian tanker Pennsylvania, which was sunk by H.M.S. Shropshire in Mogadiscio harbour. C anadian Sergeant’s Achievement A Canadian sergeant, one of the first batch to arrive in Britain under the Empire air training scheme, today sank a German supply ship of about 2500 tons with a direct bomb hit at the stern. Details given by the Air Ministry News Service show that the sergeant was flying as navigator and bomb-aimer. The German ship was spotted close in to the Dutch coast. The shore batteries opened a heavy fire on the British aeroplane and the bow gun of the ship was also in , action. The sergeant used only one heavy bomb. After it hit the stern of the , vessel there was a great explosion and clouds of smoke and steam rolled over the ship. Two Messerschmitts 109’s came up ; from the shore as if to attack, but did not engage. While watching the enemy fighters the air crews also saw the bombed ship left, sinking rapidly by the stern. Xhe aircraft which had attacked the supply vessel flew on to Den . Helder, where it dropped the remain- j ing bombs on the dockyard. These exploded in the naval harbour, where j there was a considerable quantity of j shipping. ■ Another reconnaissance bomber j took part in the sweep and attacked j the German-occupied aerodrome at ! Ockenburg, in Holland. A salvo of j bombs hit the main hangar, which j was soon enveloped in dec '2 smoke. ! None of our aircraft is missing from these operations. Shot Down in Flames An Admiralty communique states: A Heinkel which attacked one of our ! convoys in the North Sea this morning was shot down in flames by H.M.S. Guillemot. No damage or casualties were sustained by any ships in the convoy or the Guillemot. One member of the crew of the Heinkel was picked up. CLAIMS BY ENEMY BRITISH ATTACK REPULSED RAIDS BY GERMAN PLANES (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) j (Received March 8, 3.15 p.m.) LONDON, March 7 An Italian communique says: Our i troops repelled an enemy attack on j Kurmuk. German planes attacked marching , columns in North Africa and de- : stroyed 20 motor vehicles. They also bombed camps and hut- ! ments in the neighbourhood of Derna, where fires were started. Other German bombers raided I Malta. j BATTLE STATIONS HOME GUARD UNIT HAMILTON MANOEUVRES . Several hundred members of the I Hamilton unit of the Home Guard 1 left town today on manoeuvres at 2 : o’clock, immediately on receipt of a j message by aeroplane allegedly indi- ; eating that an enemy force was pre- j paring to invade New Zealand at a j point near Raglan. On receipt of the j message the whole battalion went into action, being conveyed by buses : and over 70 other motor vehicles. When they arrived at previously selected points they went to their battle stations and occupied positions of vantage, ready to repel any invaders. The preparations had been care- j fully made, and the whole under- j taking was most realistic. It was de- j signed to give the men and their , officers field experience that should j be most valuable in the event of invasion menace.