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THE CHINA MAIL, JANUARY 29, 1941.
AIR WAR AT SEA Struggle Between Luftwaffe And British Fleet Confidence In The Navy's Fighting Power
(By Reuter's Air Correspondent)
FULL CONFIDENCE IN THE CONTINUED FIGHTING POWER OF THE BRITISH FLEET WAS EXPRESSED YESTERDAY IN THE FIRST COMMENT BY A HIGH BRITISH NAVAL OFFI- CER ON THE AIR WAR AT SEA SINCE. THE BATTLE OF THE STRAITS OF SICILY BEGAN.
Among observations he made against the background of the struggle between the Ger- man air force and British warships in the Cen- tral Mediterranean was this:
"Air action will not seriously hamper the power of the Navy so long as you have enough aircraft-carriers. Our continued operations in the Mediterranean, despite both the Ger- man and Italian air forces, prove this."
LUFTWAFFE CATCHES A TARTAR
An Admiralty com munique states: "It is now known that on Sat- urday, January 25 an en- emy aircraft was engaged by H.M. Trawlers Strath- rannock and Philippe and seen to be repeatedly hit.
the
By the very nature of Fleet's continued artion, he add- ed, there must be the case of the ampton and the Illustrious.
reverse, as in cruiser South- aircraft-carrier
In this officer's view there is very little danger of the capital ship being sunk by bombing at- week, for it is able to take such heavy punishment.
Discussing the relative merits of British and German air ac- tion at sea the spokesman con tended that in the Skua Britain had the finest dive bomber in the world.
Bergen Success
Skup aircraft sank a German
Crippled and on fire the cruiser of the Koenigsberg class at Bergen in April last year, thus e ne my jettisoned its achieving the first known success bombs and disappeared against a major naval unit in the into the mist in an easter- ly direction.
On Sunday afternoon, January 26, attacks were made by aircraft on shipping off the East Coast.
history of naval warfare.
Of sixteen bombs dropped three found their mark, which demon- strated the accuracy of bambing against intense anti-aircraft fire.
Britain recognised that dive- in me become
In addition to the JU88 shot down by H.M. Trawler Calvani, already announced, H.M.S. Wal-bombing might lace and H.M. Drifters Fisher Boy too expensive and the Admiralty in the torpedo and Reids were in action with the had put its faith enemy and it is known that at least two aircraft, an ME110 and a JU88, were destroyed by them. One body and one injured pri- soner were recovered from the From wreckage of one aircraft.
the other, which was shot down in flames, there were no survivors. No damage or casualties were sus- wined by H.M. ships.
Enemy aircraft were also spc- cessfully engaged by anti-aircraft-
merchantmen guns of
as a naval aircraft's primary weapon for two decades.
The torpedo was more dead- ly than the bomb, as it went for the most vulnerable part of a warship below the water- line.
Supreme Types
Maintenance of this policy. hud and one provided a notable success against enemy aircraft of a type not the Italians, though it had not identified was destroyed by them, been attributed to the Fleet Air One vessel received some damage Arm. The attack was carried out from
a near miss but reached in daylight and there
British casualties. port in safety”. -British Wireless.
WILLKIE
IN LONDON
were no
Two Italian submarines,
THE BARRAGE THE NAZIS DON'T LIKE-An officer in command of an anti-aircraft bat- tery, checking over the ammunition while the gun is cleaned in, readiness for another barrage. During the recent all-night raids, the enemy aircraft have met one of the fiercest barrages ever
(Copyright, Fox).
known.
DISAPPEARANCE MORE THAN JUST
A GESTURE
OF INDIAN LEFTIST
The disappearance of Subhas Chandra Bose, well-known In- dian Congress Leftist leader, in Calcutta continues. Relatives ascribe the disap- pearance to a sudden religious impulse.
Bose was due to op- pear before the court in connection with a seven-months old case against him and when he failed to appear the court issued a war- rant.-Reuter.
COMMENTING ON Lord Halifax's arri- val the American paper Youngstown “Daily Vindicator" says the meeting with President Roosevelt had a deeper meaning than a mere generous gesture.
Symbolically the meeting took place on the sea, chief defence against aggression for both England and America.
The two nations have kept joint on the relations which it is his control of the oceans......the mis on and duty to advance. meeting is a forerunner of still closer collaboration which is a necessary part of their situation to-day.
as
The battleship King George V is a reminder of Britain the confident ruler of the oceans. The "Providence Journal" says The "Baltimore Sun" calls the the meeting was a dramatic sym- meeting one of the most dramaticbol of friendship between the two incidents of the war, and says all eyes are fixed with interest and sympathy on Lord Halifax and
IRON GUARD HEAD FLEES RUMANIA
ALL RUMANIAN passports must be stamped with a special visa before their own- 。 ers can leave the country, according to a de- cree issued by General Antonescu, the Pre- mier, in Bucharest yesterday.
depot ship and a gunboat went to
the bottom.
Essential characteristic of tor- pedo-carrying aircraft was their manoeuvrability, and n this res- BOTH DURING YESTERDAY pect the Swordfish and Albacore MORNING AND AFTERNOON types were supreme anywhere in MEETINGS WITH PROMINENT the world. BRITISH PERSONALITIES MR.
A.A. GUNS FIRING AT GER"
Later
The order includes diplomats. Presumably it aims at provent- [ing the escape of certain persons wanted by Government for their share in the abortive Iran Guard revolt,
WENDELL WILLKIE HEARD Bomba Sinkings MAN RAIDERS OVER LONDON. I understand that the Fleet Air After inspecting bomb damage Arm's achievement refers to the
Press reports received in Bel- to St. Paul's Cathedral Mr. Will-bald official announcement of an grade yesterday state that Horia kle visited the Bank of England, attack made on August 22 last. Sima is now definitely known to and met the Governor, Mr. Mon- Warships were lying in Bomba have fled from Rumania instead tagu Norman.
he saw roadstead, in Libya. One torpedo of being arrested, us previously Labour leaders In the Churchill sunk an anchored submarine.
reported..... Government, Mr. Attles and Mr. The other three warships were: A Greentwood," and listened to the lying alongside each other, Prime Minister speaking in the sogond submarine and a gun- Commons.
boat were on the outside and the Mr. Wilkie then visited Cardin depot ship in the middle,
West- a) Hinsley, Archbishop of
The two remaining torpedoes minster, and dined last night with crashed into the submarine, and, Lord Beaverbrook, Minister ofgunboat and as a result of the ex- Aircraft Production, British plosion the depot ship also caught
Wireless.
fre and sank.Reuter.
countries.
The "Atlanta Journal" declares Lord Halifax stands for the best traditions of English freedom, cul-
H ture and statesmanship. coming augurs well for good un- derstanding and for truitful ro- sults. -- Reuter.
"EMPRESS LINER SAFE IN PORT
The liner Empress of Australia" was almost certainly in harbour, it was pointed out in Lon- -King Michael and the Queen Mother have given 500,000 lei for don yesterday, when the the fund for the benefit of alleged attack on her took families of soldiers killed in the
place. Revolt.
the
General Antonescu is suffering from Influenza-Reuter,
ITALIAN CAPTIVES FOR AFRICA
An SOS, said to have come from the ship, stated she was in a position some 200 miles west of Dakar,
· This would mean the nearest British port would be Freetown, Sierra Leone, about 800 miles away, and thus the ship could not poribly have reached a British port during the time between the Haul Of Arms
The South African Government alleged 15.0.8, and the announce- has agreed to accommodate 20,000 ment that the ship was safe. Meanwhile, the military au- Italian prisoners captured in the It is suggested the Germans most thorities claim to have made Western Desert in order to spare probably were anxious to discov a huge haul of arma from the ships which would be needed to er tha whereabouts of the "E rebels, and to have smoovered 70 cooves them to India
SENANG Of Australia" and sent out. lorry-ipada of pngparty, 190jed/ The British Goverment is pays Ucititious S.0.9. in the hope
ing all costs,Reuter,
Learning thin-Router.
by the Iron Guardana