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THE CHINA MAIL, JUNE 14, 1941
German Pocket & Battleship Crippled Off South Norway
Torpedo Bombers Register Two Hits: Considerable Damage
A GERMAN POCKET BATTLESHIP WAS HIT BY A BRITISH |__ AERIAL TÖRPEDO OFF THE NORWEGIAN COAST EARLY YES- TERDAY WHEN, ACCORDING TO THE BELIEF EXPRESSED IN LONDON LAST NIGHT, SHE WAS PROBABLY ON THE WAY TO TAKE THE PLACE OF HİTLER'S ILL-FATED MONSTER BATTLE- SHIP BISMARCK AS A COMMERCE RAIDER IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC.
A mass of smoke billowed from the pocket battleship as a half-ton naval torpedo from a 300 miles an hour Bristol Beaufort aeroplane registered
Soon a direct hit amidships. afterwards another Beaufort launched its torpedo into the smoke which surrounded the target.
The German vessel halted and when reen again several hours later she wag travelling at greatly reduced speed off Man- del, southern point of Norway.
Destroyer Screen
а
An Air Ministry news service of the bulletin giving details action, says the pocket battleship} was heading northward with
when screen of five destroyers first sighted by a Blenheim pilot, who was chasing a Heinkel sen- coast the Norwegian plane off and emerged into a clear patch the German warship directly below him.
A communique released by the
last night Air Ministiy
says: before Shortly
midnight last (Thursday) night Blenheim aircraft of the Coastal Comm.and on reconnaissance off the southern coast of Norway
an sighted entmy pocket battleship escorted by a number of destroyers.
A striking force was despatch- ed by the Coastal Command and in the early hours of this (Fri-! day)_morning the battleship, then off Egersund, was hit by a tor- pedo from a Beaufort aircraft.
Dense clouds of white smoke rose from the vessel and prevent ·| ed accurate observation by other aircraft of the results of their attacks.
Much Damage Inflicted
to
see
and
The pilot reported back ja force of bombers was despatch-
ed to attack.
a
A flight sergeant from Coven- try. with
navigator from! Saskatchewan, piloted the Beau- the first fort which registered hit.
The battleship was hit amid- ships by one torpedo, dropped at less than 100 feet, and the attack
such was effected with surprising Euddenness that the Д shot 'plane escaped without being fired.
The pilot, describing the at-
with the middle
the
PRESIDENT
ROOSEVELT AGAIN SICK
President Roosevelt, who is reported to be suffering from
slight sore throat, has cancelled all engage- ments, including the
Friday regular Cabinet meeting and press conference, says Reuter telegram from Washington.
AUSTRALIA
IN IT TO
THE LAST
Sir Bertram Stevens, Soon after 10 o'clock this (Fri-tack later, said battleship Australian member of the stationary some miles off Man destroyer immediately ahead and Eastern Group Council in Simla, yesterday referred
day) morning the battleship was was
in
one
del, on the southern point of two others on either side, Norway, and later the whole very effective screen against tor- force was observed to be retir- pedo attack." ing towards the Skaggerak Ist greatly reduced speed.
to the Australian decision to suspend the transfer- He continued: "We flew at the
of elice of funds for Spit right angle across the stern
Then we male fires to England.
and came
their
Nazi bombers carried out year on London when, attacking in down fire and high explosive bombs least five hospitals were hit and premisee, shops and houses was nurses Inspecting the ruins of
a
heaviest blitz of the raiders rained groups,
for several hours:
to damage considerable.
At
commercial Photo shows wrecked Nurses Home..
PICKING THEM OFF ONE BY ONE
WITH YESTERDAY'S crippling of a Ger- man pocket battleship by a British torpedo- bomber, another unit of Hitler's battle fleet has been put out of action, and of the origin- al three pocket battleships with which Ger- mon naval designers aimed at capital ship gunpower in cruiser tonnage, only one now remains immediately usable.
Since the specifications of this class were put to the test, expert naval architects have generally agreed that the ships proved dis- appointing because their light armour plat- Indian and overseas press repre- ing was a major handicap against heavy cali- bre shells and bombs.
One of our aircraft is missing the battleship. from these operations and one a right about turn enemy flyingboat' was destroyed back broadside less than 100 feet) Sir Bertram was speaking by a Hudson reconnaissance air- high.
craft.
the
"I had to skid the aircraft: An Air Ministry spokesman round the stern of one of declared in London last night destroyers to get in position that damage inflicted on the drop a torpedo. pocket battleship must have
sentatives in Simla.
been considerable, as by 10 in "I let a torpedo go just after of accounting and the morning, when sho was we passed the destroyer. sighted off Mandel, she only covered about 50 whereas the normal speed
1. a pocket battleship to
28 knots.
about
Reuter.
SHANGHAI MAN DIES IN ENGLAND
so.
08
At this time the battleship was retiring towards the Skaggerak, where, said the spokesman, "she will probably spend a consider- able time in a naval dockyard The death occurred in Britain Commonwealth. before she is in a fit state to yesterday of Mr. Frank Crossley, them to the last and we
endure all."-Reuter. put to sea again.”*
formerly of. Shanghal,-Reuter.
to
A
Reuter,
outside
Since the sudden appearance
The third ship, Graf Spee, was and destruction of the Bismarck destroyed by scuttling in the Atlantic, Germany now has; Montevideo. In addition only two big battle- namely the ships in service, Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, both of 20,000 tons which have been immobilised in Brest for over two months under repeated attacks by the R.A.F.
وپا
sister ship.
HOT SPOTS
He said Australia's motiver to were in danger of being misun- derstood and misrepresented. Such action was merely a matter
transferencs Then of funds between Australia and had I crossed within about 100 yards London.
It had nothing whatever to miles, in front of the battleship's bow."
do with the Crete campaign. of
"Australia knows she must suf- fer with Britain in the ordeal of
South African Air Force ground. The Bismarck's war as well
share the triumphs. We are proud to do Tirpitz, listed at 35,000 tons, has personnel, are finding their desert hitherto not appeared in service. outposts in the Northern Frontier of Kenya "very hot" "There is no glimmer of
The 10,000-ton cruiser Prinz province rift between Britain and the Eugen is also at Brest and has spots." So hot, indeed, that when We are with already been attacked by the they are refuelling aircraft that have returned from long patrols will R.A.F. there.
into Abyssinia, they find it im- edges of the wings without, liter- their shorts "as Belief that the German ally burning pocket battleship was heading though they had sat on a stove”. into the Atlantło to attack ship. But the heat does not prevent doing great ping is supported by the pro- the S.A.A.F. from
their offensive Bence of an important escort of work; carrying
patrols far into enemy territory destroyers. The Luetzow was the first of and bombing the Italian forces Germany's series of three pocket out of their mountainous forward battleships, being commenced in forts, enabling the troops to cap- 1929 and completed in 1993 as the ture the precious waterholest Deutschland, and was the first Solittle does the heat seem to Outstanding example of a welded Worry these tough airmen that
"nics hot cup of teall and The second of these ships, the of football, is the order of the Admini Scheur was: latrolled in after / bombing des opéra 1981 and comyleted in 1984. --
TEA DANCES DAILY --
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MORTH POINT
The Ritz
TEL: 34196.
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