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General Review.
NAVAL SITUATION.
THE outstanding event of the week has been the collapse of French resistance and the extension of the German occupation to the entire northern coast of France, necessitating the withdrawal of the remainder of the B.E.F.
U-boat activity in the Western Approaches has been intensified, and there has been some activity by German M.T.Bs. in the English Channel.
Our merchant shipping losses in convoy have been exceptionally heavy. An important convoy of Australian and New Zealand troops has arrived in the United Kingdom.
We have achieved some successes against Italian U-boats in the Mediter- ranean and Red Sea areas.
Northern Waters.
2. Thirty-seven survivors from H.M.S. Glorious and H.M.S. A casta were landed at the Faroes by the Norwegian S.S. Borgund on the 14th June. They state that H.M.S. Glorious encountered two German cruisers-one 8 inch and one 6 inch (not two battle cruisers as stated by the Germans)-about 200 miles to the westward of Vest Fjord at 1600, 8th June. The Germans opened fire at 20,000 yards range. H.M.S. Glorious was hit by the third salvo, which prevented her aircraft flying off; she was outranged throughout the action and sank at 1730. H.M.S. Ardent attacked and was sunk. H.M.S. A casta laid a smoke screen, and when H.M.S. Glorious sank she attacked the cruisers for the second time with torpedoes, which it is believed obtained one hit. H.M.S. A casta was sunk during this attack.
3. On the 14th June R.A.F. reconnaissance of Trondheim showed that 1 battle cruiser and 3 destroyers were present, and further reconnaissance on the Raids 15th showed the battle cruiser, 1 cruiser beached and 2 destroyers. on these ships were attempted by the R.A.F. on the 15th and 17th, but owing to bad weather aircraft had to return.
Air reconnaissance of Stavanger on the 13th showed 16 merchant ships in neighbouring fjords, and 2 destroyers and 2 merchant ships at Stadlandet. The weather has been unsuitable for further reconnaissances.
4. H.M. Armed Merchant Cruiser Andania was torpedoed at 2330/15th S.E. of Iceland and sank at 0700/16th.
The A/S. trawler Juniper, which left Narvik on the 6th June with the S.S. Oil Pioneer, is presumed to have been sunk at the same time.
H.M. Submarine Tetrach reports sinking an escorted south-bound enemy transport off the Lister Light on the 16th.
The last convoy of store ships from the Narvik area has safely arrived in the Clyde.
1,000 Canadian troops have arrived at Rejkjavik, Iceland, from Halifax in the S.S. Empress of Australia.
Home Waters.
French Coast.
5. Plans to evacuate the whole of the B.E.F., amounting to 140,000 troops, were made on the 15th, and the operation was commenced on the 17th from Cherbourg, St. Malo, Brest, St. Nazaire and La Pallice. By noon the same day a total of 33,790 troops had been landed in England. The total numbers evacuated are given in the military section of this résumé.
Evacuation was not seriously interfered with by enemy action, but St. Nazaire was continually bombed on the 17th and the troopship Lancastria was sunk. The troops on board were transferred to the S.S. Oronsay, which was also bombed and hit but was able to proceed. The French S.S. Champlain (28,124 tons) which was outside the harbour and not taking part in the evacuation was also sunk.
The evacuation of St. Malo, Cherbourg and St. Nazaire and demolitions at the two former places were completed on the 18th.
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