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United Kingdom.
55. Fighter Command flew 1,176 sorties by day and 229 sorties by night.
56. Enemy activity was on a somewhat larger scale than in recent weeks, particularly at night. Offensive operations were principally directed against shipping, though a few bombs were dropped in coastal areas.
Coastal Operations.
57. Coastal Command flew 177 patrols (265 sorties) and provided 35 convoy escorts (58 additional sorties). Shipping protection patrols by Fighter Command totalled 312 (749 sorties).
58. On the morning of the 23rd, a tanker of about 12,000 tons steering westward was attacked by a Sunderland with depth charges 180 miles north-west of Cape Finisterre. The tanker altered course to the eastward and reduced speed to eight knots, leaving a large oil track. On the following morning, she was again sighted (about 10 miles east of Cape Ortegal) and appeared to be down by the stern. She was attacked with depth charges and anti-submarine bombs by a Sunderland, and later a Beaufort hit her amidships with a torpedo. Two hours afterwards she appeared to be beached close to the Spanish coast.
59. Hudsons and Beauforts made several attacks on enemy shipping, with the following results:-
Results.
One hit near funnel. At least one hit.
Description.
Estimated Tonnage.
Locality.
Merchant Vessel
3,000
Off Standlandet
One hit.
Merchant Vessel
2,500
Off Stavanger
Tanker
6,000
Off Aalesund
Merchant Vessel
8,000
Off Den Helder
Merchant Vessel
3,000
Off Den Helder
Merchant Vessel
3,000
Off Den Helder
Coastal Vessel
200
Off Den Helder
Merchant Vessel
1,500
Merchant Vessel
3,500
Off Lister Light
Off Hardanger Fjord
All were hit by cannon and machine-gun fire.
Bombed and machine gun-
ned.
Attacked with torpedo and
machine gun fire. Results unobserved owing to bad visibility.
In addition, Spitfires attacked a convoy of four ships off the Dutch Coast, and one vessel and one flak ship are claimed as damaged.
Mediterranean.
Cyrenaica.
60. Enemy landing grounds and retreating transport columns were the princpal targets of our air forces during the week. Ôn the 18th and 19th, Blenheims, Bostons, Hurricane bombers and Tomahawks attacked enemy transport, estimated at 2,000 vehicles, withdrawing_westward from Mekili. Beaufighters attacked dense traffic between Barce and Benghazi, and long-range Hurricanes inflicted heavy casualties on lorry-borne troops in the El Ågheila area. Binina and Marawa aerodromes were bombed.
61. On the 20th, adverse weather and the enemy's withdrawal beyond the range of fighter escorts considerably restricted bombing attacks on M.T. A formation of 12 Blenheims with fighter escort was intercepted near Barce by 15 Me. 109s, which forced them to jettison their bombs, and shot down four Blenheims and five Tomahawks; three Me. 109s were destroyed, and probably a fourth.
62. Subsequent day bombing was directed against enemy aerodromes, although fighters continued their successful attacks on transport south of
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