Period of the War-
Killed Wounded
Prisoners of War
Total
:
Page 361
Officers.
Ratings.
Totals.
179 30
2,679
2,858
244
274
13
84
97
222
3,007
3,229
German Intelligence.
6. A successful photographic reconnaissance by aircraft over the Wilhelms- haven area on the 2nd March identified the battle cruiser Scharnhorst, battleship Tirpitz (building), one pocket battleship, 8-inch cruiser Hipper, one 6-inch cruiser of K Class and eight destroyers and small craft.
It is estimated that U-boats operating on the 7th March were disposed as follows two in the Western Approaches, one in the eastern part of the Channel homeward bound.
:
Anti-Submarine Operations.
7. The week has been comparatively quiet, and activity on the part of the U-boats has been gradually subsiding. They have continued their policy of attacking single and unprotected ships, with the result that definite operations against them have been few. Ten attacks were carried out during the week by A/S vessels, and two attacks by aircraft.
A Blenheim bomber, on reconnaissance flight over the Heligoland area, made what appears to have been a successful attack on a U-boat sighted on the surface in the Schillig Roads.
The A/S trawler Cape Portland made promising attacks on the 29th Feb- ruary in the Pentland Firth. After the second attack, when three depth-charges were dropped, four explosions took place. This may have been due to the counter- mining of a magnetic torpedo pistol or magnetic mine, and is the second case of this type recorded.
Protection of Sea-borne Trade.
8. In the week ended noon Wednesday, the 6th March, the number of vessels convoyed in British convoys was :-
British
Allied Neutral
658
38
965,
269
of which one-
-the S.S. Albano-was lost due to a mine. Fifty-four destroyers, 20 escort vessels, 4 cruisers and 1 submarine were employed on escort duty in Home Waters, and 2 battleships, 1 cruiser and 8 armed merchant cruisers as ocean escorts.
9. Since the commencement of hostilities the total number of ships convoyed. is-
British
Allied Neutral
9,819 596
= 11,774,
1,360
and of these 24 British, 1 Allied and 2 Neutral have been lost, or approximately 1 in 436.
Swedish ships are now joining British convoys freely, and Sweden has organised regular convoys from the Norwegian-Swedish frontier (south of Oslo Fjord) to Stockholm along the buoyed channel.
German Attack on Sea-borne Trade.
10. Nine ships, totalling 25,629 tons, of which three ships of 10,499 tons were British, have been sunk during the week, a reduction on the number of ships sunk last week. Of these two British and one neutral were sunk by U-boats; two British and one neutral by mines, and three neutrals by air attack.
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