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except on the night of the 7th-8th.
On that occasion an enemy destroyer or naval auxiliary vessel was seen 4 miles west of Sylt and opened fire on our aircraft. Four bombs were aimed at the warship from 600 feet and one fell some thirty yards wide. Two bombs were also dropped on what appeared to be a light-buoy close to Borkum, which was then extinguished. On the return flight one large tanker was seen, as well as some forty merchant ships, well-lighted and moving apparently in two convoys.
Fighter Command.
27. During the week 557 fighter patrols involving 1,405 aircraft were flown. Most of these were standing shipping protection and escort patrols of various kinds. Enemy activity was never intense.
28. On the 7th March about nine enemy aircraft from Norderney were active shortly after mid-day, apparently from a long-range reconnaissance unit. Anti-aircraft guns opened fire at Aberdeen about 2 P.M., and shortly afterwards a Heinkel 111 was shot down by Spitfires from 27,000 feet off Carnoustie. Later in the afternoon an aircraft of Coastal Command sighted a single survivor in a rubber dinghy and he was eventually brought in, slightly wounded, by a R.A.F. high-speed launch. About thirteen more enemy aircraft were active during the evening, and again attacked shipping at dusk. There was for the first time an attempt to raid shipping in the Downs, which was met by anti- aircraft fire from the guardship there.
29. On the 8th March there was some activity on the part of enemy bomber Geschwader K.G. 26 in the early afternoon, and three Heinkels attacked a group of ships 45 miles east of Wick. Only two bombs were dropped and no damage was done. One of the aircraft involved was shot down shortly afterwards by our fighters; a satchel containing various code books, &c., was recovered from the sea by a destroyer which witnessed the combat, and an oil tank which may have belonged to the same aircraft was also picked up some time later.
30. In the evening of the 12th March a Skua of the Fleet Air Arm, under the operational control of Fighter Command in the Orkneys, as it returned from convoy escort duty, sighted a submarine 27 miles north-east of Duncansby Head and dropped two 100-lb. bombs, without observed result.
Coastal Command.
31. One hundred and forty-four patrols, involving 298 Coastal Command aircraft, were flown during the period and eighty convoys were provided with Routine work was maintained at a high level of activity, but there were few notable incidents.
escorts.
32. Submarines were attacked off the north of Scotland on the 7th and 12th March. On the attack on the 7th March three bombs were dropped on the track of the submarine immediately after it had submerged, and two of these appeared to be accurately aimed. Another aircraft was summoned and two more bombs were dropped on a very large oil patch which had appeared on the surface. The attack was then taken up by two destroyers which were guided to the spot by our aircraft. One bomb was dropped on the submarine seen on the 12th, without observed result. Another attack took place on the 14th 80 miles west of Karmo. Three bombs were dropped, but no visible result was observed. Several mines were sighted from the air, and shipping was warned.
33. There were two combats between Hudson aircraft of Coastal Command and enemy seaplanes on the 7th March, one in the Heligoland Bight and the other 115 miles east of St. Abbs Head. On both occasions our aircraft had the better of the exchanges. The attack was pressed home at close range and the fire of the enemy rear-gunners was silenced; the seaplanes were forced to break off their engagement and take refuge in cloud. A Heinkel bomber was seen by an aircraft on convoy duty off Lowestoft on the 9th March, but did not come within firing range.
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