1941-05-28 — Page 18

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THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 28, 1941.

LUFTWAFFE VERSUS THE NAVY

Story Of Tremendous Conflict

Full Story HOMERIC BATTLE DESCRIBED BY

PARTICIPANT

(By Reuter's Special Correspondent with the

Mediterranean Fleet)

FURTHER DETAILS of the Royal Navy's participation in the Homeric battle for the Island of Crete reveal the greatest struggle of all time between air and sea forces, in which we lost two cruisers and four destroyers.

Owing to lack of all fighter air support our ships had to fight their way along Crete's northern coast relying entirely on their own A.A fire, with the sky literally filled with a continual stream of Nazi 'planes of every con- ceivable type.

When the airborne invasion took place on the morning of May 20, British naval forces entered thr Aegean to cover the beaches. in the Canea and Candia regions. but withdrew when no signs enemy ships were seen.

when about to retire we sight- ed an Italian destroyer and a few small boats to the north. immediately "We opened fire from long range, sinking three the and of, caiques

straddling hastily destroyer, which

mude off.

Curing the night of May 20 about cight E-boats attacked the British forces but were ead. ily repelled and at least three of them sunk.

"This is all we ourselves saw of the enemy's second convoy, comprising some 30 ships, which were broken up and dispersed." While the action described above was going on British heavy Sea

During the withdrawal through, the Straits of Kaso, the British destroyer Juno was hit by a stick, units patrolling the Ionian

I entered the Kithera Straits to of bombs and sank immediately.

light So far no other units of the Bri-1 Sport the hard-pressed

further heavy bomb- tish naval forces had been dam- and aged.

Convoy Broken Up

During the night of May 21 reconnaissance reports indicated

a sea invasion had started and ani enemy convoy of calques was completely broken up.

Meanwhile other naval units which found the shores of Candia all quiet during the night tinued to search northwards to- wards the Island of Milo.

ing ensued for the rest of the day by Dorniers, Heinkels, Junk- ers and even specially converted Messerschmidt fighters.

Majority Of Crews Of Ships Sunk Safely Landed

NEW U.S. DEFENCE VOTE

AN ADMIRALTY COMMUNIQUE ISSUED IN LONDON YESTERDAY ANNOUNCED THAT BRITISH NAVAL OPERATIONS IN THE EAST- ERN MEDITERRANEAN HAVE PREVENTED ANY ENEMY SEABORNE LANDING IN FORCE ON THE ISLAND OF CRETE UP TO DATE AND PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT HAS INFLICTED HEAVY LOSS UPON LADEN ASKED CONGRESS FUR AP- PROPRIATIONS TOTALLING ENEMY TRANSPORTS ENDEAVOURING TO $3,319,000,000 FOR NEW AIR- CRAFT FOR THE ARMY AND REACH THE ISLAND.

NAVY.

The sum of $2,790,000,000 will

be spent on Army and $529,000,-

000 on Navy planes.

In addition to the two troop convoys already announced as broken up by the British forces, with heavy losses to the enemy, a British sub- Congress by Mr. Stephen Early, marine has sunk by gunfire caiques full of Further details are still letter to the Speaker of the German 'soldiers. House of Representatives.---Reu-awaited.

The request is being sent

to

the President's secretary, in a

ter

ROYAL NAVY

SCORES HEAVILY ON BALANCE

(By Reuter's Naval Correspondent) THE BATTLE IN THE mist-wrapped waters of the North Atlantic, which opened with the shock of the loss of H.M.S. Hood, destroyer, Greyhound, which got proved a brief and hollow victory for the Ger-

Three Lost

Around 1.30 pn.

**

Recond

astern, was sunk by concentrated dive-bombing,

CONTINUING THE NARRA- TIVE, THE BRITISH NAVAL

SAI): OFFICER

"TWO STROYERS WERE SENT BACK

man Navy.

On balance, the loss of the Bismarck is Dinfinitely more damaging to Germany than units described to me what then O PICK UP SURVIVORS FROM that of H.M.S. Hood to Britain. Hood was

An officer aboard one of these

happened, in these words;

"The enemy started dive. bombing soon after dawn, About 8.30 we sighted a calque

and moved off to sink it but we be came so heavily engaged by alr craft that we were only able to Immobilise her by pom pom firm while signalling to a cruiser as.. tern to finish her off, which sho successfully did.

Two Hours' Blasting

!

GREYHOUND WHILE TWO

FIJI, WHILE ENDEAVOURING TO STAFF

CRUISERS, GLOUCESTER AND comparatively an old ship while the Bismarck, OFF REPEATED only launched in 1939, made its first service UNHAMPERED AIR ATTACKS, appearance in 1940.

WERE LIKEWISE SUNK.

re.

"During that night we turned to base and then heard

that the destroyers Kelly and was admittedly a heavy price to

Kashmir had also been

survivors

Two enemy E-boats have been sunk and two other enemy E-boats damaged in these operations and it is known that a number of Ger- man aircraft have been shot down by British ships, though detailed reports of these have not yet been received.

Operations of this type in con- fined waters, without fighter pro- tection

air against very largo forces, cannot be undertaken without losses, and the Admiralty regret to announce that the fol- lowing ships were sunk:-

The cruisers Gloucester (Capt. H. A. Rowley), and

Fiji (Capt. P B. William- Poulett), and

The destroyers Juno (Com- mander Tyrwhitt),

Greyhound (Commander W. R. Marshall-Deane),

Kelly Mountbatten) and

(Capt.

Lord

Louis

Kashmir (Commander H. A. King).

Survivors Landed

officers and

500

men

Eight officers and 120 from Kelly.

Nine officers and 150 men from Kashmir.

Six officers and 98 men from

It is already known that the following numbers of Survivors been from the ships lost have AGAIN.

GERMANS THE While the loss of H.M.S. Hood

THAT THE lunded: - HAVE BOASTED the brief career of BISMARCK WAS UNSINKABLE

Thirty-four sunk pay before

OWING TO HER TREMENDOUS by dive-bombing after bom the Bismarck was brought to an

OF In mind NUMBER

WATER-TIGHT men from Fiji. barding Malomi aerodrome and end, it must be borne

from that with Britain holding undis- COMPARTMENTS. searching for

puted naval superiority, the role The unsinkable has been sunk. FIJI. This cruiser, thus occupied, got

"Another destroyer, Kimberley, or the Bismarck, Uke that of role That may prove a heavy debit to

оп German capital ship, was Germany the psychological other left astern and received such con 250 survivors with

did great work picking up about

avold en- side. whom she not to seek but to centrated attacks that we wero

with British capital Admiral On Board compelled to return to her assis-safely made port after a tremen-gagement

forces,

Another item on the debit side tance.

dous hammering from the air."

of Germany's account is the fact Juno. that Admiral Luetjens was flying his flag in the Bismarck.

Admiral Luetjena ranked Greyhound. In addition to the warshipe

very high in the estimation of sunk, two battleships received

German naval circles and was

It is regretted that no news is cruisers hits while affording

virtual High Commander of the yet avaliable of survivors from but support against aircraft,

German High Beas Fleet.

Gloucester but since Gloucester got to base safely.

When the Scharnhorst and was sunk not far: from the Greek The enemy darted in and out battle.

Gneisenau were at large he flew mainland, and it is known that "Altogether 180 misses were like Ales from all directions,

his flag in the Scharnhorst. The ample boats and rafts were avail- counted all round our ship dur-pressing home the attacks most The achievement of the British fact that he transferred it to the able, it is hoped many of her ing two hours as she repeatedly vigorously, while in the distance

of forces in shadowing and holding Bismarck suggests that after the

company survived. Reuter. changed course, dodging falling could be seen a double line

Bismarck grimly for repeated hammerings by bombs while speeding at over, Nazi troop-darrying planes re- on to the

the Ackle North R.A.F.,

Scharnhorst and peatedly

days in the flying to .and from four our Malomí

the Atlantic weather before the anal Gneisenau are by no means "in Berodrome 'from

Reuter. de Island of Antikithera and other coupe de grace was given, is in good shape."

itself no mean feat. but "nearby bases.-Reuter.

"This enabled her to catch up with the remainder of the Fleet but drew all aircraft attention to oprselves and we were attacked continuously from 9.40 n.m. to 11.40 a.m. by high and low dive- bombing.

186 Misses

30 knots.

"The rate of fire from four cruisers "and three stroyers was tremendous

SKATING---

Like Flies

Had she succeeded in evading the units which were tralling

to exag her, it is impossible gerate the damage she might have been able to do among lifeline on Britain's Donvoys from America.

She failed and was brought to

No Mean Feat

CONTINUES TO ATTRACT THE CROWDS AT

NORTH POINT

The Ritz

TEL. 34196.

O.K. YUI'S POST

the

Three officers and 68 men from

REQUISITION ORDER IN INDIA

Holders of stocks of sodium bichromate, potassium bichromate and chrome allum, or any pro- IT IS OFFICIALLY AN prietary compound of similar NOUNCED IN CHUNGKING chemical composition, are called THAT MR. O. K. YUI, EX-upon by the Government of India MAYOR OF SHANGHAI, HAS to declare their stocks and not to BEEN APPOINTED VICE- dispose of them in any way ex-. MINISTER FOR FOREIGN copt to meet current Government AFFAIRS.

war contracts.

1.

Mr. Y, C. Koo, Governor the Farmers Bank, is appointed Acting Vige-Minister of "Fi ance during the absence of Mr. P. Kua in London.-

"Manufacturers of these sub- stances are directed to declare their manufacturing capacity as well as their actual or estimated turn-out. "Reuter.