1941-05-28 — Page 2

THE CHINA MAIL, 'MAY 28, 1941.

LUFTWAFFE VERSUS THE NAVY

Full Story Of Tremendous

Tremendous Conflict

HOMERIC BATTLE DESCRIBED BY PARTICIPANT

(By Reuter's Special Correspondent with the

Mediterranean Fleet)

Majority Of Crews Of Ships Sunk Safely Landed

DE VALERA

FURTHER DETAILS of the Royal Navy's TALKED

participation in the Homeric battle for the

Island of Crete reveal the greatest struggle of TOO SOON

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 about to retire we sight-

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 INFLICTED · HEAVY LOSS UPON · LADEN ENEMY TRANSPORTS" ENDEAVOURING' TO REACH THE ISLAND.

"In his wisdom Mr.

has decided In addition to the two troop convoys already Churchill against conscription in announced as broken up by the British forces, Northern Ireland. Never- with heavy losses to the enemy, a British sub- theless he will continue to receive just the same help marine has sunk by gunfire caiques, full of and support from the German soldiers. Further details are still Ulster people as if he had awaited. decided otherwise."

announce-

When the airborne invasion took |

ed an Italian destroyer And place in the morning of May 20,) the

a few amall boats to the north. British naval forces entered

Lord Glentoran, Northern Ire- Immediately in

"We opened fire Aegean to cover the beaches

Minister land

of Agriculture, and Candia

from long range, sinking three regions, the Comen

this statement yesterday made and straddling the of triques when no signs but withdrew

hastily destroyer, which

made after Mr. Churchill's enemy ships were seen.

ment in the Commons. off.

Lord Glentoran continued: "Re- ports in many quarters have led the public to believe there was some mystery about the question of the conscription of Ulster and that it was a political move by the Northern Ireland Government. Neither view is correct."

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

While

"This is all we ourselves saw of the enemy's second convoy, comprising some 30 ships, which were broken up and dispersed." the action described During the withdrawal through.

above was going on British heavy the Straits of Kaso, the British

Sea destroyer Juno was hit by a stick units patrolling the Ionian

entered the Kithera Straits to of bombs and sank immediately.

light So far no other units of the Bri- support the hard-pressed tish naval forces had been dam-units and further heavy bomb- aged.

Convoy Broken Up

During the night of May 21 reconnaissance reports indicated u sea invasion had started and anį enemy Convoy of caiques wash completely broken up.

units

Meanwhile other naval which found the shores of Candia) all quiet during the night con tinued to search northwards to wards the Island of Milo,

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

Three Lost

Around 1.30

p.m. 21 second destroyer, Greyhound, which got astern, was sunk by concentrated dive-bombing.

CONTINUING THE NARRA- TIVE, THE BRITISH NAVAL OFFICER SAID; "TWO DE-

An officer aboard one of these STROYERS WERE SENT BACK

units described to me what then 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 air. craft that we were only able to immobilise her by pom-pom fire while signalling to a cruiser as tern to finish her off, which she successfully did.

Two Hours' Blasting

TO PICK UP SURVIVORS FROM GREYHOUND WHILE TWO CRUISERS, GLOUCESTER AND FIJI, WHILE ENDEAVOURING TO STAFF OFF REPEATED UNHAMPERED AIR ATTACKS,

WERE LIKEWISE SUNK.

that

He said the facts were Mr. Churchill asked the Ulster

Menzies'

Appeal

Rejected

Premier to come over to give Australian Labour

his views on the matter to the British Cabinet.

Ulster was anxious to help the war effort in every way, includ-

Reuter. ing conscription.

EVACUATION QUESTIONS IN COUNCIL

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.

forces, cannot

Operations of this type in con- fined waters; without fighter pro- very large air tection against

be undertaken without losses, and the Admiralty regret to announce that the fol lowing ships were sunk:-

The cruisers Gloucester (Cap

P.

B.

William

unanimously rejected the H. A. Rowley), and idea of forming a coali- tion government at a Poulett), and meeting yesterday.

Mr. Curtin, the Labour loader,

the said they believed

present cooperation was more effective in helping the war effort.

A "national government" as a political formula would not add a scrap to Australia's unit- ed determination to win the war, he said.

Labour is pledged to give, and In Legislative Counell to-moris giving, all aid in the struggle

for human liberty.-Reuter.

row the Hon. Mr. J. J. Paterson "During that night we re- will ask the following questions:- turned to bare and then heard 1. Will the Government give that the destroyers Kelly

the and statistics of

Incidence

of

Kashmir had also been sunk evacuation on the wives of senior NEW U.S.

by dive-bombing after bom- | Government Officers, namely barding Malemi aerodrome and (a) wives not in the searching for Fiji.

survivors

from

"Another destroyer, Kimberley,

whom she

This cruiser, thus occupied, got did great work picking up about left astern and received such con" 250 survivors with compelled to return to her assis-safely made port after a tremen-

dous hammering from the air."

centrated attacks that we were

tance.

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

Like Flies

Colony when the evacuation was ordered, (b) wives departed since that

date, (c) wives

over-

for recommended exemption by the Evacua- tion Advisory Committee, (d) cases still pending when further compulsory evacua- tion was suspended? 2. In how many cases was the In addition to the warships sunk, two battleships received recommendation of the Evacua-

Committee tion Advisory hits while affording cruisers

ruled by higher authority? support against aircraft, but got: to base safely. The enemy darted in and out "Altogether 100 misses were like flies from all directions, most counted all round our ship dur-pressing home the attacks ing two hours as..she repeatedly vigorously, while in the distance changed course, dodging falling could be seen a double line of bombs while, speeding at over Nazi troop-darrying planes re-

Winston Churchill was Mr. 30 knots.

peatedly flying to and from our Malemi aerodrome from the received in audience. by, the King de-Island of Antikithera and other at Buckingham Palace yesterday, but nearby bases.-Reuter.

says Reuter.

186 Misses

"The rate of fire from four crufaara cand three stroyers was tremendous

SKATING---

PREMIER HAS AN AUDIENCE

י

CONTINUES TO ATTRACT THE CROWDS AT

10 The Ritz

NORTH⋅ POINT

TEL. 34196.

DEFENCE VOTE

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT HAS ASKED CONGRESS FOR AP- PROPRIATIONS TOTALLING AIR- $3,319,000,000 FOR NEW CRAFT FOR THE ARMY AND NAVY.

The sum of $2,790,000,000 will be spent on Army and $529,000,- 000 on Navy 'planes.

Fiji

(Capt.

The destroyers Juno (Com- mander Tyrwhitt),

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

Kelly (Capt. Lord Louis Mountbatten) and

Kashmir King).

(Commander H. A.

Survivors Landed

It is already known that the following numbers of survivors from the

been ships lost have landed:

Thirty-four officers and

500

men from Fiji.

Eight officers and 120 from Kelly.

men

Nine officers and 150 men from Kashmir,

Six officers and 98 men from Juno.

Three officers and 88 men from Greyhound.

It is regretted that no news is from yet available of survivors Gloucester but since Gloucester was sunk not far from the Greek The request is being sent to mainland, and it is known that Congress by Mr. Stephen Early, ample boats and rafts were avail- the President's secretary, in a

letter to the Speaker of the able it is hoped many of her House of Representatives. Reu-company survived. Reuter.

ter.

O.K. YUK'S POST

REQUISITION ORDER IN INDIA

Holders of stocks of sodium bichromate, potassium bichromate and chrome allum, or any pro- IT IS OFFICIALLY JAN-prietary compound of similar NOUNCED IN CHUNGKING chemical composition, are called THAT MR. O, K.-YUIA EX upon by the Government of India MAYOR" OF, SHANGHAI HAS to declare their, stocks and not to BEEN APPOINTED VRVICE- dispose of them in any way ex- MINISTERSFORTSFOREIGN L-spt to meet current: Government

At war contracts. CONTA MAY. C. Kóò. Governor of Manufacturers for these sub- the Farmers Bank, is appointed | stances are directed to declare Acting Vice Minister of Finance their manufacturing capacity as during the absence of Mr. PW well as their actual or restimated Kuo-In London.Reuter,; Zaqy turn-out. ---- Reuter,

AFFAIRS.

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