CAB80-13 — Page 357

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Page 357

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80. During the week, Fighter Command flew 364 patrols, involving 738 aircraft, over this country.

Attacks on Germany and German-Occupied Territory.

81. Bomber Command has concentrated on operations designed to reduce the scale of air attack on this country. Aerodromes, aircraft factories and aluminium works have been attacked, with other industrial and oil targets and communications as secondary objectives. Medium bombers flew 161 daylight sorties, including attacks on objectives in Germany, and 465 night sorties were made. Weather conditions have frequently prevented the complete success of daylight operations, but it has generally been possible to attack secondary objectives when lack of cloud cover made it impossible to reach the main target.

82. Crews continue to report considerable success and this is confirmed from Intelligence sources. The week's operations are summarised in Appendix VI, which also includes extracts from recent Raid Assessment Reports. Six aircraft were lost at night, and four in daylight operations.

North Sea and Coastal.

83. Coastal Command have maintained their operations off the Norwegian and Dutch Coasts, including a successful attack on the Scharnhorst, and mine- laying has been continued. Fighter Command are flying considerable and successful offensive patrols over Northern France.

84. The most important operation of the week was the attack made on the Scharnhorst, during its passage south along the Norwegian coast, which has already been described in the Naval Situation. Three Beauforts and one Hudson were lost and one Me. 109 was shot down. Attempts to re-establish contact on the following day were unsuccessful.

85. There have been seven submarine sightings during the week and four attacks, one of which was promising.

86. Anti-invasion patrols have been maintained off our own coasts, and regular reconnaissances have been made for movements of shipping along the Norwegian and Dutch coasts. Between the 20th and 23rd a number of enemy naval units were reported and attacked as already described. The attack on enemy destroyers off Terschelling on the 20th was made by one Hudson and pressed home in spite of attacks by four Me. 109's.

87. On the 19th June six Hudsons attacked the inner harbour at Ijmuiden, and damaged warehouses and shipping; on the 22nd June a large merchant ship with considerable deck cargo was set on fire and sunk off Haugesund; on the 25th June a tanker was bombed in Bergen harbour and was probably damaged by near misses. A small destroyer was seen in the dry-dock at Stavanger on the same day.

88. On the 21st June a very successful attack was made on a new enemy gun emplacement near Calais by four Skuas and five Rocs, escorted by Hurri canes; four direct hits were secured. One Roc was seen to fall in the sea. On the 24th June an equally successful attack was made by six Hudsons on the occupied aerodrome at de Kooy in Holland, where buildings were destroyed and set on fire. On the same day an Anson on Channel patrol was attacked by four Me. 109's, and returned safely to its base after shooting down one of the

enemy.

89. On the night of the 25th-26th June nine Hudsons raided the newly constructed aerodrome at Bomoen, near Bergen, and bombed it heavily from 3,000 feet; hits were made on the runways and the wooden buildings were machine-gunned.

90. In addition to 36 minelaying sorties flown by Bomber Command, there have been 13 such sorties by aircraft of Coastal Command, and five sorties to drop W bombs.

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91. Daily offensive patrols of our own fighters have been flown over France for reconnaissance and to attack enemy aircraft in the air or on the ground.

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