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Far East.

Hong Kong.

4. Motor torpedo boats attacked enemy craft crossing from Kowloon Bay to the island of Hong Kong on the 20th, sinking four landing craft with troops on board. Two M.T.Bs. were sunk and one damaged. H.M. Gunboat Tern, an auxiliary patrol vessel, the Oiler Ebonol and Boom Defence Vessel Barlight, which were unable to steam, have been scuttled.

H.M. Gunboat Cicala was sunk by dive-bombing on the 21st, and H.M. Destroyer Thracian, which had been damaged, was beached and dismantled.

Singapore.

5. The Netherlands Submarine O. 16, which was returning from successful operations off the Northern Malayan coast, entered a British minefield and was blown up. There is one survivor.

Anti-Submarine Operations.

6. The escort of a homeward-bound convoy from Gibraltar obtained a further success on the 19th (two or possibly three U-boats having already been sunk by them, as reported in last week's Résumé), when H.M. Sloop Stork rammed and sank a U-boat after she had been forced to surface from depth charge attack. On the 21st an aircraft flown from the auxiliary aircraft carrier with the convoy sighted a U-boat transferring men from another which had been holed in the side. Another U-boat was sunk by a naval aircraft off Cape Spartel; one officer survivor was picked up by a corvette.

During the night of 18th/19th H.M. Destroyer Jervis sank a U-boat off Alexandria, and on the same night another was damaged or sunk by H.M. Trawler Kingston Cyanite in the same vicinity. A number of other attacks without definite result were made by surface vessels and aircraft, chiefly in the Gibraltar area.

Enemy Intelligence.

Main Units.

7. There is no change in the position of the main units in the Western Baltic. At Brest Gneisenau left dry dock on the 23rd, and Prinz Eugen has returned to dry dock from the fuelling station.

Italy.

8.

Four or five ships of about 5,000 tons are known to have got across from Italy to Libya in the past week. One of these was damaged by aircraft but was subsequently towed in.

Japan.

9. On the 21st December one cruiser and three destroyers with 12 transports were employed in the Japanese landing at Davao, Philippine Islands. The forces employed in the main landings in the Lingayen Gulf on the 22nd are said to have been 70 to 90 transports supported by one heavy cruiser, eight destroyers and an aircraft carrier.

The forces blockading Hong Kong on the 20th consisted of two cruisers, two destroyers and two torpedo boats.

On the occasion of the Japanese landing on Wake Island

23rd December, two destroyers ran aground.

on the

It is assumed that the Japanese have been in occupation of Guam since the 20th December.

U-boats.

10. A group of U-boats has been operating on the convoy route northwards from Gibraltar in co-operation with Focke Wulf aircraft, and it is possible that

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