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24. Seventy-two aircraft (thirty-six Wellingtons and thirty-six Hampdens) stood by on the morning of the 17th in readiness to cover the withdrawal of the naval forces taking part in the Altmark operation.

Two Wellington aircraft dropped leaflets over Bremen and Hamburg on the night of the 17th February.

Fighter Command.

25. A total of 349 patrols were despatched during the week, involving 873 aircraft. The majority of these patrols were engaged on convoy, shipping protection, channel escort and standing patrol duties. There was very little enemy air activity near this country during the early part of this week. On the 20th and the 22nd, however, hostile aircraft attacked shipping off our East Coast, and, although on the first day fog rendered operations by our fighters impossible, conditions had improved by the 22nd. Full details of the operations on that day are not yet available, but it is known that two enemy aircraft were shot down by our fighter patrols, one fell in the sea off Blyth and one on land near St. Abb's Head. The crew of the latter aircraft were taken prisoners, one of them badly wounded.

Coastal Command.

26. One hundred and twenty-nine patrols were flown during the week and 42 convoys were provided with air escort.

On the 16th February aircraft of this Command located the Altmark 20 miles north-west of Lister Light and directed warships to her position. On the next day special patrols were flown for the protection of these naval units while they were returning to their base.

27. Enemy submarines were sighted on six occasions and four attacks were made. On the 16th February a Hudson aircraft sighted a submarine 67 miles north-east of Kinnaird Head and attacked with two 250-lb. bombs. A large patch of oil appeared and later a raft, with two yellow marker buoys attached, came to the surface. On the 20th February an Anson attacked an enemy submarine 55 miles north of the Butt of Lewis without result.

28. On the 21st February an enemy submarine was attacked in the morning and again in the afternoon, 120 miles east of Duncansby Head. In the first attack two 250-lb. bombs were dropped and some damage is possible, but in the second no hits were claimed. On the same day a suspected submarine was attacked by aircraft 22 miles south-east of Wick. The latter, however, was a doubtful sighting, and is not included in the total of six sightings and four attacks reported earlier in this section.

29. On the morning of the 18th February three Hudson aircraft sighted six enemy minesweepers 50 miles west of Horn Reefs. Each of the first two Hudsons carried out two dive bombing attacks, concentrating on one enemy ship, and the third aircraft bombed the same target from 9,000 ft. No direct hits were recorded, but one bomb appeared to drop 10 yards from the bow of the ship selected for attack, which was seen to fall astern of the other two.

Several floating mines were sighted by aircraft and reported.

Operations in France.

Royal Air Force.

30. There was little activity during the week. On the 21st February a Blenheim carried out a successful reconnaissance of N.W. Germany. The pilot reported no unusual movements. The country was covered in snow, aerodromes being apparently unserviceable.

French Air Force.

31. French air activity was very limited during the first part of the week. Reconnaissance missions were sent out on the 16th, 17th and 20th February, mostly over the Rhine Valley. On the 21st February ten reconnaissance missions were carried out over and behind the enemy lines, between the Moselle and the Rhine and over the right bank of the Rhine. On that day the French fighters made 86 sorties without gaining contact with the enemy.

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