CAB80-8 — Page 368

Page 368

Page 368

10

fighters. One Me. 109 was brought down by a Hurricane. On the 3rd continuous defensive patrols of between four and ten fighters were maintained over the Saar Front during the late morning and early afternoon.

Five Hurricanes met three Me. 109's at 26,000 feet near Saarlautern on the 4th.

Attacks on Shipping.

42. The following statistics of attacks by enemy aircraft against fishing trawlers and merchant shipping covering the period the 17th December, 1939, to the 10th February, 1940, have been compiled. Owing to the uncertainty of the information available, these figures are only approximate and subject to review at a later date.

!

Number attacked. Number sunk.

Seriously

Slightly

damaged.

damaged.

I-Fishing Trawlers

II. Merchant

Ships

(neutral)

III.-Merchant

Ships

(British)

76 15 (Av. tonnage 2,585) 54 (Av. tonnage 3,300) |

10

10

8

2 (2,733 tons)

7

4

2

(18,374 tons)

(11,580 tons) 11 (22,479 tons)

(2,260 tons)

7

(36,067 tons)

Attack on Belgian Patrol.

43. On the 2nd March a Dornier 215 encountered a patrol of three Belgian Hurricanes over Belgian territory, and shot down one of them in flames. The other two were also damaged.

SOVIET-FINNISH WAR.

43A. The Soviet offensive has continued unabated throughout the week and the lack of respite from ground and air attack has told heavily on the Finnish forces, who have been driven back to the outskirts of Viipuri which is being assaulted from the south and east by Soviet troops.

On the western shore of the Isthmus confused fighting is taking place among the islands and assaults have been made by the Russians across the ice west of Viipuri. These assaults have been driven off, but the Finns have had to assign a considerable number of troops to the defence of the mainland coast.

North of Lake Ladoga there have been no developments of strategic importance, though the Finns have succeeded in annihilating a Russian tank brigade in the Kitela area. Elsewhere along the front the Russians have remained inactive, except for some unimportant movements in the extreme north.

From the Finnish point of view the military situation is very serious, not so much on account of the Russian advance as the lack of reserves of men and munitions and the general exhaustion, from which both troops and population are suffering. The intense air action, which continues, must have an increasing effect on Finnish resistance, as the days grow longer.

44. The Russians have tended to direct more and more of their bomber aircraft to military purposes in and near the war zone. At the same time, there has been no lessening of the ferocity with which inland towns have been bombed, and it is clear that the Russians are still trying to demoralise the civil population. In this respect it is observed that Soviet bomber formations of from three to twelve aircraft have in many instances made careful use of cloud during their attacks.

Soviet aircraft have also continued to bomb numerous railway junctions in the interior of Finland.

The Finns have concentrated on bombing only military targets, such as the Russian lines of communication.

Page 368

Page 368

Page 368