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T H I S D O C U M E N T I S T H E P R O P E R T Y O F H I S B R I T A N N I C M A J E S T Y ' S G O V E R N M E N T

SECRET. Copy No.

W . P . (41 ) 7 8

(Also Paper No. C.O.S. (41) 221)

April 3, 1941

TO B E K E P T U N D E R L O C K A N D K E Y .

I t is requested t h a t special care may be takei^ t ensure the secrecy of this document .

WAR CABINET

WEEKLY RESUME (No. 83)

of the

NAVAL, MILITARY AND AIR SITUATION

from 12 noon March 27th, to

12 noon April 3rd,

1941 - 1 - * / JL J L

[Circulated with the approval of the Chiefs of Staff.]

o

Cabinet War Room

N A Y A L S IT UAT IO N. ' General Review.

The I t a l i a n Fleet has been brought to act ion and h a s suffered serious losses. The scut t l ing of enemy merchan t sh ipp ing in South Amer ica is repor ted . S h i p p i n g losses repor ted a re heavy, but more t h a n ha l f th is tonnage was sunk

previous to the per iod unde r review. Enemy a i r c r a f t have been active in a t t a ck ing tra.de in the St. George 's

Channe l and off the E a s t Coast.

Home W a t e r s and North A t l an t i c . 2. U n i t s of the Flee t have been employed du r ing the week covering ocean

convoys and pa t ro l s have been ins t i tu ted to in tercept w a r s h i p ra iders . On the .27th M a r c h H .M. Sloop Leith was unsuccessfully a t tacked in the St. George 's Channe l by two a i rc ra f t , one of which was destroyed. On the 31st two h i t s were claimed b)^ our a i rc ra f t on a destroyer which was escor t ing a convoy off the no r th coast of Hol land . H .M. P a d d l e Minesweeper Lorna Doone off Lowestoft destroyed one a i r c r a f t a n d claimed to have damaged two others . H .M.S . Worcestershire (Armed Merchan t Cruiser ) , escor t ing a homebound convoy from Canada , was damaged by torpedo 400 miles south-west of Ice land ear ly on the morn ing of the 3rd A p r i l . The convoy was also a t tacked, e ight ships having been repor ted torpedoed, fur ther detai ls of which wil l be included in nex t week's Resume. On the same day H .M. Gunboat Locust destroyed one a i r c ra f t and damaged two others in the Thames Es tua ry .

Mediterranean. 3. A i r reconnaissance on the 27th M arch reported a force of enemy

w a r s h i p s to the e a s t w a r d of Sicily s teering east . On the morn ing of the 2 8 t h M a r c h our l ight forces s ighted one L i t to r io class ba t t lesh ip , accompanied by cru isers , to the south-west of Crete s teer ing south-east, while air reconnaissance repor ted two bat t leships , cruisers and destroyers to the nor th of th is posi t ion. On being s ighted the enemy tu rned wes tward , proceeding a t h igh speed. D u r i n g the day the L i t to r io class ba t t l esh ip was repeatedly a n d successfully a t t acked w i t h torpedoes by the Fleet a i r a rm which caused serious damage. A successful a t t ack was also made by bombers of the R . A . F . on cruisers and destroyers. The loss of speed resul t ing from these a i r a t tacks enabled our heavier ships to ga in contact w i th the enemy a t dusk, a n d a short but decisive action took place, r e su l t ing in the loss of three enemy 8-inch cruisers (Pola, Zara and Fiume) and t w o destroyers , Vincenzo Gioberti a n d Maestrale. I t is probable t h a t the 6-inch cruiser Giovanni Delle Bancle Nere and one other destroyer were also sunk. Two dive-bombers were shot down d u r i n g dayl ight operat ions . A p a r t from three Nava l a i r c r a f t which are miss ing, no damage or casual t ies were susta ined by any of our ships. On the morn ing of the 29th near ly a thousand I t a l i a n survivors were rescued, which number would have been considerably increased h a d not G e r m a n bombers a t tacked the rescuing ships. The Commander- in-Chief informed the Chief of the I t a l i a n Nava l Staff of the posi t ion of the survivors, which he h a d been forced to abandon, a n d suggested t h a t a hospi ta l ship should be sent. A reply of t hanks was received ind ica t ing t h a t the hosp i ta l ship Piscana had a l ready sailed. Greek destroyers which were rushed t h rough the Cor in th Cana l a r r i ved too la te to take p a r t in the action, but assis ted to pick u p survivors. Oppos ing forces consisted of Br i t i sh : three ba t t leships , one a i rc ra f t car r ier , four cruisers a n d twelve dest royers ; I t a l i a n : three battleships, eleA en cruisers a n d four teen destroyers.

4. H M . Submar ine Parthian a t tacked an escorted convoy in the S t r a i t s of Mess ina on the 16th March , a n d i t is believed t h a t she torpedoed a 6,000-ton merchan t sh ip and a 10,000-ton tanker . H . M . Submar ine Rorqual, ope ra t ing n o r t h of Messina, repor ted t h a t she had sunk a U - B o a t and the I t a l i a n s.s. Laura Corrado (3,645 tons). H .M. Submar ine Utmost, opera t ing in the Cen t r a l Med i t e r r anean , a t t acked a southbound convoy, a n d obtained two h i t s on a 12,000-ton sh ip and one on a 6,000-ton ship .

Ear ly on the 31st March H .M.S . Bonaventure was torpedoed and sunk by a U-Boa t while escor t ing a convoy south of Crete . The Cap ta in , n ine officers and 300 ' r a t ings have been rescued. ELM. A u s t r a l i a n Destroyer Stuart a t t acked the U-Boat , which broke surface and then crash dived a f te r the th i rd a t tack .

Reinforcements of a i r c ra f t which were flown off H . M . S . Ark Royal a r r ived safely a t M a l t a on the morning of the 3rd.

5. On the 30th March H .M.S . Sheffield w i th four destroyers in tercepted an eas tbound convoy of four F rench merchan t ships, escorted by a destroyer, off the A lge r i an coast. The convoy refused to stop, and en te red Nemours , where a £-inch ba t te ry opened fire on our ships . Sheffield replied, and the ba t te ry was repeatedly hi t . Our force was ineffectively bombed by French a i r c ra f t while r e t u r n i n g to i t s base.

Other Fore ign Sta t ions . South A tlantic.

6. I t has now been established t h a t the enemy r a ide r repor ted by H .M. Submar ine Severn on the 22nd March was, in fact, a Br i t i sh merchan t ship .

Red Sea. 7. On the 30th March H.M. Destroyer Kandahar in tercepted the German

s.s. Bertram Rickmers (4,188 tons) 60 miles south-west of Massawa. The crew abandoned ship and fired scu t t l ing charges. Two I t a l i a n Destroyers a t t e m p t i n g to escape from Massawa have been sunk by a i r c r a f t from H .M.S . Eagle. Ano the r destroyer was left in a s inking condi t ion a n d two others have been abandoned, leaving three st i l l to be accounted for.

Pacific. 8. On the 1st A p r i l H .M. C a n a d i a n A r m e d M e r c h a n t Cruiser Prince Henry

in te rcepted the German ships Miinchen (5,619 tons) a n d Hermonthis (4,833 tons) about 200 miles west of Callao. Both ships were set on fire by the i r crews and were subsequently sunk.

An t i -Submar ine Opera t ions . 9. No a t t acks of impor tance have taken place other t h a n those previously

described in the Med i t e r r anean Section.

Enemy Intel l igence. German.

10. On the 28th March an unconfirmed repor t placed the new ba t t l esh ip Bismarck in Gdynia , and on the following day pho tograph ic reconnaissance showed the bat t lecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in Brest , the former along­side w i th net protec t ion round her a n d the l a t t e r in d ry dock. Subsequent recon­naissances have repor ted no change in this s i tua t ion .

Italian. Nine destroyers were a t Massawa previous to the a t t acks by our a i r c r a f t

repor ted in p a r a g r a p h 7. Confirmation has been received t h a t the 6-inch cruiser Montecuccoli w a s sunk ear ly in M a r c h in the Med i t e r r anean .

A reconnaissance of Tr ipo l i on the 28th March showed six destroyers and 19 merchan t ships va ry ing from 2,000 to 8,000 tons.

U-boats. A t the beginning of the per iod under review, there seemed to be considerably

fewer German U-boats in the N o r t h - W e s t Approaches t h a n has been usua l of la te . By the 30th March , there seem to have been ten or more Germans a t work in two groups, one N o r t h of 6 0 o and one South of 55 G , and numbers have remained a t least a t t h a t level since then. A fea tu re of the disposi t ions towards the end of the per iod was the presence in N o r t h e r n la t i tudes of two G e r m a n U-boats as fa r Wes t as 2 8 0 . One or two Germans have been in the Cape Verde area . The re has been l i t t le evidence of the ac t iv i ty of I t a l i a n U-boats , bu t i t seems t h a t the concentrat ion in the Bay of Biscay has dispersed.

[22392] B

Enemy Attack on Seaborne Trade. 11. Accord ing to the in format ion a t present available merchan t s h i p p i n g

losses d u r i n g the week ended noon Wednesday , the 2nd Apr i l , amounted to ten ships and five small c ra f t to ta l l ing 53,446 tons, of which e ight ships and th ree small c raf t (42,962 tons) were Br i t i sh . Bombing, p r inc ipa l ly on the E a s t Coast a n d in the St . George 's Channel , accounted for five ships and five smal l c ra f t sunk a n d ten ships damaged. Four ships were sunk by U-boats in the Nor th -W e s t e r n Approaches and two were damaged. Only one ship was damaged by mine. A merchan t r a i d e r sank one Br i t i sh ship in the South At l an t i c .

I n f o r m a t i o n has also come to h a n d d u r i n g th is week of a number of ear l ier losses not previously repor ted , namely, two ships sunk by U-boats , two ships and some small c ra f t sunk by a i rc ra f t , and three ships sunk by ra ide r . Seven ships previously repor ted damaged a re now known to have been sunk, m a k i n g a to ta l of 128,466 tons of s h i p p i n g sunk, detai ls of which a re contained in A p p e n d i x I .

Protection of Seaborne T r a d e . 12. D u r i n g the week ended noon Wednesday , the 2nd A p r i l , 774 ships,

inc lud ing 163 All ied a n d 16 neu t ra l , were convoyed. Four ships were repor ted lost in convoy. Five bat t leships , one a i r c r a f t car r ier , three cruisers , four submarines , fifty destroyers and forty-five sloops and corvettes were employed on escort dut ies . Since the beg inn ing of the w a r 58,727 ships have been convoyed, of which 285 have been lost by enemy action.

I m p o r t s in to G r e a t B r i t a i n by ships in convoy d u r i n g the week end ing the 29th March total led 557,429 tons, compared w i th 502,789 tons d u r i n g the previous seven days. Oil impor t s were 134,703 tons in th i r teen tankers . I m p o r t s of minera l s were 155,816 tons, of which 112,192 tons were steel, scrap iron, p i g i ron a n d i ron ore. Timber impor t s were 9,548 and cereal impor ts were 88,460 tons. O the r food impor t s amounted to 92,081 tons, of which 13,666 tons were sugar , 12,234 tons were re f r ige ra ted and t i nned meat , bacon and hams, a n d 13,011 tons were tea. A i r c r a f t and considerable quan t i t i e s of machinery and w a r stores were among the cargoes.

Br i t i sh Minelaying. 13. D u r i n g the week th ree mine lay ing opera t ions have been ca r r i ed out off

Bres t and 240 mines have been l a id in the St. George ' s Channel . M.T.Bs . la id mines off Dunk i rk .

Mine lay ing by a i r c r a f t has been ca r r i ed out off the F r i s i a n and French A t l a n t i c coasts.

Enemy Minelaying, British Minesweeping.

14. Both the H u m b e r a rea and Mi l ford H a v e n have had mine lay ing r a id s on three n igh t s d u r i n g the week ended the 2nd A p r i l . Mine lay ing off Har t l epoo l was suspected on the n i g h t of the 31st March .

No contact mines have been cut or exploded d u r i n g the week, a n d only n ine magne t i c a n d fourteen acoustic mines have been detonated, the ma jo r i t y in the U p p e r Thames E s t u a r y .

Three dangerous a reas in the Downs have been cleared, leaving a small pa t ch nea r some wrecks.

A n enemy minefield is suspected off Cape Carvoeiro on the coast of P o r t u g a l , where several explosions have recently been reported.

On the 3 rd A p r i l Torbay was the only p o r t closed.

Enemy Merchant Shipping.

15. I t a l i a n , G e r m a n and D a n i s h ships in U n i t e d Sta tes por t s have been t aken in to protect ive custody af ter in format ion h a d been received to the effect t h a t I t a l i a n crews were systematical ly des t roying thei r machinery. W h e n boarded m a n y of the I t a l i a n ships were found to have a l ready made p r e p a r a t i o n s for se t t ing themselves on fire or to have damaged the i r engines. There a re 28 I t a l i a n sh ips in U n i t e d S ta t e s por ts , to ta l l ing 169,906 tons, 2 German, one

of them a tanker , to ta l l ing 9,133 tons, and 35 Danish , to ta l l ing 113,517 tons. No damage h a d been done to the D a n i s h ships, but one of the German, the Pauleine Friedrich a t Boston, had h a d her engines badly damaged. Three Danish ships have recently been seized in Chile and one in P e r u .

German. 16. The Wartenfels (6,181 tons) is repor ted to have left Massawa between

the 21st Feb rua ry and the 21st March , but has not been hea rd of since. Dresden (5,567 tons) sailed from Santos on the 28th March . A t Montevideo the Norderney(3,667 tons) was ready for sea, heavily loaded, on the 1st Apr i l . Osomo (6,951 tons) sailed from Talcahuano, Chile, on the 2nd Apr i l . The German Eisenach (4,423 tons) and the I t a l i a n Fella (6,072 tons) were set on fire by the i r crews a t P u n t a Arenas , Costa Rica , on the 31st M a r c h when the local au thor i t ies a t t empted to board. Both ships a re likely to become a total loss. Repor t s of scut t l ing have also been received as follows :—

Sesostris (3,987 tons) a t P u e r t o Cabello, Venezuela. Friesland (6,310 tons) set on fire a t P a i t a , Pe ru . Leipsig (5,898 tons) a t Callao. Cerigo (1,120 tons) set on fire a t Quayagui l , Ecuador .

The Orinoco (9,660 tons) a t Tampico, Hameln (4,174 tons) a t V e r a Cruz and Durazzo (1,153 tons) in Venezuela have been seized.

Italian. 17. Considerable act iv i ty has been shown by I t a l i a n ships in the Cana ry

I s lands . On the n i g h t of the 1st A p r i l the Capo Alga (4,835 tons) and the t anker Burano (4,450 tons) sailed from Teneriffe. The t anke r Frisco (4,910 tons) sailed from Ceara, Braz i l , and the t anker Franco Martelli (10,535 tons) from Pe rnambuco on the 28th March . S ix ships, to ta l l ing 36,873 tons, are repor ted to have received orders to sai l from Buenos Ai res .

Repo r t s of scut t l ings have been received as follows :—-T a n k e r A tlas (2,005 tons) a t Tampico. Tanke r s Teresa Odero (8,196 tons), Trottiera (6,205 tons) and Jole Fassio

(5,169 tons) a t P u e r t o Cabella, Venezuela. Manserrate (5,578 tons) a t Callao.

E i g h t t anke r s (51,000 tons) have been seized at Tampico and one tanker (6,735 tons) a t V e r a Cruz. The Recca (5,441 tons) a t Havana , Bacicin Padre (5,591 tons) and two tankers (12,000 tons) a t P u e r t o Cabello have also been seized and Pampano (6,232 tons) a t P e r n a m b u c o has been de ta ined for payment of bunkers .

M I L I T A R Y S I T U A T I O N . Germany.

18. A s tudy of German man-power s ta t i s t ics ind ica tes t h a t her army is now app roach ing a to ta l of 250 divisions. I t is t hough t t h a t this is the max imum which she can m a i n t a i n w i thou t serious r isks to her w a r product ion and supply.

Balkan Operations. Greece.

19. A German a t t ack on Greece appea red to be imminent a t the t ime t h a t Yugoslavia jo ined the T r i p a r t i t e P a c t . There is no doubt t h a t the coup d' Etat which followed upse t the German calculat ions and caused postponement of the a t tack . I t is suggested t h a t the a t t ack on Greece will coincide wi th one on Yugoslavia.

Yugoslavia. 20. I t appea r s t h a t G e r m a n t roops are being concentra ted on the Yugoslav

f ront iers as follows :— (a) A h igher formation, probably an a rmoured corps, is being concentra ted

in the Temesvar area, i.e., in R o u m a n i a opposi te the Yugoslav front ier . U n i t s from F r a n c e are also concen t ra t ing in th i s area.

(b) I t was repor ted on the 29th M a r c h t h a t Ge rman motorised un i t s were a r r i v ing by t r a i n and road a t Eeldbach and Leibni tz in Southern A u s t r i a , opposi te the Yugoslav frontier .

(c) Cer t a in G e r m a n t roop t r a in s are being ha l t ed in H u n g a r y . I t is there­fore possible t h a t German troops a re de t r a in ing in H u n g a r y and moving south to the Hunga r i an -Yugos l av frontier . So far , however, there is no confirmation of this .

The re is no confirmation of press repor ts of has ty re inforcement by I t a l y of the I ta lo-Yugos lav front ier .

Albania. 21 . T h e effect of the Yugoslav coup d:Etat on I t a l i a n s t ra tegy in A lban ia

cannot yet be assessed, a l though cer ta in t roops may have been w i t h d r a w n from the" f ront to the centre of A l b a n i a to form a s t ra teg ic reserve. Meanwhile , the I t a l i a n s have kept u p minor offensive act iv i t ies on all p a r t s of t h e f ront wi thou t success a n d at some cost in personnel and war ma te r i a l .

Bulgaria. 22. There are es t imated to be twenty complete German divisions now in

Bu lga r i a , as aga ins t s ixteen last week, the probable present d i s t r ibu t ion being six divisions in the south-west, six in the centre and eight in the south-east fac ing Turkey . Of these four are a rmoured divisions, an increase of one d u r i n g the pas t week.

U.S.S .R . 23 . There is l i t t le reason to believe numerous repor t s t h a t Germany in tends

to a t t ack Russ ia in the near fu ture . The G e r m a n object is undoubtedly to exer t m i l i t a ry pressure on R u s s i a to prevent Russ i an in ter ference in G e r m a n p lans in Sou th -Eas t Europe , a n d also to influence R u s s i a ' s d ip lomat ic decisions.

Africa. Libya.

24. Enemy i n f a n t r y es t ima ted a t two bat ta l ions , together w i t h t anks w i t h swas t ika mark ings , a t t a cked some of ou r u n a r m o u r e d troops who w i t h d r e w to a l ine no r th of Agedab ia .

W e es t imate t h a t the number of G e r m a n t roops in Tr ipo l i is sti l l between one a n d two a rmoured divisions, but there are indicat ions t h a t these m a y short ly be reinforced.

Eritrea and A byssinia. 25. The o u t s t a n d i n g events of the week have been the cap tu re of Ke ren and

the cap i tu la t ion of A s m a r a . W i t h our forces as t r ide the r a i lway A d d i s A b a b a -J i b u t i , the only l and ex i t f rom Abyss in ia left to t h e I t a l i a n s is by road from A d d i s A b a b a to Assab via Dessie, I t is ev ident t h a t the Duke of Aos t a is i n t e r p r e t i n g h is orders loyally and t h a t he wil l probably exploi t the nuisance value of con ta in ing our forces un t i l I t a l i a n su r render is inevitable.

A I R S I T U A T I O N . General Review.

26. Opera t ions by Bomber Command have been g rea t ly res t r ic ted by very bad w e a t h e r ; a heavy a t tack , however, was m a d e aga in s t the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau located a t Bres t . A number of successful a t t acks were made on enemy s h i p p i n g by a i r c r a f t from both Bomber and Coas ta l Commands .

Opera t iona l A i r c r a f t B a t t l e Casual t ies are given in A p p e n d i x V I . For reasons given in A p p e n d i x V I I , ex t rac t s from recent R a i d Assessment Repo r t s a re no t to be discont inued, as was s ta ted last week.

Germany and Occupied Te r r i to ry . 27. D u r i n g the week Bomber Command car r ied out 115 day and 289 n i g h t

sorties. Coasta l Command suppor ted these opera t ions and F i g h t e r Command flew a few offensive pa t ro l s over the coasts of F rance and the Low Countr ies .

Day. 28. Near ly all the day l igh t sorties were directed aga ins t enemy sh ipping ,

de ta i l s of which wil l be found unde r Coastal Opera t ions . On four occasions d u r i n g dayl ight , a force of heavy bombers was despatched to a t t ack the enemy ba t t l e cruisers located a t B re s t ; one a i rc ra f t a t tacked wi thou t observing results , the remainder h a d to abandon task on account of unsui table weather . A few aerodromes were bombed and machine-gunned; a t Haams tede a bu i ld ing was hi t , caus ing a la rge explosion, and a t M a u p e r t u s four H e . I l l were machine-gunned. A direct h i t w a s made on gun emplacements a t f lollum, in Ameland. Near th i s po in t some Dutch civi l ians were seen po in t ing and wav ing ; ou r a i r c r a f t inves t iga ted a n d found a number of enemy soldiers on parade , who were then bombed a n d machine-gunned.

Night. 29. W e a t h e r condi t ions d u r i n g the week were very unfavourable ; on only

th ree n igh t s was it possible to c a r r y out a t tacks a n d on only one n i g h t could the full p rog ramme be unde r t aken .

30. On the n i g h t of the 2 7 t h / 2 8 t h a to ta l of 97 bombers was despatched, the p r inc ipa l a t t acks being made aga ins t the indus t r i a l centres a t Cologne and Dusseldorf. For ty -n ine tons of H . E . bombs were dropped a t Cologne; several l a rge explosions took place near the electr ici ty power s tat ion, burs t s were seen amongst bui ld ings , a n d a large fire w a s observed. A t Dusseldorf, t h i r t y tons of H . E . were d ropped and many fires and explosions were seen in the t a r g e t area. A t t a c k s on a small scale were also made aga ins t Dunk i rk , Bres t a n d Cala is .

31 . On the n i g h t of the 3 0 t h / 3 1 s t March , a to ta l of 134 bombers was despatched, the p r i n c i p a l t a r g e t being the Scharnhorst a n d Gneisenau a t Brest , where 118 tons of H . E . were d ropped . Resu l t s were difficult to observe on account of darkness and in tense searchl ight concentrat ion, bu t repor t s ind ica te t h a t a l a rge p ropor t ion of the bombs were d ropped on t h a t a rea of the docks in wh ich these ba t t le cru isers were s i tuated. A number of a i r c r a f t saw the cruisers by the l igh t of flares, a n d other a i r c r a f t r epor t hav ing s t radd led the t a r g e t in al l direct ions. Th i r t een Wel l ing tons a t tacked Calais , s t a r t i n g a number of fires.

32. On the n i g h t of the 31s t / 1 s t twenty- two a i r c r a f t a t tacked sh ipya rds a t Bremen ; fires were observed in the dock area and burs t s were seen exactly on the t a rge t . A l igh te r scale of a t t a ck w a s made aga ins t Emden , where t w o 4,000-lb. bombs were dropped.

33. On two occasions tea bags were dropped over Hol land , and p r o p a g a n d a leaflets were d ropped over N o r t h - W e s t F rance and Emden .

United Kingdom. 34. F i g h t e r Command flew 1,120 patrols , involving 2,730 sorties, by day,

and 189 pat ro ls , involving 285 sort ies, by n ight .

35. Enemy opera t ions by day were on the same modera te scale as last week, t hough increased act iv i ty took place aga ins t sh ipp ing off the Wes t a n d South-W e s t Coasts. The Focke-Wulf long-range u n i t h a s aga in been active. S ingle bomber-reconnaissance a i r c r a f t have a t t acked nine Royal A i r Force s ta t ions , for the most p a r t ineffectively, and bombs have been d ropped in some coastal towns. W a r m w e l l aerodrome was a t t acked on the 1st A p r i l by three a i rc raf t , which caused some damage, de ta i l s of which a re recorded in the Home Secur i ty S i tua t ion . W e a t h e r condi t ions were general ly unfavourable for intercept ion, but our fighters destroyed a t least e igh t enemy bombers d u r i n g the week.

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36. By n ight , enemy act iv i ty was on a considerably reduced scale. The only a t t acks of impor tance d u r i n g the week were di rected aga ins t Avonmouth a n d H u l l ; not more t h a n for ty a i r c r a f t were engaged on each occasion. O u r fighters made two intercept ions , one of which resulted in damage to a Focke-Wulf off the Cornish coast.

Coastal Operations.

37. Coasta l Command a i r c r a f t flew 179 pa t ro l s and provided escorts for 142 convoys, involving a to ta l of 798 sorties. I n add i t ion , a i r c r a f t of F i g h t e r Command made 478 sorties in convoy and s h i p p i n g protect ion pa t ro ls . O u r a t t acks in dayl igh t on enemy sh ipp ing have been on a heavier scale, and have been ca r r i ed out by a i rc ra f t of both Bomber a n d Coastal Commands .

38- S ix Coastal Command a i r c r a f t a t tacked a small merchan t vessel in Alde rney Harbour , ob ta in ing three direct h i t s ; the j e t t y was damaged and a bu r s t was observed near a la rge warehouse. Off St. Naza i r e , an an t i - submar ine vessel was set on fire and seen to be s inking. Five Blenheims escorted by four squadrons of fighters bombed two small merchan t vessels off Cape Gr i s Nez a n d regis tered near misses. Off the Dan i sh coast, a Beaufo r t torpedoed a merchan t vessel of about 2,000 tons. A Blenheim on reconnaissance engaged and shot down one of three enemy bombers,

39. The destroyer a t tacked off the no r th coast of Ho l l and by Bomber Command a i r c r a f t (mentioned in the Nava l S i tua t ion) w a s left l i s t ing heavily w i t h smoke issuing from the stern. Two tankers , each of 3,000 tons, were a t t acked off H a v r e and set on fire, a n d a d i rect h i t was made on a 2,000-ton merchan t vessel off I jmuiden . T w o flak ships were h i t , one was seen to be l i s t ing w i th smoke and steam pour ing from it a n d the other was left down by the s tern . Numerous other a t tacks were made on s h i p p i n g ; some near misses were seen, bu t o ther resul ts could not be observed. Enemy ships were also machine-gunned.

40. D u r i n g the week, th i r ty - th ree mines were la id off B r e s t ; other sea m i n i n g opera t ions were ca r r i ed out ;off Ameland .

4 1 . I t is e s t imated t h a t about 170 enemy a i r c r a f t l a id mines mostly in the H u m b e r a r ea and off the E a s t Coast . F o r t y of these opera ted in dayl igh t , on the 1st A p r i l . Enemy long-range bombers cont inued the i r a t t acks aga in s t sh ipp ing , p r inc ipa l ly off the E a s t Coast and in the St. George ' s Channel .

D u r i n g March, t h e Condor U n i t ca r r i ed out i t s h ighes t number of sorties yet recorded. The most effective a t t acks on s h i p p i n g d u r i n g the p a s t month have been made by a He . I l l u n i t based a t Tours , us ing advanced bases a t Bres t a n d D i n a r d a n d ope ra t ing aga ins t sh ipp ing in the W e s t e r n Approaches . D u r i n g March , th i s u n i t ca r r ied out a considerably g rea t e r number of sort ies d u r i n g day l igh t t h a n any other grwppe in the German A i r Force.

Eastern Mediterranean. 42. A t dawn on the 28th March , a machine-gun a t t a ck was m a d e by six

fighters on the aerodrome a t Lecce, twenty-five miles south-east of Br ind i s i , and one a i r c r a f t was destroyed a n d twenty were damaged . Reference has been m a d e in the Nava l S i tua t ion to the a t t ack on the I t a l i a n Fleet l a te r t h a t day by n ine teen Blenheims.

Greece and Albania. 43. Opera t ions cont inued in suppor t of the Greek forces, a n d m a n y offensive

a n d pho tog raph ic reconnaissances were flown in the a rea between Tepelene and the coast. On the 30th, a heavy and successful a t t ack was m a d e by ten Blenheims on m i l i t a r y stores a t Elbasan , d u r i n g which three of our a i r c r a f t we re damaged by fighters a n d one by A . A . fire. On the following day,, s ix Blenheims, escorted by fighters, bombed t r a n s p o r t on the Buzi -Glave road, scoring many h i t s . B a r r a c k s and mi l i t a ry stores in Tepelene were a t t a cked on the 2nd by six Blenheims escorted by twelve Glad ia to r s . I t a l i a n ac t iv i ty has been confined to a few at tacks, on Greek aerodromes and on var ious towns. Of four C a n t Z 1007 bombers which a t t empted to r a i d Volos on the 2nd, th ree were destroyed by our fighters a n d the four th severely damaged.

About th i r ty of the forty-five I t a l i a n bombers in A lban ia a re being wi th­d r a w n to I t a ly .

Dodecanese. 44. On the 27th, an a t t ack w a s made by eleven Blenheims on the aerodrome

a t Cala to , Rhodes ; an enemy a i r c r a f t was destroyed on the ground and bui ldings a n d a pe t ro l d u m p set on fire. S h i p p i n g off As t ropa l i a was bombed by five Blenheims w i th inconclusive resul ts .

Malta. 45. Offensive opera t ions aga ins t M a l t a have been on a lower scale than

d u r i n g the previous week a n d no dive-bombers have been in evidence. Dayl igh t ac t iv i ty consisted of reconnaissance by single bombers and fighters, and one ineffective bombing a t t ack on T a k a l i aerodrome by four escorted bombers. Enemy fighter pa t ro l s were m a i n t a i n e d off the coast and, on the occasion of the a t t ack on Taka l i , a mixed force of G e r m a n a n d I t a l i a n fighters opera ted eas t of the G r a n d H a r b o u r , probably w i t h a view to d ive r t i ng our fighters. Two n igh t a t t acks were made d u r i n g the week, but only s l ight civi l ian damage resulted.

Egypt and Libya. 46. O u r offensive opera t ions were not on a heavy scale, bu t T r ipo l i was

a t t acked by Wel l ing tons on four successive n igh ts , a n d damage was inflicted on sh ipp ing a n d in the dock areas . Successful day l igh t a t t acks were ca r r i ed o u t by Blenheims on enemy aerodromes a t M i s u r a t a a n d R a s Lanuf, a n d a t the la t te r place heavy damage w a s inflicted on motor t r anspo r t .

47. F r e q u e n t reconnaissances by Me. 110s were car r ied out over Agedabya a n d the a r ea s south-east to Gialo, a n d a i r c r a f t believed to be G e r m a n a t tacked our forces in th i s a rea . On the 31st March , t he biggest G e r m a n a i r effort of the w a r in t h i s a rea was p u t forward . Two format ions to ta l l ing about thirty-five dive-bombers w i t h fighter escorts opera ted in the Mersa El Brega a rea and on the same day I t a l i a n bombers, escorted by G e r m a n fighters, a t tacked our aerodrome at Agedabya , caus ing a few casual t ies and d a m a g i n g one a i rc ra f t . One of the enemy fighters w a s destroyed and three bombers were damaged. Single I t a l i a n a i r c r a f t have reconnoi t red A l e x a n d r i a .

Italian East Africa. 48. I n E r i t r e a , fol lowing the fall of Keren , B r i t i s h a i r ac t iv i ty w a s t r ans ­

fer red to the A s m a r a area , where intensive opera t ions have cont inued in suppor t of our advance. A s m a r a itself was heavily bombed, a n d pressure has been main­ta ined aga in s t enemy concentrat ions, defences a n d communicat ions . The A d d i s - J i b u t i r a i lway was repeatedly bombed, a n d enemy aerodromes and motor t r a n s p o r t on roads in E a s t e r n Abyss in ia have been a t tacked .

49. I t a l i a n fighters and bombers a t t acked our aerodrome a t J i j i g a on three occasions, losing a t least two of the i r number, bu t d a m a g i n g e ight of our a i rc raf t . I t is believed t h a t the I t a l i a n s have now ceased sending a i r re inforcements to E a s t Af r i ca . The i r p resen t s t r eng th there is es t imated a t twenty-five bombers and twenty fighters, of which not more t h a n twelve of each type a re likely to be serviceable.

Air Intelligence. The Balkans.

50. Recent changes in the disposi t ions of the German A i r Force indica te t h a t the m a i n concentra t ion is be ing made aga ins t Yugoslavia. S ix ty add i t i ona l shor t - range fighters a re be ing moved to w i th in seven miles of the Yugoslav-R o u m a n i a n front ier , hal f from F r a n c e a n d hal f from Norway.

The projected move of for ty a d d i t i o n a l dive bombers into the area , referred to in p a r a g r a p h 48 (a) of las t week ' s Resume, is now t ak ing place.

HOME S E C U R I T Y S I T U A T I O N . General. By Day.

51. Enemy bombing was on a very small scale. On the 27th M a r c h 29 people were kil led by a d i rect h i t on a canteen a t Poole. On the 1st A p r i l 8 a i r c r a f t were destroyed on the ground at Warmwel l aerodrome when 6 R . A . F . personnel were killed, and on the 2nd A p r i l 7 a i r c r a f t were damaged on the ground a t Catfoss aerodrome.

Elsewhere the d a m a g e was confined to p r i va t e p r o p e r t y a n d no inc ident caused more t h a n 2 fa ta l casualt ies.

By Night. 52. D u r i n g th ree n igh t s of the week no bombs were d ropped and on two

n igh t s the few bombs which fell caused no i m p o r t a n t damage and no casual t ies . On the n i g h t of the 2 9 t h / 3 0 t h M a r c h a short bu t heavy a t t a ck was made on Avonmouth and Bris tol . On the n igh t of the 31st M a r c h / 1 s t A p r i l a shor t r a i d w a s m a d e on H u l l a n d su r round ing d is t r ic t , and inc idents occurred a t P o r t s m o u t h and Swansea.

Damage. Avonmouth and Bristol.

53. I n the a t t a ck on the n i g h t of the 2 9 t h / 3 0 t h March a l a rge number of I .B . ' s fell in the dock a rea of Avonmouth and m a n y fires were s t a r t ed . I n the Royal E d w a r d Dock three oil c is terns belonging to the Ang lo -Amer i can Oil Company were set on fire, and the bar re l l ing and can-filling sheds of Shell-Mex & B.P. , Ltd . , were gu t ted . No other i m p o r t a n t damage has been repor ted. I n Br i s to l some damage was done to p r i va t e proper ty .

Elseivhere. 54. Considerable damage was done to p r i va t e p rope r ty a t Hul l , bu t Key

Po in t s , inc luding the docks, were only s l ight ly affected. Only minor damage was caused by bombs which fell in P o r t s m o u t h Dockyard and Swansea Docks.

Casualties. 55. T h e es t imated casual t ies for the week end ing 0600 the 2nd A p r i l a r e

104 killed and 151 seriously injured. These figures include 29 ki l led at Poole, 38 a t H u l l and 11 in the r a id on Avonmouth and Bris tol .

Enemy Attack on Trade.

co Merchant Vessels (excluding Commissioned Merchant Vessels) of all tonnages reported lost by enemy action. CO

[Note.—Tonnages are gross unless otherwise stated.) By Submarine.

Name and I n Convoy Position. Fa te of Crew and other Remarks . Date . National i ty. Cargo. F r o m — T o - How sunk. Tonnage. or not.*

Mar. 14 ... Western Chief... Brit ish Steel and New York ... Newport ... Torpedo ... Not 250 miles W.N.W. of 20 landed Azores. Res t lost.

(5,759) general Rockall

Mar. 19 ... Mandalina Dutch Sugar Batavia Belfast Torpedo Yes ... 120 miles N.E. of 62 saved, 3 killed.

(7,750) Sal Is . , Cape Verde

Mar. 20 ... Clan Oglivy Brit ish Tea and Chit tagong Glasgow ... Torpedo ... Yes 182 miles N.N.W. Not yet known.

(5,802) general St. Antonio, Cape Verde

Mar. 23 ... M/V Tanker Br i t i sh Bal las t Ardrossan . . . New York ... Torpedo ... Not 520 miles W. of Not yet known.

Chama Scillies (8,077)

Mar. 29 ... M/V Hylton ... Brit ish W h e a t and Vancouver Tyne Torpedo Yes 570 miles N. W. of the All landed Londonderry

(5,917) lumber Bloody Foreland

Mar. 29 ... M/V Limb our g Belgian Curacoa Aberdeen ... Torpedo ... Yes 570 miles N.W. of the Not yet known.j] Phospha tes (2,396) Bloody Foreland

570 miles N.W. of the 5 killed, rest landed Londonderry. Mar. 29 ... Germanic Brit ish Halifax Liverpool ... Torpedo ... Yes Whea t (5,352) Bloody Foreland

39 picked up, 2 missing. Mar. 30 ... Coultarn Bri t ish Hu l l Nobile Torpedo ... Not 250 miles S.W. of (3,759) Iceland

By Aircraft.

jName and I n Convoy 'Da te . Nationali ty. Cargo. From—- T o - How sunk. Tonnage. or not.* Position. F a t e of Crew and Remarks .

Mar. 11 ... S/Trawler Aberdeen

Brit ish ... Fishing BombM.G.

and Not Cardigan Bay 2 landed, 8 lost.

Mar. 22 ... (163)

S/Trawler Bri t ish Drogheda ... Cardiff Bomb Not 7 miles W.N.W. of All lost. St. Fiatan Smalls

Mar. 24

Mar. 24

...

...

(495) Bossmorc

(627) M/V Tanker

Solmsim

Bri t ish

Norwegian

Coal

Government stores

Hay le

Piraeus

Bar ry

Docks Alexandria

Bomb

Bomb

Not

Yes

12 miles N.W. God­revy Is land

Off South Coast of Crete

4 landed, 2 injured, 5 missing.

All saved.

Mar. 24 ... (8,070)

Embiricos Nicolaos

Greek Government stores

Piraeus Port Said ... Bomb Yes Off SouthCrete

Coast of Not yet known.

Mar. 25 ... (3,798)

Beaverbrae Brit ish Bal las t ... Liverpool ... St, John, Bomb Not 166 miles N.W. Cape All saved.

Mar. 25 ... (9,956)

Escaut ... Dutch Coal Ayr N.B.

P a r (Corn- Bomb and Not W r a t h

8 miles off Bude 1 wounded.

Mar. 26

Mar. 26

...

...

(347) Empire Mermaid

(6,381) Somali ...

Brit ish

Bri t i sh

Steel and scrap

Por t land (Ma.)

London

wall) Liverpool ...

M.G. Bomb

Bomb

Not

Yes

150 miles W. of Cape W r a t h

17 miles N.N.E. of

19 rescued, 30 missing.

1 killed.

Mar. 26 ... (6,809)

F /V Beinisvor ... Faroese Bomb Not Bly th

60 miles E. of Faroes All landed Thorshavn.

Mar. 27 ... (85)

Meg Merrilies ... Brit ish General Hong Kong

Bomb Not Near St. Govens All saved.

Mar. 28 ... (642)

M/V Antwerpen Dutch Coal Barry Bomb Not Light Vessel

N.W. of Bull Point , 3 lost, 4 saved.

Mar. 28 ... (364)

S/Trawler Kestrel

Bri t ish Fishing Barns tap le

Bomb Not L u n d y Is land

N.E. of Lundy Is land 1 killed.

Mar. 29 ... (75)

S/Trawler Bri t ish Bomb Not 22 miles S.E. F lam- All saved. Kimberley borough Head

(190)

By Aircraft (continued.)

In Convoy Name and Fa t e of Crew and other Eemarks . Date . Nationali ty. Cargo. F rom— T o - How Sunk. Position. or not.* Tonnage.

Mar. 29

Mar. 31

Apr. 1

...

...

S/S Tanker Oil Trader

(5,550) S/Trawler

Ontario (208)

M/V Tanker Kidlefjord

(7,639)

Bri t ish

Bri t ish

Norwegian Pool spiri t . . .

London

Grimsby

Aruba

...

Grange­mouth

Ice land

Avonmouth

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Yes

Not

Yes

Off Suffolk Coast ...

300 miles W.N.W. B u t t of Lewis

20 miles N.W. Smalls

All landed.

1 injured.

5 survivors in H.M. Ship.

By Surface Graft.

J a n . 15 .. Oil Refinery Yorwegian Whale oil Raider N o t . South Atlant ic Not known. Believed prisoners of war.

Telacos

Mar. 15 .. (12,083)

M/V Tanker Branca

Norwegian Bal las t ... Greenock ... Curacao Raider Not. 300 miles E. of New­foundland

Crew landed Gibraltar.

Mar. 15 .. (5,688)

M/V Tanker Polijkarp

Norwegian Ballast ... Milford H a v e n

Aruba Raider Not. 300 miles E. of New­foundland

Captured and probably taken to French port. Crew prisoners of war.

(6,405)

Mar. 26 .. Britannia (8,799)

Bri t ish Govern­men t

Liverpool .. Bombay Raider Not. 700 miles W.'of Free­town

63 landed Free town and some others in Spanish ship.

stores

N O T E . - M / V Newbrough, 5,250 tons, shown last week as a loss in Section A - S u r f a c e Craft, arrived Kingston, Jamaica , on March 25, and has been deducted from tonnage losses accordingly.

Merchant Vessels (excluding Commissioned Merchant Vessels) of all tonnages REPORTED damaged by Enemy Action.

Casualt ies to Name and In convoy Date . Nationali ty. Cargo. F rom— T o - Cause. Position. E x t e n t of Damage. Crew. Other Tonnage. or not.* Remarks .

Mar. ­ ... Inger (1,418)

Norwegian Fert i l iser Tees P lymou th ... A/C Not Much damage to star­board side, cabins, &c.

None reported.

Mar. ­ ... M/V Hav (5,062)

Norwegian. . . Govt. ... Piraeus Alexandria A/C. Yes E. Medi terranean Arrived6 weeksrepairs

Alexandria. needed for

None reported.

Mar. — ... M/V Peter Maersk

(5,476)

Bri t ish Govt. ... Piraeus Alexandria A/C Yes E. Medi ter ranean Arrived2£ weeksrepairs

Alexandria. needed for

None reported.

Mar. 22 ... Taubate... (5,055)

Brazi l ian ... Not known

Cyprus Alaxandria A/C Not 100 miles N.E. Alexandria

Steering gear damaged. Arrived Alexandria.

1 killed, 14 wounded.

Mar. 23 ... Clan Ferguson(7,347)

... Bri t ish A/C Mal ta Superficial only. None.

Mar. 26 ... Knoll (1,151)

Norwegian. . . Bal las t ... D a r t m o u t h Bar ry A/C. ... ... Not 8 miles W. of Lundy Is .

Afloat, but forehold half full of water . Salvageable.

None reported.

Mar. 26 ... M/V Carolina Thorden

(3,645)

F innish Pe t samo ... New York ... A/C Not E n t r a n c e t o Thorshavn Bay

On fire,loss.

may be tota l 3 wounded.

Mar. 26

1

... Cable S/S Faraday

(5,533)

Bri t ish Submar ine cables

A/C Yes Off St.Head

Anne 's B u r n t and aground N.W. of St. Annes head, main deck awash at high water .

113 landed, 8miss­ing, 25 injured.

Mar. 26 ... S/Trawler Kingsway

(211)

Bri t i sh Fishing A/C 10 miles E . of Bell Rock

Arrived Lei th .water slowly

Making None.

Name and Casualt ies to Date . I n Convoy

Tonnage. Nationali ty. Cargo. F r o m - T o - Cause. Position. Ex t en t of Damage. Crew. Other or not.* Remarks .

to Mar. 2705 CO

... S/Salvage/V Palmston

(430)

Bri t ish Swansea ... Milford Haven

A/C. ... ... Not Nr. St. Govan 's L t . Vessel

Towed Milfordand berthed.

Haven 1 injured.

Mar. 27 ... M/V Old

land (396)

Beijer- Dutch Barry Runcorn ... A/C Not Nr. St. Govan 's Lt . Vessel

Docked, Milford Haven , 3 injured.

Mar. 27 ... M/V Tanker

Pericles Norwegian. . . Fue l o i l . . . T Suda Bay P la tes buckled. P u m p

room flooded and machinery damaged

None.

Mar. 28 ... M/V Stafford­

shire (10,683)

Bri t ish Liverpool ... Rangoon ... A/C. ... ... Not ... 150 miles N.W. B u t t of Lewis On fire and beached.

E s t i m a t e ddead, manyjured.

30 in-

Mar. 28

Mar. 29

...

...

Svint (1,174)

Crenaa ... (1,262)

Norwegian

Brit ish Grain

Workington

Lei th

Devonport . . .

London

A/C.

M.

...

...

... Not 10 miles N. of Longships

Off Rotherhi the

Not stated,

Forepar t blown away. After part afloat

1 wounded and landed Penzance.

4 killed, 3 injured.

Mar. 30 ... S/Trawler Ghandos

(200)

Bri t ish Fishing A/C 1 mile S.E. of Nolsols . ,Faroes

Not s ta ted 1 killed, 1 wounded.

Mar. 30

Mar. 31

...

. . .

Graslin ... (2,323)

S/Trawler Whinnyfold

(210)

Bri t ish

Bri t ish

Coal Sunderland

Fishing-

London A/C

A/C

Not Off Harwich ...

N.W. approaches

Arrived Gravesend. Damage to deck and and starboard bow above water level

Arrived Scrabster. Damaged

1 wounded.

3 wounded.

fej Apr. 1 ... M/V Tanker Kaia Nudson

(9,063)

Bri t ish Oil fuel ... Curacao Devonport . . . A/C OffMilfordHaven Damaged abaft bridge. Towed into Milford Haven

2 wounded.

i Casualt ies to Name and r. I I n Convoy Date . Nationali ty. Cargo. F r o m — T o - Cause. i , * Position. Ex t en t of Damage. Crew. Other Tonnage. ! or not.* Remarks .

Apr. 1 ... M/V Tanker Bri t ish Spirit Curacao Milford A/C Yes 13 miles N.W. of Engine room flooded. 5 wounded. San Gonrado Haven the Smalls Ship may be brought

(7,982) into Milford Haven

Apr. 1 ... M/V Tanker Bri t i sh Oil fuel ... Curacao Milford 'A/G Yes Off Milford On fire. Anchored 1 5 wounded. Adellen H a v e n mile S. St. Annes

(7,984) Head Haven

Apr. 1 ... M/V Tanker Bri t ish Spirit Ba l t imore . . . A/C Yes ... Off Tuekar Bk. 1 wounded. Still afloat Chesapeake and S.W. of St.

Avonmouth (8,955) Govans Apr. 1 S/S Beaverdale Brit ish Gene ra l . . . St. John , S / M , T. Not ... 250 miles S.W.

Not yet known. (9,957) N .B . of Ice land Liverpool ...

* This information is provisional and may be modified subsequently on receipt of Commodore 's report.

N O T E . - T h e following ships previously shown as damaged have now been confirmed as l o s t : -

Clan Ogilvy (5,802), Ghama (8,011) (Tanker) Bianca (5,688), (Tanker) Polykarp (6,405) (Tanker) , Beaverbrae (9,956), Escaut (347), Britannia (8,799).

M e r c h a n t Ships (all sizes) other t h a n M e r c h a n t Ships Commissioned for Naval Service, lost by Enemy Action u p to Noon, Wednesday , 2nd A p r i l , 1941.

Bri t i sh . Allied. Neu t r a l . Together .

B y - No. Gross Tons . No. Gross

Tons . No. Gross Tons . No. Gross

Tons .

S u b m a r i nS u b m a r i n ee M i nM i n ee ... . .. SurfacSurfacee CrafCraftt AircrafAircraftt O theOthe rr causescauses ,, oorr causcaus ee

u n k n o wu n k n o w nn

345 188

96 165

36

1,942,000 463,000 484,000 475,000

82,000

86 38 27 65

8

i 422,000 !104,000 !179,000 1273,000

38,000 i

178 79

6 29

9

577.000 233,000

18,000 80,000 29,000

609 305 129 260

53

2,941,000 800,000 681,000 828,000 149,000

830 ! 3,446,000 224 1,016,000 ! 302 j 937,000 1,356 i 5,399,000

N O T E . — " A l l i e d " figures inc lude P o l i s h ; all F r e n c h u p to J u n e 25, 1940; " F r e e " F r e n c h from J u n e 25, 1940; Norwegian from April 9, 1940; D u t c h and Belg ian from M a y 10, 1940; and Greek f rom October 28, 1940. " N e u t r a l " figures inc lude I t a l i a n up to J u n e 10, 1940; and " Vichy " F r e n c h from J u n e 25, 1940.

A P P E N D I X I I I .

(1) Addi t ions to a n d deductions from Bri t i sh Sea-going M e r c h a n t Tonnage (ships of 500 gross tons and over ) , including M e r c h a n t Ships Commissioned for Nava l Service from 2nd September, 1989, to 30th M a r c h , 1941.

Tanke r s . Others .

Gross GrossNo. No.Tons . Tons .

B r i t i sB r i t i sB r i t i sB r i t i sB r i t i sB r i t i sB r i t i s hhhhhhh shipshipshipshipshipshipshipsssssss ooooooonnnnnnn S e p t e m b eS e p t e m b eS e p t e m b eS e p t e m b eS e p t e m b eS e p t e m b eS e p t e m b e rrrrrrr 2222222,,,,,,, 1931931931931931931939999999 519 3,274,000 3,578 15,392,000

Additions—Additions—Additions—Additions—Additions—Additions—Additions— NeNeNeNeNeNeNewwwwwww sh ipsh ipsh ipsh ipsh ipsh ipsh ipsssssss 16 130,000 198 1,086,000 E n e mE n e mE n e mE n e mE n e mE n e mE n e m yyyyyyy shipshipshipshipshipshipshipsssssss c a p t u r ec a p t u r ec a p t u r ec a p t u r ec a p t u r ec a p t u r ec a p t u r e ddddddd ..... .. .. .. .. . ....... 1 6,000 53 275,000 ShipShipShipShipShipShipShipsssssss t r ans fe r r et r ans fe r r et r ans fe r r et r ans fe r r et r ans fe r r et r ans fe r r et r ans fe r r e ddddddd frofrofrofrofrofrofrommmmmmm otheotheotheotheotheotheothe rrrrrrr f lagsflagsflagsflagsflagsflagsflags———————

D a n i sD a n i sD a n i sD a n i sD a n i sD a n i sD a n i s hhhhhhh F r e n cF r e n cF r e n cF r e n cF r e n cF r e n cF r e n c hhhhhhh R o u m a n i aR o u m a n i aR o u m a n i aR o u m a n i aR o u m a n i aR o u m a n i aR o u m a n i a nnnnnnn . .. .. .. .. .. .. . ....... . .. .. .. .. .. .. . ....... . .. .. .. .. .. .. . .......

8 10

2

66,000 57,000 11,000

115 94

2

305,000 453,000

8,000 E s t o n i aE s t o n i aE s t o n i aE s t o n i aE s t o n i aE s t o n i aE s t o n i a nnnnnnn 21 35,000 L a t v i aL a t v i aL a t v i aL a t v i aL a t v i aL a t v i aL a t v i a nnnnnnn . .. .. .. .. .. .. . ....... . .. .. .. .. .. .. . ....... . .. .. .. .. .. .. . ....... 3 6,000 O t h e rO t h e rO t h e rO t h e rO t h e rO t h e rO t h e r sssssss 12 85,000 140 744,000

OtheOtheOtheOtheOtheOtheOtherrrrrrr add i t ionadd i t ionadd i t ionadd i t ionadd i t ionadd i t ionadd i t ion sssssss ... .. .. .. .. .. . ....... 11 16,000 91 183,000

TotaTotaTotaTotaTotaTotaTota lllllll add i t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionsssssss ... .. .. .. .. .. . ....... 61 371,000 717 3,095,000

Deductions—Deductions—Deductions—Deductions—Deductions—Deductions—Deductions— ShipShipShipShipShipShipShipsssssss s u ns u ns u ns u ns u ns u ns u n kkkkkkk bbbbbbbyyyyyyy t ht ht ht ht ht ht h eeeeeee e n e m ye n e m ye n e m ye n e m ye n e m ye n e m ye n e m y ———————

(i(i(i(i(i(i(i))))))) M e r c h a nM e r c h a nM e r c h a nM e r c h a nM e r c h a nM e r c h a nM e r c h a n ttttttt sh ipsh ipsh ipsh ipsh ipsh ipsh ipsssssss commiss ionecommiss ionecommiss ionecommiss ionecommiss ionecommiss ionecommiss ioneddddddd fofofofofofoforrrrrrr NavaNavaNavaNavaNavaNavaNava lllllll ServicServicServicServicServicServicServiceeeeeee 2 13,000 25 217,000

(ii(ii(ii(ii(ii(ii(ii))))))) Othe rOtherOtherOtherOtherOtherOther sssssss 74 578,000 616 2,816,000 ShipShipShipShipShipShipShipsssssss c a p t u r ec a p t u r ec a p t u r ec a p t u r ec a p t u r ec a p t u r ec a p t u r e ddddddd bbbbbbbyyyyyyy ththththththth eeeeeee e n e me n e me n e me n e me n e me n e me n e m yyyyyyy ..... .. .. .. .. . ....... 1 6,000 5 16,000 OtheOtheOtheOtheOtheOtheOtherrrrrrr d e d u c t i o nd e d u c t i o nd e d u c t i o nd e d u c t i o nd e d u c t i o nd e d u c t i o nd e d u c t i o n sssssss ( inc ludin( inc ludin( inc ludin( inc ludin( inc ludin( inc ludin( inc ludinggggggg Mar inMar inMar inMar inMar inMar inMar ineeeeeee R i s k )R i s k )R i s k )R i s k )R i s k )R i s k )R i s k ) ———————

(i(i(i(i(i(i(i))))))) Commiss ioneCommiss ioneCommiss ioneCommiss ioneCommiss ioneCommiss ioneCommiss ione ddddddd fofofofofofoforrrrrrr NavaNavaNavaNavaNavaNavaNava lllllll ServicServicServicServicServicServicServiceeeeeee (ii(ii(ii(ii(ii(ii(ii))))))) O t h e rO t h e rO t h e rO t h e rO t h e rO t h e rO t h e r sssssss

2 11

2,000 56,000

7 158

33,000 558,000

TotaTotaTotaTotaTotaTotaTota lllllll d e d u c t i o nd e d u c t i o nd e d u c t i o nd e d u c t i o nd e d u c t i o nd e d u c t i o nd e d u c t i o n sssssss 90 655,000 811 3,640,000

NeNeNeNeNeNeNettttttt add i t ionadd i t ionadd i t ionadd i t ionadd i t ionadd i t ionadd i t ionsssssss (-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-))))))) ooooooorrrrrrr deduc t iondeduc t iondeduc t iondeduc t iondeduc t iondeduc t iondeduc t ion sssssss ( -( -( -( -( -( -( - ))))))) . .. .. .. .. .. .. . ....... - 29 - 284,000 - 94 - 545,000

Br i t i sBr i t i sBr i t i sBr i t i sBr i t i sBr i t i sBr i t i shhhhhhh shipshipshipshipshipshipshipsssssss ooooooonnnnnnn M a r cM a r cM a r cM a r cM a r cM a r cM a r c hhhhhhh 23232323232323,,,,,,, 1941941941941941941941111111 490 2,99,0000 3,484 14,847,000*

* Of t h e t o t a l Non-Tanker t onnage , vessels r e p r e s e n t i n g a b o u t 3,950 t h o u s a n d gross tons are engaged on Naval , Mi l i t a ry or R .A.F . Services ( inc luding some commiss ioned for Nava l Service) , some of wh ich br ing cargoes to the Uni ted K ingdom on the i r h o m e w a r d voyage . After a l lowing for vesse l s (1) t r ad ing p e r m a n e n t l y abroad, (2) de ta ined in F r e n c h por t s and (3) under ­going or awa i t i ng repa i r , inc lud ing the fitting of defensive p ro tec t ion , t h e ba l ance is abou t 7 mil l ion gross t ons , some pa r t of which is engaged in t h e coas t ing t r a d e of t h e United Kingdom and E i r e .

(2) To ta l losses of, a n d other deduct ions from, Br i t i sh Sea-going M e r c h a n t Ships of S00 gross tons and over, including M e r c h a n t Ships Commissioned for Nava l Service, expressed as a p p r o x i m a t e a n n u a l r a t e s of loss.

Tota l losses sunk or A p p r o x i m a t e a n n u a lc a p t u r e d by t h e e n e m y ,Per iod . loss if c o l u m n (2) losses and o the r d e d u c t i o n s in con t i nued for a year .t h e period.

(2) (3)

F i r s t 9 m o n t h s of war : Gross Tons . Gross Tons. i.e., f rom S e p t e m b e r 3, 1939, to M a y 3 1 , 1940 1,098.000 1,500,000

Fo l lowing 3 m o n t h s : i.c, from J u n e 1, 1940, t o A u g u s t 3 1 , 1940.. . 971,000 3,900,000

M o n t h of S e p t e m b e r , 1940 345,000 4,200,000 October , 1940 317,000 3,700,000

,, November , 1940 . . . . 373,000 4,500,000 ,, D e c e m b e r , 1940 329,000 3,900,000 ,, J a n u a r y , 1941 214,000 2,500,000 ,, F e b r u a r y 1941 368,000 4,800,000

1st t o 30 th March , 1941 268,000* 3,300,000

* These figures r e l a t e to losses so far notified, and m a y be increased by l a t e not i f ica t ions .

(3) M e r c h a n t Sh ips (al l sizes) unde r Cons t ruc t ion in Br i t i sh Y a r d s in the Un i t ed K i n g d o m and ab road in week ending 28 th M a r c h , 1 9 4 1 .

Tankers. Others. No. Gross Tons. No. Gross Tons.

Coll iers and coas t ing sh ips 6 4,000 38 48,000 O the r sh ips 39 322,000 132* 846,000

45 326,000 170 894,000

* I n c l u d i n g 5 vesse l s (33,000 gross tons) bu i ld ing abroad , 2 m e r c h a n t sh ips (18,000 gross tons ) t a k e n over by t h e N a v y du r ing cons t ruc t ion and 11 sh ips (20,000 gross tons) of m e r c h a n t t y p e i n t e n d e d for N a v a l use .

I n addi t ion , t he r e a re 180 m e r c h a n t ships to ta l l ing 1,228,000 gross tons on order or proposed to order in t h e Un i t ed K i n g d o m and abroad ( inc luding 17 t a n k e r s of 124,000 gross tons ) .

A P P E N D I X I Y .

M e r c h a n t Ships (all sizes) lost by the enemy u p to 1st A p r i l , 1941.

G e r m a n . I t a l i a n . Toge the r .

Gross Gross GrossNo. No. No.Tons. Tons . Tons .

C a p t u r eC a p t u r e dd oorr seizeseizedd S c u t t l eS c u t t l e dd oorr s u ns u n kk . .. . ..

61 87

274,000 502,000

38 44

180,000 257,000

99 131

454,000 759,000

Uniden t i f i eUniden t i f i edd shipshipss r epor t erepor t edd bbyy S/MS/M,, A/CA/C,, &c&c,, aass s u ns u n kk oorr des t royedes t royedd ( t o n n a g( t o n n a gee e s t i m a t e de s t i m a t e d )) 142 710,000 76 380,000 218 1,090,000

290 1,486,000 158 817,000 448 2,303,000

I n addi t ion , 36 sh ips of 63,000 gross tons uifder e n e m y cont ro l or useful to t h e e n e m y have b e e n sunk .

Casualties to H.M. Auxiliary Yessels and to Naval Personnel. T H E following casual t ies have occurred to H . M . Aux i l i a ry P a t r o l vessels

d u r i n g the per iod under review :— March 29 .—Minesweeping T r a w l e r Sir John Lister machine-gunned by

a i r c r a f t off the L iza rd . One wounded. March 3 1 . — A / P T r a w l e r Lord Selborne mined and sunk off the Humber .

17 of the crew missing. April 1 .—A/S T r a w l e r Sword, Dance s l ightly damaged by near-miss bombs

a n d mach ine -gunn ing nea r Oute r Dowsing. No casualt ies. Night, April 1/2.—L.L. T rawle r s Valesca a n d Horitensia damaged by

a i r c r a f t off Cromer. One s l ight casual ty. April 2 . — A / P T r a w l e r Cramond Island bombed and sunk off St. Abb ' s

H e a d . April 2.-—Paddle Minesweeper Lorna Doone received minor damage from

a i r c r a f t cannon shells off Lowestoft . Two wounded. April 3 .—Harbour P a t r o l vessel'Bahram mined and sunk near Spurn P o i n t .

One survivor. The following casual t ies to Nava l personnel have been repor ted :—

Officers : Ki l led 3, miss ing 3, wounded 3. R a t i n g s : Ki l led 40, miss ing 19, wounded 63.

These figures include 13 r a t i n g s kil led and 51 wounded in the a i r r a i d on P l y m o u t h on the 21st March .

A P P E N D I X VI .

Operational Aircraft Battle Casualties. 0600 hours, March 27, to 0600 hours, April 3, 1941

Metropolitan Area. British. In the Air. On the Ground..

B o m b e r s iF i g h t e r s oCoas ta l o

4To ta l 14 Nil

ProbablyGerman. Destroyed. Destroyed. Damaged.

B o m b e r s 8 3 4 F i g h t e r s 1 2 Misce l l aneous 1

Tota l 9 No a c c o u n t is t a k e n of aircraf t des t royed on the ground. Of the above to ta l , 1 b o m b e r was d a m a g e d by A.A. fire.

Middle East . British. In the Air. On the Ground.

B o m b e r s . . . 4 F i g h t e r s ... 5 Coasta l ...

T o t a l 9 Nil Probably

Italian. Destroyed. Destroyed. Damaged, 7

F i g h t e r s . . . 5 5 2 Misce l l aneous 4 1 20

B o m b e r s ...

29 Of the above to ta l , 2 a i rcraf t were des t royed by A.A. fire.

T o t a l 9 6

German. B o m b e r s ... F i g h t e r s ... 1 Misce l l aneous 1

T o t a l 2 Nil Of t h e above to ta l , 1 bomber was d a m a g e d by A.A. fire.

F[22392]

Air Attacks on Enemy Territory in Europe.

Extracts from Recent Raid Assessment Reports.

T H E increase in R a i d Assessment M a t e r i a l has now been found to be only temporary , and this A p p e n d i x is therefore resumed in view of i t s value in assessing the immedia te resul ts of our a i r offensive. Th i s week the A p p e n d i x is of considerable length, as, for cont inui ty , ma te r i a l received d u r i n g the las t fo r tn igh t is included.

Germany. 1. Emden.—A p h o t o g r a p h taken d u r i n g the n i g h t a t t ack on the 31st M a r c h

shows fires bu rn ing fiercely on each side of the r a i lway dock in the A l t e r B innen H a f e n (which area conta ins the r a i lway s ta t ion, ha rbour and customs office and warehouses) and dense columns of smoke a p p a r e n t l y o r i g ina t i ng from fires which had obtained a firm hold in the res ident ia l a rea bounded by the R a t s and F a l d e r n Delfts.

2. Gelsenkirchen.—Photographs t aken on. the 12th M a r c h show t h a t the gasometer , said to be the l a rges t in Europe , previously repor ted damaged, has now been completely d ismant led . P h o t o g r a p h s t aken d u r i n g the r a i d on the H y d r i e r w e r k e Scholven on the n i g h t of the 1 4 t h / 1 5 t h M a r c h disclose : (i) Th ree fires b u r n i n g in centre of t a r g e t in the immedia te v ic ini ty of the reac t ion chambers, (ii) Smoke and gases escaping from work i ng react ion chambers as a resul t of a direct h i t on, or f rac tures to, h igh-pressure lines, (iii) Smoke coming from the s ludge sepa ra to r p lant , a bu i ld ing near the south-east corner of the s ludge recovery p l a n t a n d from another bu i ld ing close by, a n d also from a medium-size gas holder.

3. Hamburg.—An i n f o r m a n t who was p resen t in the ha rbour in the second hal f of J a n u a r y repor t s t h a t salvage work was proceeding on two ships t h a t h a d been sunk therein. P h o t o g r a p h s taken on the 13th and 15th M a r c h have been rendered difficult to assess owing to haze covering some of the a reas photographed , bu t the following damage is a p p a r e n t : —

(a) Blohm and Voss.—The foundry, 520 feet in length, has received a d i rec t h i t a t the nor the rn end and the remainder of the bu i ld ing a n d an ad jo in ing bui ld ing , 350 feet in length, have been damaged by fire. A d i rec t h i t is seen on the southern end of the admin i s t r a t i ve offices, and i t is t hough t the S.E. end of the g r a v i n g dock and the sawmil l have also been damaged .

(b) Vulcan Shipyards.—There is a d i rec t h i t on the workmen ' s d in ing rooms and damage to the general office bu i ld ing a n d the western end of the m a i n f rame and pla,te shops. H i t s have been obta ined on a l a rge shop on the eas tern side of the works, and there is a la rge hole a t the southern end of the roof of a shop alongside the slips near the ca rpen te r s ' a n d jo ine r s ' shops.

(c) Warehouses.—A large warehouse on the W i n d h u k Quay, one on the N o r d Canal , one on the Sud Canal , a n d one on the S.E. side of the Saale Hafen have al l suffered considerable damage . A 450-foot warehouse on the A u g u s t V i c t o r i a K a i has been completely gu t ted .

(d) Railways.—The Ber l ine r to r S ta t ion bu i ld ings a re being repai red , there is a d i rect h i t on the l ine on the west s ide of the r a i lway ferry over K o h l b r a n d and also on the m a i n line nor th of a s ta t ion believed to be Veddel .

(e) Domestic Property.—Considerable damage is disclosed, in pa r t i cu l a r , to three blocks of houses each about 200 feet in length, a n d to a block of flats 500 feet in length in the St. P a u l i d is t r ic t , which have been wrecked or gut ted .

4. A reliable source s ta tes t h a t t he ra id on the 13 th /14 th March caused heavy damage in the city, where public bui ld ings , ba r r acks a n d houses were fired and an explosive factory was hi t . For a t ime the fires were ou t of control and casual t ies were heavy. A source (whose o ther in format ion is reliable) s ta tes t h a t in the r a i d on the 12 th /13 th March submarines bu i ld ing on the slips in the naval dockyard were damaged. Three submarines fitting ou t were saved by being towed

out of the basin. Ano the r rel iable repor t has been received of the damage to the nava l base and dockyard. The re were casual t ies among the employees, and the i r fellow workmen were forbidden to tell of it. The incendiary bombs were pa r t i cu l a r l y effective and the top floors of the Dresdner bank were burn t out.

5. Kiel--Photographs t aken d u r i n g the a t tack on the n i g h t of the 18th / 19th M a r c h disclosed fires in the immedia te vicini ty of the ma in Pos t and Te legraph Office, and across the ma in r a i lway line and s id ings 800 yards south of the m a i n s tat ion. A t the G e r m a n i a Wer f t e Sh ipbu i ld ing Y a r d s there were fires in the stoi-es d e p a r t m e n t a n d the coppersmi thers ' shop and a t the S.E.. corner of the t rac ing-out shop a n d the southern corner of the t u r n e r s ' shop.

P h o t o g r a p h s taken on the 28th M a r c h are difficult to in t e rp re t for damage assessment owing to heavy haze and clouds. The m a i n features are : (i) The sawmil l in K r u p p s sh ipbu i ld ing ya rd is shown to be seriously damaged and has probably been completely gut ted , (ii) P a r t of a store or warehouse at the south end of th i s y a r d has been wrecked, (iii) A large a rea in Kehlen and Hols te in St rassen has been completely gu t ted , (iv) A direct h i t has been obtained on the t r a m w a y power house, (v) Cra t e r s a re seen on the r a i lway t rack to the south side of the Kummel Wiese Br idge , (vi) Bui ld ings close to the m a i n Pos t and Te legraph Office are b u r n t out. There is reason to believe from the pho tog raphs t h a t h i t s were obta ined on, and in the immedia te vic ini ty of, K r u p p s m a i n shops, but th is cannot be confirmed w i t h cer ta in ty .

6. Berlin.-—Excellent pho tog raphs taken on the 14th M a r c h show con­siderable damage and refute r epor t s t h a t the effect of our r a id s has been sl ight . I t is t rue to say, however, t h a t the damage is in no case heavily concentra ted in one p a r t i c u l a r area, g iv ing a p ic tu re of dest ruct ion such as w a s shown in the p h o t o g r a p h s of Hanover . T h e pho tog raphs confirm repor t s of damage obta ined from other sources sent out in previous summaries , and show clearly the hoa rd ings erected a round bombed p a r t s of which many sources have spoken. Deta i l s cover n ine pages of the i n t e rp re t a t i on r epo r t and cannot adequate ly be summarised.

I n t e r e s t i n g fea tures are : (a) The des t ruct ion of a considerable a rea of p roper ty , both a t the N o r t h a n d South end of the G r a f Spee Strasse . (6) The :

des t ruc t ion of a block of bu i ld ings jus t to the Wes t of the S te t t ine r S ta t ion . (c) Considerable demolit ion a n d excavat ion in progress of and to the M i n i s t r y of P r o p a g a n d a bui lding, (d) T h e roof and u p p e r floors of la rge bui ld ings along the Wi lhe lmst rasse between the Reich P re s iden t i a l Chancellory and the A i r M i n i s t r y have been destroyed, (e) I t is t hough t t ha t damage has been caused to the roofs of bui ld ings in the W a r Min i s t ry . (/) The br idge over the Spree a t the E a s t e r n end of the U n t e r den L i n d e n is closed to traffic. The N o r t h side of the b r idge shows signs of damage , (g) The gal lery of the C a t h e d r a l has been d a m a g e d a n d the roof is holed on the W e s t Side, (h) Schlesischer s ta t ion has suffered only sl ight damage, but the Wr ienzene r s ta t ion nearby is severely damaged. T h e cent ra l por t ion , inc luding the arched span, has been wrecked, and demoli t ion work has h a d to be ca r r i ed out r i g h t down to the foundat ions . (?') The N . E . corner of the A lexande rp l a t z has suffered severely.

Three repor t s have a l ready been received of the effectiveness of the r a i d on the 1 2 t h / 1 3 t h March . T h i s is well i l lus t ra ted by a rel iable repor t which speaks of new types of incendia ry and h igh explosive bombs which have been d ropped w i th great.effect. A s in Hanove r the efficiency of the incendiary bombs was pa r t i cu l a r ly spoken of a n d they are now said to explode if wa te r is t h rown on them. Two of the repor t s tell of the des t ruct ion to wa te r mains which impeded the efforts of the fire b r igade and caused flooding in cellars. Al l repor t s s ta te t h a t the popu la t ion was depressed, one s t a t i ng t h a t Goering, unde r his n ickname of H e r r Meyer, was openly abused, another t h a t the ma jo r i ty of people were la te for work and i r r i t ab le the next morn ing . T h e repor t s ta tes t h a t Be r l in ' s grea tes t weakness, bad shelters, was felt aga in , and the major i ty of those kil led were in cellars which collapsed. Five-storey houses in the Barbarossa St rasse were completely demolished or b u r n t out, and in one t h i r t y people are said to have been kil led. I t is sa id t h a t most damage was in the Schoneberg area, where over 100 were kil led and 300 in jured . The r a id was a t its peak between 0130 a n d 0330 hours, when the au thor i t i es s ta ted tha t 80 a i r c r a f t were over the centre of the City.

Fol lowing upon the r a i d of the 1 2 t h / 1 3 t h March (which is aga in said to have been very successful) the following d i s t r i c t s or p a r t s thereof were closed

[22392] o

to the p u b l i c : Schoneberg, Stegl i tz , A l t Moabi t . L a n k w i t z and Mar ienfe lde . W h i l s t on previous occasions houses have been pa r t i a l ly demolished, in th is r a i d the) r were total ly destroyed.

7. Bochum.—Two mi l i t a ry bar racks occupied by A . A . personnel have been destroyed.

8. Bremen.—Further pho tographs taken on the 18th March show 53 h i t s or c ra te r s on or near Focke-Wulf a i rc ra f t works a n d aerodrome. A t the rice a n d s t a rch mills warehouses have been damaged a n d p a r t of the mil l bu i ld ings have been gut ted . A direct h i t is shown on a warehouse s tor ing cereals for the R o l a n d mil ls and the j u t e sp inn ing works have been damaged. Warehouses

;between H a f e n ' E " and Flafen " F " have been considerably damaged. There a re two direct h i t s on a bottleneck of ra i lway l ines in th i s neighbourhood. Considerable damage is disclosed to commercial a n d o ther bui ld ings in the old town a n d p a r t of the m a r k e t square has been ba r r i caded off.

Excel lent day l igh t pho tog raphs of Bremen t aken on the 18th M a r c h reveal extensive damage to dock a n d res ident ia l areas , a n d confirm poin ts of probable damage which i t was not possible to detect in previous photographs . The ma in fea tures shown are as follows : —

(i) A tlas Works Shipbuilding Yards.—The site of the two-bay bu i ld ing 310 feet long previously destroyed has been cleared. Ha l f of a shed 230 feet long has been gu t t ed and the roof of another shed has been destroyed, and the in te r ior a p p e a r s to be wrecked. Houses a n d bu i ld ings in s u r r o u n d i n g s t reets have been severely damaged .

(ii) Alstadt.—Sheds and houses have been damaged by fire, and the end of a long bu i ld ing on the Oster H o r s Strasse (east of the marke t place) is destroyed.

(iii) Theerhof.—Damage to indus t r i a l bu i ld ings jus t eas t of Ka i se r B r i d g e is more extensive t h a n was previously thought . F o u r bays on the no r th side a re completely wrecked and two others on the south side a re demolished a n d two burned out .

(iv) Neustadt.—Considerably more damage t h a n was previously repor ted is shown to houses and bu i ld ings in this area . T w o sheds 280 feet long east of the N e u s t a d t S ta t ion have been demolished.

(y) Main Railway Station.—Some damage is shown to r a i lway sheds and bui ld ings .

(vi) Goods Station.—Four warehouse bays over a total length of 200 feet have been completely gut ted and a number of long sheds demolished, caus ing much s u r r o u n d i n g damage . A t the south-east corner of the ya rd three lengths of sheds have been completely destroyed for over 250 feet no r thwards . The roof of a l a rge warehouse a t the no r th end of the y a r d has been severely damaged w i th one bay completely destroyed a t the west end.

(vii) New Gas Works.—A bui ld ing close to the gas holders has h a d i ts roof pa r t i a l l y destroyed and is probably wrecked inside.

9. Bremerhafen.—Two repor t s have s t a ted t h a t the l iner Europa has been damaged , one s t a t i ng t h a t she has received four h i ts . (Pho tog raphs show th i s l iner as ly ing in Ka i se rha fen I I I . )

10. Cologne.—Two fu r the r repor t s have told of the severe damage to the K a l k p l a n t of Humbo ld t Deutz , t he g rea te r p a r t of which was a p p a r e n t l y effected in the r a i d on the 2 6 t h / 2 7 t h Februa ry . A wholesale c igar and tobacco warehouse in the Yenloer S t rasse (believed to be t h a t of F . Sommer) a n d the a d m i n i s t r a t i v e offices of a factory a t Ka lk , m a k i n g ag r i cu l tu r a l machinery , were b u r n t out . I n the suburb of Bayentha l , a factory, a c inema a n d a small petrol depot were destroyed.

P h o t o g r a p h s t aken on the 12th March confirm t h a t the H u m b o l d t Deutz factory is only pa r t l y act ive and show des t ruc t ion to bu i ld ings there in . I .G. Forben of Leverkusen shows very l i t t le ac t iv i ty for so la rge a p lan t . The m a i n shed in the Bonntor M a r s h a l l i n g Y a r d , which is about 350 feet long, h a s been completely gu t ted a n d a g roup of six sheds between the r a i lway a n d the Bonner W a l l a re also though t to have been destroyed. Domest ic p rope r ty on the west side of Drachenfe ls S t rasse has been damaged by fire.

A reliable source repor t s t h a t in the r a i d of the 3 r d / 4 t h March , over 400 houses were destroyed a n d 100 fires s t a r t ed , one of which, in a factory, b u r n t for three days. Two repor t s which show the damage done to the Bonntor Goods

Y a r d have been received. The first s ta tes t h a t a Swiss firm had received notifica­t ion of a consignment of goods for them hav ing been destroyed in th i s yard , and the second s ta tes tha t , owing to the p a r t i a l des t ruct ion of the yard , wagons of a firm accustomed to use the same would, in the fu ture , be located in the Gereon Goods Yard . A reliable source repor t s t h a t the H u m b o l d t Deutz W o r k s have been heavily damaged in recent r a ids . I t is sa id t h a t the works will not be able to resume full product ion for three weeks a n d possibly longer.

I I . Dusseldorf.—Photographs t aken d u r i n g the n igh t of the 1 4 t h / 1 5 t h M a r c h disclose four large fires ex tend ing from (i) South-east corner of Holzhafen to west of Hande l sha fen . (ii) A la rge fire believed to be in a g r a i n store bu i ld ing on the quay on west side of the Smaller Holzhafen. (iii) Abou t 15 smaller fires in the r a i lway goods ya rds and s id ing on the south side of the docks, (iv) Three burs t on the very la rge P l a n g e wheat mill, one of which would a p p e a r to be a d i rect h i t on the silos. The research depar tmen t of Klocknor H u m b o l d t Deutz (iron foundry , machine factory and enamell ing works) have been destroyed and several o ther bu i ld ings in the works damaged.

P h o t o g r a p h s t aken on the 16th March a re difficult to assess. The photo­g r a p h s show a direct h i t a t the south end of the cent ra l s ta t ion and one bay and a covered p l a t fo rm a t the no r th end destroyed. The Burghof St rasse r a i lway s ta t ion has also received a direct h i t . Rhe inmeta l l Bors ig (a rmament manufac tu re r s ) have been h i t and one la rge bu i ld ing in the works completely gu t ted . The p r i n t of the dock a rea shows more damage on one ind iv idua l p r i n t t h a n has u p to the present been seen. A large a rea has been completely gu t t ed and another even l a rge r a r ea has been bu rn t out in vary ing degrees. Five l a rge bu i ld ings and other smaller bu i ld ings in th i s last-mentioned a rea have been completely b u r n t out a n d stocks of t imber destroyed. There a re several c ra te r s in the r a i lway ya rds ad jo in ing the docks and t rucks are seen b u r n t out. There is no visible ra i l ac t iv i ty due, i t is believed, to the lines being out of order. A g r a i n elevator s torage has received a direct h i t and a corner of the P l a n g e whea t mills has been ba,dly damaged . The i n t e rp re t a t i on of the repor t describes th i s a rea as an excellent example of " b l i t z i n g . "

12. General.—An in te res t ing example of Ge rman clearance of damage has been suppl ied by a well-placed source, who tells of the dest ruct ion of a bu i ld ing a t Siemens W o r k s in Ber l in con ta in ing stores of i ron oasts. W i t h i n four days the s i te of the bu i ld ing had been cleared a n d covered wi th turf. A f t e r th is j ou rna l i s t s were pe rmi t t ed to vis i t the works to see t h a t no damage had been done.

I m p a r t i a l eye-witnesses tell of the serious effects of recent r a i d s on H a m b u r g and Cologne. They also tell of considerable damage in Berl in . Some of the popu la t ion of Ber l in pan icked when the recent r a i d took place due to the popu la r belief t h a t we have found a bomb which, though small, has g rea t pene­t r a t ive and des t ruc t ive power. ( N O T E , — T h e exp lana t ion of the belief in a small bomb is due to the s t reng th of G e r m a n p r o p a g a n d a , which has impressed upon Ber l iners tha t , to reach Berl in , only a l igh t bomb can be carried.) The n igh t express from the H a g u e to Ber l in is repor ted to have received a direct h i t while in motion d u r i n g the first week of March . Casual t ies were heavy.

France. 13. Boulogne.—In a recent a t t ack considerable difficulties were caused to

the G e r m a n A u t h o r i t i e s by a d i rec t h i t on a store con ta in ing gas bombs. 14. Vannes.—A reliable source repor t s t h a t on the 4 t h / 5 t h February , one

wing of the ba r racks of the 505th Reg imen t was destroyed. The same source also repor t s t h a t in a r a i d on the aerodrome on the 12 th / 13th February , a la rge h a n g a r and two a i r c r a f t were destroyed. Six h i t s were obtained on two ra i lways a n d the meteorological s ta t ion was p u t ou t of act ion.

15. Brest.—In the r a i d on the 25th February , the gasworks was severely damaged . (Pho tog raphs t aken since th i s da te confirm th is report .)

16. Asfeld.—An a t t ack on the aerodrome on the n i g h t of the 25th Feb rua ry resul ted in a German order for 150 coffins from the town of Reims nearby.

17. Havre.—The t rans fo rmer s ta t ion of the Compagnie Elect romecanique h a s been destroyed.

Holland. 18. A reliable source repor t s t h a t a l a rge German t anke r a t tacked off

R o t t e r d a m on the 6 th J a n u a r y sank short ly af ter . Rotterdam.—Photographs taken on the 19th March show the success of the

a t t ack upon the oil refinery and oil s torage t anks in the pet ro l harbour . Three t anks have been destroyed, n ine badly damaged, and three more probably damaged. The t anks are es t imated to have h a d a capaci ty of 4,000 tons; while on previous occasions the refinery has shown activi ty, the present pho tographs show i t to be inact ive.

Mining. 19. The F inn i sh Wireless announces t h a t the F i n n i s h s teamer Virma­

of 1,500 tons has been sunk. The posi t ion was not s ta ted bu t as the crew were saved a n d taken to Cuxhaven i t is presumed t h a t the s ink ing took place in the a rea off t he mouth of the Elbe. I n the t h i rd week of F e b r u a r y a German ship was mined off Lo r i en t ; the ship is sa id to have u p to 1,800 men on board and manj- corpses were washed ashore on the Quiberon Pen insu la . The 6,000-ton merchant ship which left H a v r e on the 22nd Februa ry sank off the port , it is believed as a result of s t r ik ing a mine. The wrecks of 2 s teamers have been observed off the mouth of the River Ems . One is a vessel of about 1,500 tons. A rel iable in fo rmant repor ts t h a t on or about the 14th M a r c h a G e r m a n sub­m a r i n e s t ruck a mine and sank in the Marsd iep Channel between Den H e l d e r a n d the I s l and of Texel.

Holland. 18. A reliable source repor t s t h a t a l a rge German t anke r a t tacked off

R o t t e r d a m on the 6 th J a n u a r y sank short ly af ter . Rotterdam.—Photographs taken on the 19th March show the success of the

a t t ack upon the oil refinery and oil s torage t anks in the pet ro l harbour . Three t anks have been destroyed, n ine badly damaged, and three more probably damaged. The t anks are es t imated to have h a d a capaci ty of 4,000 tons; while on previous occasions the refinery has shown activi ty, the present pho tographs show i t to be inact ive.

Mining. 19. The F inn i sh Wireless announces t h a t the F i n n i s h s teamer Virma­

of 1,500 tons has been sunk. The posi t ion was not s ta ted bu t as the crew were saved a n d taken to Cuxhaven i t is presumed t h a t the s ink ing took place in the a rea off t he mouth of the Elbe. I n the t h i rd week of F e b r u a r y a German ship was mined off Lo r i en t ; the ship is sa id to have u p to 1,800 men on board and manj- corpses were washed ashore on the Quiberon Pen insu la . The 6,000-ton merchant ship which left H a v r e on the 22nd Februa ry sank off the port , it is believed as a result of s t r ik ing a mine. The wrecks of 2 s teamers have been observed off the mouth of the River Ems . One is a vessel of about 1,500 tons. A rel iable in fo rmant repor ts t h a t on or about the 14th M a r c h a G e r m a n sub­m a r i n e s t ruck a mine and sank in the Marsd iep Channel between Den H e l d e r a n d the I s l and of Texel.

2 0 0

B R I T I S H S H I P P I N G L O S S E S D U E TO E N E M Y ACTION.

By S/M.

By Mine.

By Surface craft.,

By Aircraft.

By other causes or cause unknown.

This diagram includes vessels of all tonnages (but excludes Commissioned Merchant Vessels). The lossesare the actual losses in the weeks indicated up to midnight5unday/Monday,corrected with information available to noon Mednesdayof thefollowrng week The interval permits the tosses in recent weeks to be consolidated.

cHus diagram, is based on losses which occurred in the Various

weeks specified. ^IHese necessarily are not in agreement with the Losses notified week by week in

-Appendix. I

BRITISH SHIPPING LOSSES DUE TO ENEMY ACTION.

By S/M. By Mine. B y Surface c r a f t . . By Aircraft. By other causes or cause unknown.

This diagram includes vessels of all to. nages(but excludes Commissioned Merchant Vessels), The lossesare the actual losses in the weeks indicated up to midnight Sunday'/Monday,corrected with information available to noon Wednesday ofthetollowingweek The in terval permits the losses in recent weeks to be consolidated.

cHiis dlaqram is based on losses which occurred in the Various

weeks specified. HUese necessarily are not in agreement with the losses notified week by week in

-Appendix I

Stat is t ical Sficttoa Tradfi Division

I

S H I P P I N G L O S S E S B Y E N E M Y A C T I O N .

B R I T I S H , ALLIED & NEUTRAL.

By S/M. By Mine.

By Surface craft .

By Aircraft.

By other causes,or cause unknown.

This diagram includes vessels nf all tannages (but excludes Commissioned Merchant Vessids). The losses are the artual losses in the weeks indicated up to midnight Sunday/Monday^ corrected with information available to noon Wednesday of the following week. The interval permits the losses in recent weeks to be consolidated.

(^This diagram is based on Losses wkick occurred in the Various

weeks specified. cTRese necessarily are not in agreement with the losses notified week by week in

Appendix

Statistical Section. Trade Dlvlsorv

SHIPPING L O S S E S BY ENEMY ACTION.

BRITISH, ALLIED & NEUTRAL.

B y S / M .

By M i n e .

By Surface c r a f t .

By A i r c r a f t .

By other causes, or cause unknown.

This diagram includes vetsiieJs nfall Unn.%00 (but excludes Commissioned Merchant Vessids). The Josses are the actual losses in the weeks indicated up to midnight Sunday/Monday, corrected with information available to noon Wednesday of the following weak. The interval permits the losses in recent weeks to he Consolidated.

(^This diagram is based on. losses which occurred in the Various weeks specified. ^TRese necessarily are. not in agreement with the lasses notified week by week isi

Appendix I

Statistical SectLon Trade Divisoa