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Catalogue Reference:cab/66/16/15 Image Reference:0001 THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OP HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT

SECRET Copy No.

W.P. (41) 92 (Also Paper No. G.O.S. (4l) 263) , 1941

TO BE KEPT UNDER LOCK AND KEY.

It is requested that special care may be taken to ensure the secrecy of this document.

WAR CABINET

WEEKLY RESUME (No. 86) of the NAVAL, MILITARY AND AIR SITUATION from 12 noon April 17th, to 12 noon April 24th, 1941

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

Cabinet War Room NAYAL SITUATION.

Tripoli has been bombarded by the Mediterranean Fleet, v; There have been no losses in Atlantic convoys and shipping losses generally are lower.

Home Waters. 2. E-Boats attacked a coastal convoy oh South wold on the 17th April and sank two ships and damaged a third. The E-Boats were engaged and one was hit but escaped in the mist. M.T.Bs. carried out offensive sweeps off the Flanders coast during the night the 17th/18th, but without result. The Free French submarine Minerve obtained one certain and one probable hit on a large tanker off the S.W. coast of Norway on the 21st, and suffered some damage herself. The German battle-cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau have been at Brest throughout the week, and have been repeatedly attacked by the R.A.F. as detailed in the Air Section of this Resume. During an air raid on during the night the 17th/18th three or four bombs fell in the Dockyard causing minor damage. Admiralty House received a direct hit, and there were 6 killed and 60 wounded in R.N. barracks. There was further damage on the night the 23rd/24th. Heavy air raids on Plymouth on the nights of the 21st, 22nd and 23rd caused severe damage and casualties in the Dockyard and Naval establishments, especially in the South Yard and in the Naval and Marine Barracks. H.M. Lewes was also damaged. H.M. Trawler Basset destroyed an enemy aircraft off Harwich on the 20th and damaged another. The 10th Canadian troop Convoy arrived safely in the Clyde on the 19th April.

Atlantic. 3. H.M.S. Resolution has arrived in Navy Yard for refitting. During the week ten French merchant vessels eastbound and nine westbound have passed Gibraltar, all under escort. FI.M. Armed Merchant Cruiser Bulolo intercepted the French Ship Fort de France 500 miles W. of the Canaries on the 19th April, and is sending her in to Gibraltar under armed guard.

Mediterranean. 4. The Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, in H.M.S. Warspite, with H.M. Ships Barham, Valiant, Malaya and Gloucester, accompanied by , bombarded the port and shipping at for 42 minutes at dawn on the 21st April; the Naval bombardment was preceded by bombing and flare dropping by R.A.F. and naval aircraft. Air spotting was rendered difficult by smoke and dust from the air attack, but three or four ships were set on fire or sunk in the naval basin and two or more others hit as well as a destroyer; the harbour facilities and shore establishments were also seriously damaged, some 530 tons of shells having been fired. No naval units were encountered and there was no reply from the shore batteries for 20 minutes. There was no damage or casualties to our ships. During the approach naval aircraft shot down four troop-carrying aircraft and one bomber, and after the bombardment destroyed one bomber and defeated an attack by dive-bombers, one of which was shot down and one probably destroyed. was attacked by enemy aircraft on the nights of the 19th, 20th and 21st, and damage was done to the Dockyard and small craft. Enemy aircraft made frequent bombing and minelaying raids on and the Libyan coast during the period the 18th to the 22nd April; H.M. Destioy'-r Greyhound was damaged and two merchant ships and H.M.S. Fiona- (Ocean Boarding Vessel) were sunk by bombs. A large troop convoy has arrived safely at Suez from the United Kingdom. The Greek destroyer Hydra has been sunk at Piraeus, and the Destroyer Psara and a hospital ship damaged by enemy aircraft. The Greek hospital ship Hesperos was bombed and sunk in the Gulf of Patras and another damaged off Megara. Units of the Greek Navy have joined the Mediterranean Fleet at Alexandria.

Anti-Submarine Operations. 5. Two attacks on U-Boats have been reported during the week, one by aircraft and one by a trawler, both in the N.W. Approaches; no visible results were observed.

Enemy Intelligence. German. 6. At the beginning of the week photographic air reconnaissance located the following main units : Kiel, one Pocket Battleship in dry dock, one Hipper class cruiser in floating dock, one Schlesien class battleship in floating dock. , Seydlitz completing. Wilhemshaven, one Schlesien class battleship in: dry dock. Brest, both battle cruisers present, one in dry dock and the other alongside the Torpedo Boat Station. Air photographs of Brest on the 23rd April showed that nets have been spread over the space between the sides of the battle­ cruiser and the walls of the dock in which she is lying. There was a report that the battleship Bismarck, two cruisers of the Leipzig Class and three destroyers passed the Skaw early on the 14th April steering North- West. On the morning of the 22nd April, a Sunderland aircraft reported sight-, ing one battleship, two cruisers and two destroyers at Narvik, and these may well be those reported passing the Skaw on the 14th April. The composition of this force is not now thought to include a battleship of the Bismarck class, both of which are believed to be still in the Baltic.

Italian. 7. Owing to lack of reconnaissance flights the positions of main units of the Italian Fleet are obscure, but on the 19th April photographs of Taranto showed no battleship present. In the outer harbour were two cruisers and in the inner harbour were one cruiser, three destroyers and three submarines. The Littorio, therefore, must have left Taranto on completion of repairs to damage incurred during the Taranto raid by naval aircraft. The battleship Vittorio Veneto, damaged during the battle of Cape Matapan. is thought to have gone to Taranto only for a few hours. Her present where­ abouts are unknown.

U-Boats. 8. It is not considered that the U-Boat forces in the North-Western Approaches have been reduced to any extent, though activity has been slight. During the week there have been some fourteen German and four or five Italian U-Boats in the North-Western Approaches. These have been operating between 52c N. to 63c N. and 12c W. to 27c W. One German has been patrolling off Brest and three others between Madeira and the Canaries and Madeira and the Cape Verde Islands; two of these were probably homeward bound towards the end of the week. One may still be off Brazil in the Pernambuco-Bahia area. Two have been patrolling off Freetown. Three Italian U-Boats have been patrolling between Portugal, the Azores and Madeira.

Enemy Attack on Seaborne Trade. 9. According to the information at present available the merchant shipping losses during the week ended noon, Wednesday, the 23rd April, amounted to 11 ships and a tug (46,230 tons), of which 6 ships and the tug (34,227 tons) were British. Three shiplTwere sunk by U-Boat, one in the North Atlantic, one in [22450] B the Freetown area and one off . Four ships were sunk by aircraft in the Mediterranean and one in the Medway. One ship was mined off the East Coast and a tug in the Thames. Two ships were sunk by E-Boat off the East Coast. There have been seven attacks by aircraft on coastal convoys during the week, all unsuccessful, and two attacks on the 18th April on a convoy in the N.W. Approaches by Focke-Wulf aircraft, which was driven off. Details are given in Appendix I of losses and damage to ships of which accurate information has now come to hand. These losses total 19 ships sunk (73,398 tons), of which 5 ships (9,070 tons) form part of the casualties given in the paragraph above. Of the remaining earlier losses 6 ships (31,161 tons) were sunk by U-Boat, 4 ships (13,525 tons) by aircraft, three ships (12,611 tons) by mine and one (7,031 tons) by surface craft. In addition details are given of 22 ships which have been damaged.

Protection of Seaborne Trade. 10. During the week ended noon, the 23rd April, 938 ships, including 168 allied and 25 neutral, were convoyed. Three battleships, 5 cruisers, 8 armed merchant cruisers, 4 submarines, 68 destroyers and 62 sloops and corvettes were employed on escort duties. Since the beginning of the war 61,167 ships have been convoyed, of which 299 have been lost by enemy action; a ratio of 1 in 204. Imports into Great Britain by ships in convoy during the week ending the 19th April totalled 756,472 tons, compared with 376,437 tons during the previous week and an average of 661,645 tons for the past ten weeks. Oil imports were 247,061 tons in 23 tankers compared with 102,706 tons in nine tankers during the week ending the 5th April. Mineral imports were 131,196 tons, of which 86,467 tons were steel, scrap iron, pig iron and iron ore. The corresponding figures for the previous week were 99,230 tons and 91,267 tons. Timber imports showed an increase of 26,662 tons from 21,531 tons to 48,193. Cereal imports were well above average, totalling 167,207 tons. Twenty ships were fully laden with grain. Other food imports were also satisfactory, being 73,810 tons, of which meat totalled 18,181 tons, fruit 3,316 tons, cocoa 6,789 tons, sugar 9,771 tons and tea 4,063 tons. There were 392 tons of rum from Demerara and 629 tons of tobacco. There were also satisfactory imports of machinery . (including 2.391 tons of machine tools), ammunition, aircraft and aircraft engines.

British Minelaying. . 11. On the 18th April, H.M.S. Teviot Bank laid 270 mines in the East Coast Barrier. On the 19th April, H.M.S. Plover laid 120 mines in St. George's Channel and the same number again on the 21st April. On the latter day the 20th Destroyer Flotilla laid 96 mines off the Isle de Bas. M.T.B.'s laid 8 mines off Dunkirk on both the 17th and 22nd April.. Aircraft have laid mines off Brest and off the German North Sea Coast. -

Enemy Minelaying, British Minesweeping. 12. Mines were dropped in the Thames during raids on London. Most of the mines were seen and marked as they fell and the river was only closed for a short period after each raid. Different sections were reopened in turn and shipping has been very little held up. Six mines were dropped in different docks besides those in the stream. Minelaying aircraft have also operated over the Thames Estuary, including Harwich, off the East Coast TO as far north as Yarmouth and off Milford Haven and Bay. Nine magnetic mines have been detonated during the week and three acoustic. During clearance operations in the portion of the Falmouth contact minefield, six mines have been cut or exploded in sweeps, and cutters have also been found. Mine totals are now as follows : magnetic 1,077, acoustic 514, contact 858. The enemy has laid mines off Mersa-Tobruk, for which dangerous areas have been declared. Enemy Merchant Shipping. .. ,

German. ' ' : ' , 13. During the week a number of successful attacks on enemy merchant shipping have been claimed, and the estimated tonnage sunk or seriously damaged in Northern Waters may be put at about 55,000 tons. These successes are due to submarines and aircraft, possible casualties from mining are not taken into consideration. Two ships, each of about 2,000 tons, laden with food passed Istanbul on the 16th April bound for Salonika.

Italian. , 14. The Conte di Savoia, 48,502 tons, and the Vulcania, 24,469 tons, were reported to be at on the 1st April, with four or five other ships of about 10,000 tons each. The Silvio Tripcovitch, 2,365 tons, is reported to have been sunk with considerable loss of life in the middle of March. The hospital ship Arno, 8,024 tons, was expected to arrive at early on the 2nd April with 450 patients. Another hospital ship, the Sicilia, 9,648 tons, sent a message to Bari stating that she was arriving there or the 18th April with 781 hospital cases. :. A report has been received that the Mexican Government have taken over the Italian tankers Tuscania, 6,904 tons, and Giorgio Fassio, 6,735 tons,, which are at Tampico and Vera Cruz respectively, and will use them for local trade between and Houston. It has been reported from Montevideo, Uruguay, that the Government will requisition the two Italian ships Adamello, 5,785 tons, anH j,'?e Fausto, 5,263 tons. The only German ship there has already been requisitioneu.

MILITARY SITUATION.

The Balkan Operations.

Greece. 15. After the collapse of on the 15th April, Greek and British forces had to meet the additional threat of a German drive southwards through the Monastir Gap. Our troops therefore held a general line, Mount Olympus westwards along the Aliakmon river, while Greek forces began to withdraw from the northern sectors of the Albanian front.

16. On the 17th April German armoured and mountain troops were advancing each side of Mount Olympus, whence the line ran north-west to Serbia and then followed roughly the line of the River Aliakhmon to Vatokhorion, some 15 miles S.W. of Fiorina. Progress was made by armoured and mountain troops in the Vale of Tempe (S.E. of Mount Olympus), and further west armoured forces crossed the River Venetinos south of Grevena, but made only slow progress.

17. It was evident that the German object was to gain the plain of Thessaly and so drive a wedge between the British and Greek forces, and cut the latter off from any possible line of withdrawal.

18. By the evening of the 19th April, German armoured forces operating on both sides of Mount Olympus had gained the eastern half of the plain of Thessaly and had advanced southwards beyond Larissa. At the same time German armoured forces had reached Trikkala, at the extreme north-western end of the plain, whilst the rest of the German line remained unchanged. 19. The most decisive German effort seems to have been made on the 20th April. Those forces which had already on the day before reached the plain of Thessaly advanced on Lamia, whilst German motorised forces struck across the Pindus Mountains from Grevena and reached the Yannina area. At the same time, the roads of withdrawal of the Imperial and Greek forces were attacked by dive-bombers with fighter escort, whilst similar attacks were made on the harbour of Piraeus. .... 20. The withdrawal of our forces to the Thermopylae position was success­ fully completed on the 21st April after a series of rearguard actions. 21. On the 21st and 22nd April very little advance was made by the German forces, who were consolidating the ground gained in preparation for an attack in the Thermopylae area. Bombing of Piraeus continued, and bombing attacks were also made on Patras and on allied aerodromes in the area. By the evening of fhe 22nd April the German line was believed to be approximately Volos-Lamia-Yannina. 22. The islands of Thasos and Samothrace, situated off the coast of Western Thrace, have been occupied by small German forces, who experienced no resistance.

Bulgaria. 23. Call-up of reservists is continuing, though Bulgarian units are already believed to be at 75 per cent, strength and further increase will be difficult. 24. According to the reported terms of a military convention signed early this month between the Bulgarian War Minister and Field-Marshal Von Brau­ chitsch, the whole of the Bulgarian Army will be concentrated on the Turkish frontier. Arrangements for Bulgarian troops to hold captured Greek territory in Thrace and Macedonia have been continued, and the German radio states that the Turkish Government was officially informed of their entry on the 19th April.

Turkey. 25. Reports speak variously of a projected attack on and of the possibility of a non-aggression pact. One report mentions that German military circles are much interested in an attack towards the Suez Canal through Asia Minor. Meanwhile, Von Papen has left for and is not expected to return for a fortnight. Proposals of some kind will doubtless be made on his return, the Turks by then having had time to appreciate the fate of Yugoslavia.

Morocco. 26. Recent reports show that the French are quite incapable of resisting German infiltration, and that at the same time they are apprehensive of attacks from Spanish Morocco and Libya should the German campaign in be successful.

Iraq. 27. On the 17th April, 150 men, the first flight of an airborne British Infantry Battalion from India, were landed at Shaibah. On the 18th April, an Indian Brigade Group was landed at Basra.

Spain. 28. There have been a large number of reports to the effect that is pressing to join the and to give passage to German troops for an attack on Gibraltar. Reports of troop movements on the Franco-Spanish frontier have now been contradicted and a report that Suner had gone to Berlin was shown to be untrue.

29. Arrangements for the billeting of German tourists in Southern Spain and a recent visit by German generals to the vicinity of Gibraltar are further evidence that the Germans are making every preparation for an attack on the Western gate to the Mediterranean, which according to some sources, is to be synchronised with an attack on Egypt.

Africa. Libya. 30. The enemy drive Eastwards in Libya has halted in the area Sollum-Capuzzo, and reports indicate that the German forces have taken up defensive positions both there and around Tobruk. At the moment the enemy appears to be having difficulties with the supply and maintenance of his forces in the forward area, and there is evidence that transport aircraft are being used to supplement the normal supply services. 31. There are reports that the German forces in Libya are being reinforced and also that they intend to seize Kufra and thence advance against Southern Egypt and the Sudan. 32. The Garrison of Tobruk continues to repel enemy attacks and to carry out offensive sorties. On the 17th April, twelve enemy tanks penetrated the perimeter. The infantry, however, failed to follow up the tanks, four of which were destroyed. On the night 21st/22nd April, three raids were carried out on enemy positions opposite the West and South-West Sectors of the defences. Four hundred and forty-six prisoners were captured, mostly Italians, including 16 officers. Our own casualties in these operations were light. One light tank was lost. 33. Our force operating in the Sollum-Sofafi area has also carried out active patrolling operations including a successful raid on an enemy force in Sollum on the night of 15th/16th April. 34. On the night of the 19th/20th April a landing operation by 450 Special Service personnel was carried out at Bardia, without opposition. A tyre dump and a bridge were destroyed and some coast defence guns were rendered unusable. Five Officers and 62 O.Rs. failed to re-embark and were evidently captured. 35. On the 21st April reinforcements, which included one Army Field Regiment, one Heavy and one Light A.A. Regiment, the Roj^al Marine Group of the Mobile Naval Base Defence Organisation, arrived in Suez on the 21st April.

A byssinia. 36. Our columns operating from the north have cOme into contact with the enemy north of Gondar and near Amba Alagi. 37. Our troops fanning out from in pursuit of the enemy are­ operating in three directions. To the north, they are in touch with the enemy just south of Dessye; to the south, contact has been made near Sciasciamana, about 100 miles south of Adama; and to the south-west a stand has been made by Italian forces retiring on Jimma at the Omo crossing, 100 miles S.W. of Addis Ababa. 38. The advance from Kenya continues and our troops have occupied Maji; further east they are in touch with Italian forces in the areas of Uadara and Alghe.

AIR SITUATION General Review. 39. Weather greatly restricted our night operations, the principal attacks were made on the industrial centre of Berlin, and the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau at Brest. Numerous successful daylight attacks were carried out against enemy shipping. In Africa and the Balkans our air operations were of considerable intensity. [22450] c A heavy night attack was made on London, and'Plymouth was raided on three successive nights. Enemy aircraft were very active in and Libya.

Germany and Occupied Territory. 40 During the week Bomber Command carried out 210 day and 363 night sorties; compared with the preceding week the scale of operations by day was approximately the same, but by night there was a substantial reduction. These operations were supported by Coastal Command, notably by attacks on Brest, and Fighter Command flew a number of offensive patrols both by day and night over enemy-occupied territory.

Day. 41. The majority of daylight sorties have been directed against enemy shipping, details of which will be found under Coastal Operations. On the 17th April, 18 Blenheims, escorted by six squadrons of fighters, bombed the docks at Cherbourg, many bursts were seen around the target and several fires were observed. On the 21st April, a similar operation was undertaken against the electricity power station at Havre; cloud prevented the location of this target, but the harbour at Quetthou, in the vicinity of Havre, was attacked, bursts being seen on the railhead alongside the docks. Other aircraft attacked shipping, but no important results were seen. From these two operations the 36 bombers engaged returned safely, but one Spitfire was lost on the return journey from Havre. 42. Blenheims carried out a successful attack against the docks at Terneuzen, and also attacked the harbour at Breskens. Two direct hits were made on a railway bridge and on the permanent way in the vicinity of Leyden. Two aircraft attacked the electricity power sation at Ibbenburen, twenty miles West of Osnabruck; blue smoke was seen issuing from the power house and much debris was thrown into the air. Four aircraft attacked a wireless station on Terschelling Island, the building being enveloped in smoke and dust. 43. Fighters flew a number of offensive patrols over Northern France and . On one occasion gun emplacements near Wimereux and a jetty east of Calais were machine-gunned, on another patrol two E-boats were machine­ gunned near Gravelines. During these operations very few enemy aircraft were encountered; one Me. 109 was shot down in flames and another probably destroyed; one Spitfire is missing.

Night. 44. On the night of the l7th/18th April, 118 bombers, including one Stirling, were sent to attack the industrial centre of Berlin; 66 tons of H.E., including one 4,000 lb., three 2,000 lb. and six 1,900 lb. bombs were dropped. Thick haze prevented detailed observation of results, but bursts were seen on the Schlesischer station and the Lehrter marshalling yard; it is estimated that the 4,000 lb. bomb fell in the Moabit district. One aircraft dropped propaganda leaflets. Bad weather prevented some of our bombers from locating Berlin and these attacked a number of alternative targets. 45. The industrial centre of Cologne was attacked on the night of the 20th/21st April by 33 aircraft and a lighter scale of attack was made on the night of the 17th/18th April; bursts were seen in the centre of the town and a number of fires were started. On two occasions the petroleum harbour at Rotterdam was bombed by a total of 25 aircraft, about 35 tons of H.E. and a large number of LBs. were dropped. 46. The enemy battle-cruisers at Brest were attacked on five nights by aircraft of Coastal Command and on two nights by aircraft of Bomber Command, when about 120 tons of H.E., including forty-two 2,000 lb. bombs were dropped. On account of bad weather or very dark nights combined with intense searchlight and A.A. activity detailed results were very difficult to observe; however, a number of bursts were seen in the area of the dry dock and one aircraft reports having seen the battle-cruiser alongside the quay and claims a hit or near miss on the quayside. Bursts were also observed in the area of the torpedo-boat station and a number of fires were started. 47. Six Coastal Command aircraft attacked the Caen-Carpiquet aerodrome and all bombs were seen to burst in the area, but results could not be observed. On two nights the docks at Havre were attacked, on each occasion by six Blenheims from the same command; many bursts were seen in the target area, fires were started, and a warehouse and dock buildings were hit. 48. A number of aerodromes and other military objectives in Germany and occupied territory were successfully attacked, mostly by single aircraft. 49. A few offensive patrols over enemy territory were flown at night by aircraft of Fighter Command. On one occasion an enemy aircraft, believed to be a four-engine type, about to land at St. Leger, was attacked and appeared to' break up in the air.

United Kingdom. 50. Fighter Command flew 1,458 patrols, involving 3,527 sorties, by day, and 590 night sorties were flown. Enemy activity by day was again on a small scale and by night showed a considerable reduction on the preceding week, about 1,170 aircraft being employed. 51. Enemy activity by day consisted very largely of defensive patrols in the Straits and off the French and Belgian coasts, and of reconnaissances over the southern and eastern portions of England. The usual reconnaissances and patrols were flown over the sea. On the 17th April, eight Spitfires engaged four Me. 110 over Ramsgate, two of which were destroyed. A Ju. 88 was shot down by our fighters off Bognor; during the week several other encounters took place, in which a few of our fighters were lost and about an equal number of enemy aircraft were probably destroyed. 52. The heaviest raid took place on the night of the 19th/20th April and was mainly directed against London and the Eastern Home counties; approxi­ mately 350 enemy aircraft were employed, 10 of which made two sorties. On the night of the 21st/22nd and the two following nights, attacks were mainly directed against Plymouth and Devonport; the first two attacks were on a heavy scale; on the third night the attack was less severe. On the night of the 17th/ 18th, a heavy attack was made on Portsmouth, but on the remaining two nights of the week enemy activity was on a very small scale.

Coastal Operations. 53. Coastal Command aircraft flew 302 patrols and provided escorts for 152 convoys, involving a total of 977 sorties. In addition, Fighter Command made 1,689 sorties on shipping protection patrols. 54. On the 18th April, an aircraft on routine patrol sighted a convoy of eight merchant vessels off Stavanger; two formations of Blenheims from Coastal Command were sent out, in the morning and afternoon respectively, to attack this convoy. As a result of the first patrol a 7,000-ton vessel is believed to have been hit, and a 3,000-ton vessel was hit twice and seen to be rapidly sinking; two of our aircraft were lost. During the second patrol the Blenheims were attacked by five Me. 110, three of our aircraft being shot down, but all were able to drop their bombs and a direct hit is estimated on another ship. 55. On each day of the week formations of aircraft have been sent out from Bomber Command to attack enemy shipping, with the following results :— 7,000-ton M.V. believed hit off Brest. 800-ton ship off Hoedenserke seen to disintegrate. 4,000-ton M.V. off Heligoland believed hit; was last seen with large columns of smoke issuing from amidships. 5,000-ton M.V. off Heligoland, attacked from 50 feet and left on fire listing to starboard. A Flak ship off Heligoland probably hit. 7,000-ton M.V. off Texel received two hits and was seen to have a list of 35 degrees. 6,000-ton M.Y. off Terschelling was probably hit. 5,000-ton M.V. off Scheveningen was attacked from 100 feet and was left sinking. 3,000-ton M.V. off S.W. Norway was hit; the ship stopped and was down by the stern. 2,000-ton cargo ship N.W. of Stavanger was hit, resulting in an explosion aft of the funnel with considerable smoke and steam issuing from the ship. 8.000-ton M.V. off the Dutch Coast received three direct hits and was last seen with clouds of smoke and steam issuing from it­ 56. In addition a number of other attacks were made resulting in near misses and many ships were machine-gunned. A 3,000-ton ship was seen beached N. of Egersund and another ship of 4/5,000 tons was seen sinking off Den Helder. 57. Details of mining by aircraft and enemy activity against our shipping are reported in the Naval Situation.

The Balkans. 58. During the week the activity of our aircraft was mainly directed against enemy communications, transport and aerodromes. A heavy attack was made by our bombers on a bridge in the Kozani-Greven-Kulabaka area, and many bombs burst among mechanical transport. The aerodromes at Larissa and Sedes were bombed and at the latter, a number of fires were seen followed by explosions believed to be aircraft. The aerodromes at Kozani and Katerini were both successfully attacked. 59. On a number of occasions our fighters engaged large formations of enemy aircraft, Seven Hurricanes destroyed three German bombers and one fighter when fifty aircraft were found to be attacking one of our columns; on another occasion seven Hurricanes on an offensive patrol destroyed one Henschel and three Me. 109s. On the 20th April, formations of German aircraft continually approached the Athens area; fifteen Hurricanes were sent up and destroyed nineteen enemy aircraft and probably a further eight; five of our fighters were lost, the pilots of two are safe. Numerous other engagements took place in which a further number of enemy aircraft were destroyed. 60. The chief role of the German Air Force in this area continued to be close and strategic support for the Army, but a certain effort by long-range bombers has been maintained against harbours and shipping. 61 Towards the end of this period dive-bombers with fighter escort were operating against shipping, these aircraft now being within effective range from advanced bases. The rapid movement of short-range aircraft to advanced landing grounds continues to be a feature of the operations, the availability of transport aircraft making it possible to supply these units.

Malta. 62. Daily raids were made against the Island, but generally on a small scale, except on the evening of the 22nd April, when about forty German aircraft made a large-scale raid on the dockyard, many bombs and mines being dropped; as a result of this raid considerable damage was done to service and civilian pro­ perty. During the week Hurricanes shot down three Italian and one German fighter and A.A. destroyed one German bomber; several other enemy aircraft were either probably destroyed or damaged. 63. Glenn Martin aircraft carried out numerous very valuable reconnais­ sances, in particular of the Tunisian Coast, Tripoli and the Ionian Sea.

Egypt and Libya. 64. On three nights during the week Wellingtons operating from Malta bombed the harbour at Tripoli; the Spanish Quay and ships were straddled, two hits were made on the west mole and a number of fires were started. On three nights attacks were made on shipping and the harbour at by Welling­ tons, a number of fires were started one of which was visible fifty miles away; a successful daylight attack was also made, a ship in the harbour being hit. 65. Many attacks were made against enemy aerodromes including those at Berka, Gazala, Derna and El Adem. Enemy mechanical transport and troops were also heavily and continually attacked; oh one occasion Hurricanes machine­ gunned two German M.T. columns inflicting heavy casualties on motorised troops, on another occasion fifty-five aircraft were bombed on the ground at Derna. As a result of these attacks many M.T. vehicles were destroyed and enemy movements were greatly restricted. 66. Enemy operations mainly consisted of attacks against the fortifications at Tobruk, little other activity taking place beyond heavy fighter protection for Convoys. Reconnaissances were made in the forward area, particular attention being paid to our sea and land supply routes. Nineteen German aircraft are known to have been shot down, fifteen by fighters and four by A.A. defences.

Dodecanese. 67. On the night of the 22nd/23rd April the aerodrome at Calato was raided and the harbour at Rhodes was heavily attacked.

Italian East Africa. 68. Our aircraft have continued to attack the Italian aerodromes, the most successful result being achieved at Dessie, where fighters of the South African Air Force destroyed seven enemy aircraft on the ground. Many successful attacks were also carried out against enemy positions, troops and mechanical transport.

HOME SECURITY SITUATION. General. By Day. 69. Very few incidents occurred during the week, but at Fraserburgh, Scotland, two incidents on different days caused some damage and seven people were killed. By Night. 70. The enemy bombing has been concentrated on London, one night, and on Plymouth for three successive nights. Portsmouth also received a measure of attention. The number of incidents outside the attacked areas has been remark­ ably small. 71. On the 17th/18th April the chief bombing occurred in Portsmouth and neighbouring Hampshire districts for some seven hours with small effect. 72. On the 18th/'19th April bombing was negligible,, but on the following night a heavy attack occurred on London and the Home Counties. In London the Docks were chiefly affected. Some 1,460 fires were started and about 63 para­ chute mines were dropped. In the Home Counties there were many incidents. Casualties and damage occurring at Rochester, Dartford, Reigate and Romford. 73. After a quiet night on the 20th/21st April, Plymouth was bombed for the last three nights of the period. On the night of the 21st/22nd April the bombs were dropped chiefly in the dockyard area of Plymouth, but the centre of the city was also considerably affected. Some 30 large fires were started and the casualties were heavy. 74. On the 22nd/23rd April outside the Plymouth area a public shelter was hit at Southsea, causing several casualties, and minor bombing occurred in Scotland. At Plymouth communications suffered severely and the Control Centre had to be evacuated. By midnight 23 fires were burning, only one being under control. The Fore Street area of Devonport was chiefly affected, and the position in the city was made worse by a high wind. On the following day control was gained of most of the fires. 75. On the 23rd/24th April the attack on Plymouth was not so serious as on the previous night, but some fires gave anxiety in the Milbay area. All except one fire in the centre of the city and fires at the oil cisterns at Tor Point were [22450] u under control by 0200 hrs. It is thought that the casualties will not be heavy. Some fires occurred at Portsmouth, but in the rest of the country only very minor incidents occurred

Damage. London. 76. In the Dock area considerable damage was caused to warehouses, ,silos, timberyards, barges, trucks and offices. Traffic was much disturbed on the London North Eastern and Southern Railways, but other utility services escaped lightly. 77. Public buildings damaged include the Royal Naval College at Green­ wich, the Japanese Embassy and five museums. Of the hospitals, a serious fire occurred at St. Peter's Hospital. Stepney, where casualties occurred.

Plymouth and Devonport. 78. As yet it is early to assess the damage for the three nights, but it is known that considerable damage occurred in the Dockyards. Fires occurred at the Military Area Headquarters, at the Naval Exchange and at Naval, Military and Marine Barracks. All utilities were affected, the Devonport Telephone Exchange being destroyed, the main G.W.R. main down line wrecked, and considerable damage at the Plymouth Goods Yard. Four oil cisterns at Tor Point were still burning at 0440 on the 24th April.

Casualties. 79. The estimated civilian casualties for the week ending 0600 hours, the 23rd April, are 2,035 killed and 3,899 seriously injured. These figures include : — Seriously Killed Injured. London: 16th/17th 1,179 2,233 London: 19th/20th 442 1,354 Plymouth: 21st/22nd ... 108 99 Plymouth: 22nd/23rd ... 163 58 APPENDIX I .

Enemy Attack on Trade. SECTION A.-Merchant Vessels (excluding Commissioned Merchant Vessels) of all tonnages reported lost by enemy action. (Note.—Tonnages are gross unless otherwise stated.) By Submarine.

In Convoy How sunk. Position. Fate of Crew and other Remarks. Name and Tonnage. Nationality. Cargo. From-— To - or not.*

M/V Tanker Duffield British Spirit Curacao Gibraltar ... Torpedo ... Not 340 miles W. by S. of 27 arrived Teneriffe. (8,516) Madeira Tweed ... British Ballast ... Liverpool ... Pepel Torpedo Not 100 miles off Free­ 15 landed Konakry. Rest arrived (2,697) town Dakar. Corinthic British Grain Buenos Freetown Torpedo ... Not 92 miles W. by S. of 2 killed, 28 landed Freetown. (4,823) Aires and U.K. Freetown Helena Margareta British Ballast ... Takoradi ... Torpedo Not 350 miles W. of 9 in H.M. ship. 27 missing, believed (3,316) Tyne Madeira lost. Harpathian British Clyde Torpedo Not 290 miles W. of (4,6V 1) Tees Madeira 21 arrived Teneriffe. Tanker British Science British Piraeus Torpedo Yes E. Mediterranean .. (7,138) Haifa All saved.

By Aircraft.

Favorit Norwegian... Steel and , Hull Bomb Yes 180 miles N.W. of 40 in H.M. Ship, 11 landed Kirkwall. (2,826) scrap U.S.A. Butt of Lewis. Nemas Greek Bomb At Chalkis, Isle of Not known. (4,359) Eubuea, Greece Bomb At Piraeus Not known. Evoihos Greek ... (4.792) Margit Panamanian Bomb At Malta Not known. (3,257) Bomb Off Missolonghi, Gulf Not yet known. M Hospital Ship Esperos Greek Ballast ... Piraeus Suda Bay ... (1,461) " of Patras. Amiens British Cardiff Barry Bomb Yes : ... Near Land's End ... All landed St. Ives. (1,548) Coal By Mine.

In Convoy Name and Tonnage. Nationality. Cargo. From— To- How sunk. Position. Fate of Crew and other Remarks. or not.* 1 I

Ranee ... British Not Suez Canal ... Previously damaged, now declared (5,060) C.T.L.

Clan Gumming British Piraeus Alexandria Off Pirreus. (7,264)

Profit Norwegian London Hull Yes Thames Estuary 5 survivors, 4 injured, 13 missing. (1,608)

S/T. Millimumull British ... Near Newcastle, 5 survivors, 7 missing. (287) N.S.W.

By Surface Craft.

Tanker Hetty Brovig Norwegian Bahrein Lourenco Raider Not Indian Ocean 38 landed Mauritius, 4 prisoners of (7,031) Marques war. Captured by Raider and later scuttled. Nereus... Dutch Potatoes Dundee London E-boat T. ... Yes Of! Gt. Yarmouth All landed Yarmouth. (1,298)

London E-boat T. ... Yes Off Gt. Yarmouth Effra British ... Coke . J Middlesbro. 25 landed Harwich, 3 landed Southend, (1,446) 2 missing.

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

NOTE.—Tonnage of Granli shown incorrectly on previous statement as 1,557 instead of 1,577. SECTION B.—Merchant Yessels (excluding Commissioned Merchant Vessels) of all tonnages REPORTED damaged by Enemy Action, since previous Statement.

In convoy Casualties to Date. ! Name and Nationality. Cargo. From— To- Cause. Position. Extent of Damage. Crew. Other tonnage. or not.* Remarks.

Mar. 17 ... Pilot Cutter British A/C.B. Thames Estuary Steering gear damaged, also 2 killed, 2 injured. ' Pioneer and M.G. bulwarks and plates. Ar­ (281) rived Gravesend in tow Mar. 31 ... M/V Tanker Swedish Port Arthur Gothenburg S/M Not 750 W. of the Abandoned and left buroing 21 arrived Cura- Castor Hebrides on 3.4.41 cao, 15 missing. (8,714) Prior to Apr. 12 ... Constantinos Greek A/CB: ... At Pirseus Extensive None reported. Louloudis .(4,697) Ditto ... Point Clear Greek A/CB. ... At Piraeus Slight None reported. (4,839) Ditto ... Ekaterini Greek A/CB. ... At Piraeus Not stated ... None reported. Coumantarou (7,777) Ditto ... Nitsa Greek A/CB. ... At Piraeus Not stated None reported. (4,732) Apr. 12 ... Richard de British Wheat ... Halifax Loch Ewe... A/CB. ... Yes Not given, N. Not stated No casualties. Larrinqa Atlantic (5,538) Prior to Apr. 13 ... Veni Norwegian... Timber ... Louisburg... Grange- A/CB. Yes N. Atlantic Considerable damage None reported. (2,982) mouth and M.G. Apr. 15 ... Coalpara British ... Govt. ... A/CB. ... E 1 e u s i s Bay, Damaged and beached None reported. (5,314) Greece Apr. 15 ... Quiloa ... British ... A/CB. ... E 1 e u s i s Bay, Slightly damaged and (7,765) Greece beached. Apr. 16 ... S/T King British A/CB. ... S.W. of Holed aft. Engine room None. Athelstan flooded. Beached Horse (159) Island, Ballinskelligs Apr. 16 ... M/V Swedru ... British West Duala Liverpool ... A/CB. ... Yes 158 miles W. of Last reported still burning 1 killed, 33 crew (5,379) African Bloody Fore­ and likely to float and 5 passengers produce land landed London­ derry. Name and In Convoy ., .,. Casualties to Date. Nationality. i Cargo From— To- Causc , * Position, Extent of Damage. Crew. Other Tonnage. or not. Remarks.

Apr. 17 Mentalto British Cement IA/C.B. At Rochester ... Submerged on even keel ... None reported.

(623) i Apr. 17 Ethel Radcliffc... British Grain St. Johns, ; London ... E-Boat Yes Off Great Yar- Beached in Yarmouth. 1 wounded. (5,673) N.B. I mouth Water in Nos. 1, 2 and 4 holds Apr. 18 M/V Tanker British Ballast Falmouth... Milford A/C. ii. Not Off Milford Hole 10ft. in diameter in 1 dead,4 wounded. Scottish Haven and Haven deck on starboard side, Musician Aruba I piercing No. 6 tank and (6,998) possibly penetrating bottom. Brought into Milford Haven Apr. 18 . Osihos ... Panamanian Lisbon ... Ardrossan A/C.B. Yes 120' W. by S. of Making water in all holds. None reported. (3,938) Bloody Fore- Arrived Loch Foyle, land Apr. 20 . Empire Endur- British Govt. Swansea ...! Alexandria ! S/M. Not 470' West of Corvette sent to assistance None reported. ance Slyne Head (8,570) az Apr. 21 . Tanker British British Fuel oil.. Abadan .... Suda Bay ... A/C. South of Crete.. Engines out of action— None reported. Lord abandoned and left afloat (6,098) I ; Apr. 21 . Pass. & Cargo British Foodstuffs ... Liverpool S/M. Not 530 miles W.SW Torpedoed None reported. Chalcis and steel via Durban of Canaries (10,305) billets Apr. 21 . M/V Tanker British Dartmouth A/C Yes Off Dartmouth.. Down by stern and engine None reported British Renown room flooded. Returned (6,997) to Dartmouth

Apr. 21 . Tug Regency ... British M. Off Ford's,Dagen Submerged ... None reported. (76) ham Apr 21 ,. Maidstone British A/C. At Plymouth .. Bomb penetrated engine None reported. (688) room. Vessel filled and grounded

* This information is provisional and may be modified subsequently on receipt of Commodore's report. NOTE.—Motor tanker Duffield (8,516 tons), shown last week as damaged, has since been reported sunk, and is transferred to Section A of this Return. The Volo (1,587 tons), shown last week as damaged by A/C. at Piraeus should be deleted, the report being incorrect. s.s. Amiens shown as damaged in return to 16th April, subsequently sank and has been included in Section A of this Return. Merchant Ships (all sizes) other than Merchant Ships Commissioned for Naval Service reported lost by Enemy Action up to Noon, Wednesday, 23rd April, 1941. British. Allied. Neutral. Together.

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

SubmarinSubmarinee ...... 366 2,058,000 95 467,000 179 579,000 640 3,104,000 MinMinee ...... 193 484,000 39 106,000 79 232,000 311 822,000 SurfacSurfacee CrafCraftt 111 557,000 32 201.000 6 18,000 149 776,000 AircrafAircraftt 186 550,000 77 320,000 33 88,000 296 958,000 OtheOtherr causescauses,, oorr causcausee 38 83,000 8 38,000 9 29,000 55 150,000 unknowunknownn 894 3,732,000 i 251 1,132,000 j 306 946,000 1,451 5,810,000 NOTE.—" Allied " figures include Polish; all French up to June 25, 1940; " Free " French from June 25, 1940; Norwegian from , 1940; Dutch and Belgian from May 10, 1940; Greek from October 28, 1940; and Yugo-Slavian from , 1941. "Neutral" figures include Italian up to June 10, 1940; "Vichy" French from June 25, 1940; and Yugo-Slavian to April 6, 1941.

APPENDIX III.

(1) Additions to and deductions from British Sea-going Merchant Tonnage (ships of 500 gross tons and over), including Merchant Ships Commissioned for Naval Service, from 2nd September, 1939, to 20th April, 1941. Tankers. Others.

Gross Gross No. No. Tons. Tons.

BritisBritisBritisBritisBritisBritisBritishhhhhhh shipshipshipshipshipshipshipsssssss ooooooonnnnnnn SeptembeSeptembeSeptembeSeptembeSeptembeSeptembeSeptemberrrrrrr 2222222,,,,,,, 1931931931931931931939999999 519 3,274,000 3,578 15,392,000

Additions-— NeNeNeNeNeNeNewwwwwww shipshipshipshipshipshipshipsssssss 16 130,000 208 1,135,000 EnemEnemEnemEnemEnemEnemEnemyyyyyyy shipshipshipshipshipshipshipsssssss capturecapturecapturecapturecapturecapturecaptureddddddd ...... 1 6,000 53 275,000 ShipShipShipShipShipShipShipsssssss transferretransferretransferretransferretransferretransferretransferreddddddd frofrofrofrofrofrofrommmmmmm otheotheotheotheotheotheotherrrrrrr flags—flags—flags—flags—flags—flags—flags—fffffff DanisDanisDanisDanisDanisDanisDanishhhhhhh 8 66,000 115 305,000 FrencFrencFrencFrencFrencFrencFrenchhhhhhh ...... 12 60,000 107 502,000 Roumaniannnnnnn ...... 2 11,000 2 8,000 EstoniaEstoniaEstoniaEstoniaEstoniaEstoniaEstoniannnnnnn ...... 22 37,000 LatviaLatviaLatviaLatviaLatviaLatviaLatviannnnnnn 8 6,000 OtherOtherOtherOtherOtherOtherOthersssssss 13 85,000 142 751,000 OtheOtheOtheOtheOtheOtheOtherrrrrrr additionadditionadditionadditionadditionadditionadditionsssssss ...... 11 16,000 91 183,000

TotaTotaTotaTotaTotaTotaTotalllllll additionadditionadditionadditionadditionadditionadditionsssssss ...... 63 374,000 743 3,202,000

Deductions— ShipShipShipShipShipShipShipsssssss sunsunsunsunsunsunsunkkkkkkk bbbbbbbyyyyyyy thththththththeeeeeee enemyenemyenemyenemyenemyenemyenemy——————— ''''''' (i(i(i(i(i(i(i))))))) MerchanMerchanMerchanMerchanMerchanMerchanMerchanttttttt shipshipshipshipshipshipshipsssssss commissioneddddddd fofofofofofoforrrrrrr NavaNavaNavaNavaNavaNavaNavalllllll ServicServicServicServicServicServicServiceeeeeee 2 13,000 26 232,000 (ii(ii(ii(ii(ii(ii(ii))))))) OtherOtherOtherOtherOtherOtherOthersssssss 85 652,000 661 3,019,000 ShipShipShipShipShipShipShipsssssss capturecapturecapturecapturecapturecapturecaptureddddddd bbbbbbbyyyyyyy thththththththeeeeeee enemenemenemenemenemenemenemyyyyyyy ...... 1 6,000 5 16,000 OtheOtheOtheOtheOtheOtheOtherrrrrrr deductionsssssss (includin(includin(includin(includin(includin(includin(includinggggggg MarinMarinMarinMarinMarinMarinMarineeeeeee Risk)Risk)Risk)Risk)Risk)Risk)Risk)——————— (i(i(i(i(i(i(i))))))) Commissioneddddddd fofofofofofoforrrrrrr NavaNavaNavaNavaNavaNavaNavalllllll ServicServicServicServicServicServicServiceeeeeee 2 2,000 19 55,000 (ii(ii(ii(ii(ii(ii(ii))))))) OtherOtherOtherOtherOtherOtherOthersssssss 8 40,000 157 546,000

TotaTotaTotaTotaTotaTotaTotalllllll deductionsssssss 98 713,000 S68 3,868,000

NeNeNeNeNeNeNettttttt additionadditionadditionadditionadditionadditionadditionsssssss (-j-(-j-(-j-(-j-(-j-(-j-(-j-))))))) ooooooorrrrrrr deductiondeductiondeductiondeductiondeductiondeductiondeductionsssssss (-(-(-(-(-(-(-))))))) ...... - 35 - 339,000 - 125 - 666,000

BritisBritisBritisBritisBritisBritisBritishhhhhhh shipshipshipshipshipshipshipsssssss ooooooonnnnnnn ApriApriApriApriApriApriAprilllllll 20202020202020,,,,,,, 1941941941941941941941111111 484 2,935,000 3,453 14,726,000* * Of the total Non-Tanker tonnage, vessels representing about 4,100 thousand gross tons are engaged on Naval, Military or R.A.F. Services (including some commissioned for Naval Service), some of which bring cargoes to the United Kingdom on their homeward voyage. After allowing for vessels (1) trading permanently abroad, (2) detained in French ports and (3) under­ going or awaiting repair, including the fitting of defensive protection, the balance is a little under ' million gross tons, some part of which is engaged in the coasting trade of the United Kingdom and Eire. (2) Total losses of, and other deductions from, British Sea-going Merchant Ships of 500 gross tons and over, including Merchant Ships Commissioned for Naval Service, expressed as approximate annual rates of loss.

Total losses sunk or Approximate annual captured by the enemy, Period. loss if column (2) losses and other deductions in continued for a year. the period.

(i) 1 (2) (3)

First 9 months of war : Gross Tons. Gross Tons. i.e., from September 3, 1939, to May 31, 1940 1,098.000 1,500,000

Following 3 months : i.e., from June 1, 1940, to August 31, 1940... 993,000 3,900,000 Month of September, 1940 ... 345,000 4,200,000 October, 1940 317,000 3,700,000 ,, November, 1940 380,000 4,600,000 ,, December, 1940 329,000 3,900,000 January, 1941 214,000 2,500,000 ...... 377,000 4,900,000 March, 1941 ,334,000 3,900,000) to 20, 1941...... (188,000* 3,400,000)

* These figures relate to losses so far notified, and may be increased by later notifications.

(3) Merchant Ships (100 gross tons and over) under construction in British Yards in the United Kingdom and abroad in week ending 18th April, 1941. Tankers. Others. No. Gross Tons. No. Gross Tons. Colliers and coasting ships 6 4,000 34 37,000 Other ships ... 40 333,000 131* 844,000

46 337,000 165 881,000 * Including 5 vessels (33,000 gross tons) building abroad, 2 merchant ships (18,000 gross tons) taken over by the Navy during construction and 11 ships (20,000 gross tons) of merchant type intended for Naval use. I n addition, there are 181 merchant ships totalling 1,195,000 gross tons on order or proposed to order in the United Kingdom and abroad (including 16 tankers of 106,000 gross tons).

APPENDIX IY.

Merchant Ships (all sizes) lost by the enemy up to 23rd April, 1941.

German. Italian. Together.

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

CaptureCapturedd oorr seizeseizedd 61 ' 274,000 39 183,000 100 457,000 ScuttleScuttledd oorr sunsunkk ...... 96 544,000 49 286,000 145 830,000 Unidentifiedd shipshipss reportereportedd bbyy S/MS/M,, A/CA/C,, &c&c,, aass sunsunkk oorr destroyedestroyedd (tonnag(tonnagee estimatedestimated)) 163 815,000 97 485,000 260 1,300,000

320 1,663,000 185 954,000 505 2,588,000

I n addition, 37 ships of 66,000 gross tons under enemy control or useful to the enemy have been sunk. Some 53 ships, totalling nearly 300,000 gross tons, have been placed under protective custody in and South American ports to prevent sabotage by their crews. Casualties to H.M. Auxiliary Vessels and to Naval Personnel. The following casualties have occurred to H.M. Auxiliary Patrol Vessels during the period under review :— 17th April.—Pilot Cutter Pioneer bombed and machine-gunned in Thames Estuary and towed to Gravesend. V&th April.—A/P Trawler Kopanes bombed and sunk off Tyne. The following casualties to Naval personnel have been reported :— Officers : Killed 9, missing 31, wounded 6. Ratings : Killed 137, missing 236, wounded 96. Four missing officers later reported prisoners of war are now reported released.

APPENDIX YI.

Operational Aircraft Battle Casualties. 0600 hours, , 1941, to 0600 hours, April 24, 1941. Metropolitan Area.

British J n the Air. On the G round. Bombers...... 22 Fighters ...... 7 1 Coastal ...... 9

Total 38 1 Probably German. Destroyed. Destroyed. Damaged. Bombers ...... 7 ... 3 Fighters 4 2 2 Miscellaneous ...... 9 1 2 Total 20 3 7 No account is taken of aircraft destroyed on the ground. Of the above totals, 3 bomber and 4 "miscellaneous" aircraft were destroyed, 1 " miscellaneous " probably destroyed and 2 " miscellaneous " damaged by A.A. lire.

Middle East. British In the Air. On the Ground. Bombers...... 8 6 Fighters 17 2 Coastal ...... 1 Total 25 9 Of the above totals, 3 bombers and 12 fighters were lost in action and 6 bombers and 3 fighters lost on the ground in Greece. Probably Italian. Destroyed. Destroyed. Damaged. Bombers 5 2 2 Fighters 12 1 9 Miscellaneous Total 17 3 11 German. Bombers 37 9 4 Fighters 20 9 2 Miscellaneous ...... 7

Total 04 18 0 Of the above totals, 2 bombers, 3 fighters and 4 "miscellaneous" aircraft were destroyed 2 fighters were probably destroyed and 1 bomber damaged by A.A. fire

[22450] F Air Attacks on Enemy Territory in Europe.

Extracts from Recent Raid Assessment Reports.

THE following reports of damage have been received during the past week from air reconnaissance and Intelligence sources : —

Germany. Berlin.—Further information as to the March raids state that the Klingenberg Power Station was severely damaged, and some confirmation of this was received from another source, who stated that one of the power stations had broken down and that electric light in some quarters had been out of order on the 13th, 14th and 15th March. Taking into account previous reports, it now seems clear that the Kleist Strasse district suffered severely and the neighbourhood of the Charlottenburg station was also badly damaged. Houses in the Augsburger Strasse, the Waitzstrasse and Neue Kant Strasse were destroyed or damaged. The raid on the 9th/10th April i s stated to have caused considerable material damage and casualties, and resulted in the authorities for the first time being­ unable to hide from the majority of the inhabitants the extent of the damage. Particulars so far available show that about 20 buildings in the Unter den Linden were destroyed. The State library (which is opposite the former palace of the Kaiser) was gutted and the State Opera House (which lies between that palace and the former palace of the Crown Prince) was demolished. Fires were started in the principal food office and the boiler house of the main fire station received a direct hit. The raid on the 17th/18th April is reported as having caused consternation in the German Embassy at Ankara. A large number of people are said to have been killed and the behaviour of the members of the German Embassy Staff made it obvious that they received news that.had alarmed them. Kiel.—Photographs taken on the 17th April show the further damage caused in the raids of the 8th/9th and 15th/16th April. The greater part appears to have been caused in the Deutsche Werke and Germania Shipyards and, in the Gaarden residential area where the skilled shipyard workers reside. This last area suffered severely in the raid of the 7th/8th April and it is reasonable to assume from the further damage now disclosed that the greater part thereof has been rendered uninhabitable. Principal features include :— (a) Deutsche Werke.—The engine and turbine engine shops have been further damaged and it has become necessary to undertake demolition and clearance of the whole of the ship stores building. (b) An area South of Deutsche Werke -Several buildings in this area containing shipyard stores have been completely gutted, and it is apparent that there was a major fire in this neighbourhood. (c) Germania Yards.—The angle and plate shaping sheds have been heavily damaged, a large workshop destroyed and the locomotive sheds and smithy building completely gutted. (d) An area between Kleiner Kiel and Schreven Pond.—This is another '' blitzed '' area of the town. There are a minimum of 14 points of major damage and the whole area must have suffered from blast or fire. In the Hohenzollern Ring nearby a block of houses 200 yards long have their roofs and upper storeys destroyed or damaged by fire. Cologne.—Photographs taken on the 8th April show that the city power station building had been gutted. Some confirmation of the damage to the Hohenzollern bridge (previously reported) is obtained from these photographs which disclose a remarkable lack of rail activity'in the main station and the marshalling yards on each side of the river. The house of 4711 " Eau de Cologne " received a direct hit and 20 people are believed to have been killed in the building. Bremen.—The Ju. 87 Assembly Factory (previously reported damaged) was hit in the raid of the 12th/13th March. An iron works and the engine sheds on the Western side of the Kohlenhafen were also hit and damaged in this raid, 8 locomotives being practically destroyed. General.—A German living near has given the following account of raids to his daughter, married to a neutral. She was not allowed to visit him at home and the visit took place in Berlin :— He stated the docks at Wilhelmshaven had been shot to pieces and the damage was devastating. Some submarine building was still going on, but not more than 10 per cent, of the normal. Nobody was allowed to see the damage, but the extent was known from the workmen who went there daily and from the numbers thrown out of employment, Hanover also suffered appalling damage. Most of the bombs hit objectives of military importance, including Hanomag a,nd the Continental Rubber Works.

France. Brest.—Reports have been received of hits on both the battle cruisers. It is stated that during one of the early attacks an aircraft attacking alone in the early hours of the morning scored a direct hit on one of them. This aircraft was subsequently shot down and the pilot, a Canadian aged about 19, was saved. (A Canadian pilot aged 19 belonging to 22 Squadron Coastal Command is missing from an attack on Brest on the 6th April, 1941.) A factor which may also indicate damage to the battle-cruisers is that Admiral Raeder has recently made a special visit to inspect them. The Prefecture Maritime and the Salle des Fetes have been hit and damaged.

Bulgaria. .—In the raid on the 13th/14th April direct hits were obtained on an ammunition train. The petrol storage installation was hit and explosions were still taking place 8 hours after the raid finished. The area surrounding the main station was damaged and the accuracy of the bombing was described as excellent.

i'

BRITISH AND FOREIGN (BLACK) MERCHANT SHIPPING LOSSES BY DIFFERENT FORMS OF ENEMY ACTION­ 7\Iqte:- Includes vessels of all tonnages (but excludes CommissionedShips.) Italian losses are included up to June. lO. 194-0.

Division. March 194-1. This graph, is basedon*irformatinn. received in, the Admiralty- up to 1200 on. 194-i.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN (BLACK) MERCHANT SHIPPING LOSSES BY DIFFERENT FORMS OF ENEMY ACTION. IVqte: - Includes vessels of all tonnages (but excludes Co/nmissio/iedShips.) Italian, losses are Included up ta June. 10, 194-0.

March. 19-4-1. This graph, is basedon^informjcition, received in. the Admiralty up ta 1200 on. April 22 194-i.