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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) 3 6 (Also Paper No. G.O.S. (41) 117) February 20, 1941. \ l

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. 77)

of the

NAVAL, MILITARY AND AIR SITUATION

from 12 noon February 13th, to

12 noon February 20th,

1941

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

Cabinet War Room

NAYAL SITUATION.

General.

A Hipper class cruiser has again been located in Brest. I ta l ian shipping has been successfully attacked off Tripoli and at Kismayu.

Enemy minelaying aircraft have been active in home waters and in the Mediterranean.

Shipping losses caused by raider attacks have raised the total tonnage sunk, although losses reported from U-Boat, mine and aircraft a re on a small scale.

Home.

2. Two cruisers patrolled to southward of Iceland but sighted nothing. H.M. Minesweeping Trawler Stella Rigel shot down an enemy aircraft off

Harwich. H.M. Submarine Snapper, overdue from her patrol area in the Bay of Biscay,

has been presumed lost. Bombs were dropped in Aberdeen harbour on the 13th, causing little damage,

and early in the morning of the 16th a dock pumping station was damaged in Chatham Dockyard. The Naval establishment at Skegness was bombed twice during the same morning, the second at tack causing fairly extensive damage and a few casualties. In a daylight at tack by a single enemy aircraft at Invergordon on the 17th a cistern containing 4,000 tons of oil fuel was demolished. On the night of the 17th/18th the Royal Naval Base building at Yarmouth was demolished by a direct hi t from a bomb and incendiary bombs caused minor damage at the Royal Naval Yard at Deptford. Lowestoft was unsuccessfully attacked at noon on the 19th, and during the evening the Royal Naval Hospital at Plymouth was hi t and slightly damaged by a direct hit from a small bomb.

North Atlantic.

3. H.M. Ocean Boarding Vessels on patrol in the Madei ra-Canary Islands area have intercepted the French ships Richepance (3,485 tons), PLM. 13 (3,754 tons) and Lorient (4,185 tons), which are being taken to Gibraltar.

Mediterranean.

4. Two separate attacks were carried out by H.M. Submarine Truant on an escorted convoy off Tripoli on the 11th. One ship was hi t by gunfire and a ship of 3,500 tons was sunk by torpedo. On the 12th H.M. Submarine Utmost attacked an escorted convoy of three ships in the vicinity of Tripoli and obtained a hit on a ship of 8,000 tons, which was last seen with her stern awash. H.M. Submarine Rover, off the south coast of Italy, successfully attacked an enemy tanker.

During the night of the 13th/14th one Swordfish aircraft with flares and three with torpedoes attacked a northbound escorted convoy of three or four merchant vessels, 120 miles N.N.W. of Tripoli. One probable and one possible hit were made.

On the night of the 15th/16th four Swordfish aircraft attacked and sunk an escorted merchant vessel, believed to be the I tal ian s.s. Jiiventus (4,920 tons), thir ty miles east of Sfax (Tunisia).

During the last four weeks attacks by our aircraft and submarines on the Tr ipol i - I ta ly route have resulted in five ships being sunk for certain and two probably sunk. In addition, one struck a mine off the entrance to Tripoli.

5. The harbour at Tobruk has now been cleared of mines. Derna can be used by small vessels only. A preliminary survey of Benghazi shows that until extensive salvage operations are undertaken it can be used only to a limited extent owing to the presence of wrecks of enemy ships and to a breach in the breakwater from our bombs which admits swell into the harbour.

East Africa.

6. Operations in support of Brit ish land forces in I tal ian Somaliland were carried out on the 13th and 14th.

On the 13th H.M. Destroyer Kandahar fired three salvos at Kismayu to test whether the shore batteries were still inactive and H.M.S. Shropshire bombarded Mogadishu, where she obtained several straddles on a merchant ship. She also bombarded motor transport and encampments near Brava. In the morning of the 14th coastal batteries at Kismayu and Muanga were bombarded at 2,300 yards range, but the enemy made no reply. Kismayu was occupied in the afternoon of that day. In the course of this operation H.M. Ships Shropshire and Capetownwere attacked by aircraft from Merka on several occasions without result. The details of enemy shipping captured and sunk is shown later in this resume.

Red Sea.

7. On the morning of the 13th fourteen aircraft from H.M.S. Formidable attacked the harbour at Massawa. The at tack was considerably hampered by fighter opposition. I t is probable that one hit was made with a torpedo on a ship lying at a jetty in the Northern Harbour, where a submarine and a supply ship had been reported by reconnaissance, and one merchant ship was sunk outside, also by torpedo. A second merchant ship was also sunk either by torpedo or bomb. In the bombing attack on the main harbour one probable hit was made on a large destroyer. Two of our aircraft did not return, one of which made a forced landing 20 miles from Massawa owing to engine trouble-Far East.

8. H.M. Transport Queen Mary, with Austral ian troops, escorted by H.M.S. Durban, arrived at Singapore on the 18th.

Enemy Intelligence.

German. 9. I t is now thought that the ship which attacked the convoy 640 miles

west of Cape St. Vincent on the 12th February was certainly a Hipper class cruiser. A cruiser of this class was reported in dry dock at Brest by air reconnaissances on the 15th. Fur ther reconnaissances were hampered by bad weather, but the ship was seen again on the morning of the 19th. One destroyer was also seen in Brest on the 13th.

Italian. 10. There have been no reconnaissances of the main I tal ian Naval forces

during the past week.

Submarines. 11. There have been some six or seven German submarines in the North-

Western Approaches, and in the earlier par t of the week there wTas one between the Azores and the coast of Portugal . There has been little evidence of I ta l ian submarines, but i t is believed there may have been six or seven at sea on the 18th-Air reconnaissance showed ten submarines at Lorient on the 15th.

Far Eastern Intelligence.

/ apan. 12. In the latter par t of J anua ry the Japanese forces in south Chinese

waters were reinforced by one battleship, five cruisers, two aircraft carriers, and twelve destroyers. Some of the cruisers and destroyers have been making use of Kamranh Bay (south-eastern Indo-China).

[22245] B

Netherlands East Indies. 13. The Naval Forces in the Netherlands East Indies comprise two 6-inch

cruisers, one flotilla leader, five destroyers, eleven submarines, five M.T .B . 's and a number of minelaying and minesweeping craft. In addition to these, the cruiser Sumatra, two destroyers and four submarines are refitting or otherwise out of commission.

Enemy Attack on Seaborne Trade.

14. Fourteen ships and five small craft, a total of 91,127 tons, have been reported lost by enemy action; of these all but three ships (29,619 tons) were British. Three of these ships and three small craft were sunk during the period under review. Four British ships (23,833 tons) were sunk by U-boats, three in the North-Western Approaches and one to the westward of Cape St. Vincent. Two steam trawlers (432 tons) were sunk by mines, four steam trawlers (1,385 tons) by aircraft , and nine ships (65,477 tons) by raider; five of the latter were in the home-bound convoy attacked on the 12th. Of this convoy, which consisted of nineteen ships, ten certain and two probable are reported safe, which leaves two more which are probably sunk. Sixteen British ships are reported damaged. During the week enemy aircraft have continued to attack convoys on the East coast and in the North-Western Approaches as far north as Cape Wrath . Details of ships sunk and damaged are shown in Appendix I.

Protection of Seaborne Trade.

15. During the week ended noon, Wednesday, the 19th February, 842 ships, including 155 allied and 13 neutral, were convoyed, of which one was lost by enemy action. One battleship. 2 cruisers, 7 armed merchant cruisers, 35 destroyers and 39 sloops and corvettes were employed on escort duty.

Imports into Great Bri tain by ships in convoy this week totalled 933,382 tons, twice as much as the amount imported last week. Twenty-eight tankers brought in 284,127 tons of oil compared with only 43,139 tons in the previous week. Cereals amounted to 144,478 tons as compared with 60,490 tons. Other food imports totalled 93,840 tons compared with 119,883 tons last week. Mineral imports totalled 250,255 tons, the corresponding figure last week being 164,208 tons. Timber amounted to 47,849 tons compared with only 4,000 tons last week. General cargoes and sundries totalled 112,833, more than twice the amount of the previous week. Many aeroplanes and a large number of lorries were also imported.

British Minelaying.

16. On the 14th two M.T.B. 's laid mines off the Belgian Coast. On the 15th H.M. Submarine Cachalot laid fifty mines in West Fjord, and on the 17th and 18th H.M. Ships Southern Prince and Port Quebec laid 1,110 mines between the Faroes and Iceland. On the 15th and 18th H.M.S. Plover laid 240 mines in St. George's Channel. Minelaying by aircraft has taken place off the Norwegian, French Atlant ic and Dutch coasts.

Enemy Minelaying, British Minesweeping.

Home Waters. 17. On 8 nights during the week enemy aircraft have laid mines, as many

as 100 planes operating at a time. The raids have been heaviest off the East Coast, particularly off the southern half. Off the South Coast the only places where mines have been dropped are off Torbay and Exmouth. Milford Haven and Liverpool Bay have also been visited.

The Humber Minesweepers had a successful day on the 18th, when 30 acoustic and five magnetic mines wTere detonated. The following day five acoustic

mines were exploded, another seven exploding spontaneously. A fishing trawler was sunk by mine that day to the south of the channel.

Mines have been detonated during the week as follows : seventeen magnetic and sixty-three acoustic.

In addition to the two trawlers previously reported as sunk by mine, one M.T.B. was mined and sunk off Harwich and a Paddle Minesweeper was mined and beached off the Tyne.

An Oropesa Trawler was bombed and sunk with all hands south-east of Peterhead.

Foreign Waters. 18. German minelaying aircraft have been active over the Mediterranean

and Suez Canal. On the 17th Malta reported that there had been air raids, including minelaying raids, for eleven successive nights. Two mines have been detonated off Valletta, and two mines are thought to be inside the Grand Harbour. Both these harbours are closed. During the night of the 12th/13th enemy aircraft laid mines off Benghazi, and a dangerous area has been declared to the north-east of the port. Mines were dropped in the Suez Canal early on the 18th and traffic has been suspended.

A contact minefield has been found off Tobruk and has caused four casualties. Out of a number of whalers lying idle at Durban it is hoped to select six

and fit them with LL Sweeps for use in the Mediterranean.

Enemy Merchant Shipping.

German. 19. Eight loaded German ships are reported to be lying in Oslo Fjord,

presumably ice bound. The German-Swedish shipping agreement has been prolonged to July 1941

with little alteration except that freights for wood and pulp have been increased. Sweden's Baltic tonnage will be used for t rade with Germany, but not for German trade with other countries.

The s.s. Ankara (4,768 tons), which was reported in November and December as being at Trieste fitting out as a transport, is believed to have sailed from Palermo on the 10th.

German ships which were in Kismayu are included under I tal ian Merchant Shipping.

Italian. 20. Enemy merchant shipping losses in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean

have recently been heavy, the latter as a result of our operations a t Kismayu. There were sixteen ships at Kismayu in January, and so far fourteen have

been accounted for. Five I ta l ian ships, totalling 28,055 tons, were captured when they tried to escape on the 11th February, and all these have now reached Mombasa. The German s.s. Tannenfels (7,840 tons) and s.s. Askari (590 tons) sailed before the 7th February; the former has not so far been reported, but the latter went ashore south of Brava. The s.s. Uckermark (7,021 tons), which was intercepted when she tried to escape, attempted to scuttle herself and subsequently sank after being taken in tow. The I ta l ian tanker Marghera (4,531 tons) and the s.s. Moncalieri (5,723 tons), and two other unidentified ships were scuttled at Kismayu. The I ta l ian tanker Pensilvania (8,861 tons) and the German tug Kionga (192 tons) are thought to have gone to Mogadishu.

The troopship Garibaldi (5,278 tons) is reported to have been hi t in dry dock during the bombardment of Genoa on the 9th February, and the s.s. Citta di Messina (2,472 tons) is believed to have been sunk on the 15th January off Misurata by H.M. Submarine Regent. Damage caused to shipping in recent attacks in the Mediterranean has already been mentioned in this resume.

The New York press reports that negotiations are in progress for the purchase of 27 I ta l ian ships, including the s.s. Conte Biancamano, 23,255 tons, which are in United States harbours.

MILITARY SITUATION. Germany.

21. The total of identified German divisions is increased by three to 221.

Distribution of German divisions. The distribution of German divisions at 1200 hours the 19th February is

believed to be as follows :—

,. . Area . Cav . A r m d . Mot .* Inf. To ta l .

NorwaNorwayy ... 10 10 D e n m a rD e n m a r kk ...... 3 3 G e r m a nG e r m a n yy ...... "2 2 22 26 B a l t iB a l t i cc CoasCoastt . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 5 5 E a sE a s tt P r u s s iP r u s s i aa anandd Corr idoCorr idorr . . . 10 10 P o l a nP o l a n dd ( exc lud in(exc lud ingg Corr idorCorr idor)) "l 1 1 53 56 B o h e m i a - M o r a v iB o h e m i a - M o r a v i aa 2 6 8 A u s t r iA u s t r i aa ... 2 "l 9 12 SlovakiSlovakiaa ...... 1 1 R o u m a n iR o u m a n i aa 4 "3 13 20 min . H o l l a n dH o l l a n d ,, B e l g i uB e l g i u mm anandd F r a n c e . .F r a n c e . . .. 2 3 65 70 I t a lI t a l yy Troops r e por ted .

-

T o t a lT o t a l ss 1 13 10 197 221

* I n c l u d e s two S.S. d ivis ions .

I taly. 22. Reports continue to be received of the movement of German troops into

Italy. No confirmation of these reports, however, has so far been received.

Balkan States. Bulgaria.

23. The Bulgarians continue to prepare for the entry of German troops into their country. The programme appears to be as follows :—

(a) A retaining force of 80,000 Bulgarian troops are to be located on the Turkish frontier. General mobilisation is now considered unlikely.

(&) The remainder of the Bulgarian army is to be distributed throughout the country to maintain order. This has become necessary owing to the widespread dissatisfaction at the prospect of a German entry, especially among the peasants. There is great discontent in the districts where German observation posts have been set up and the behaviour of the German personnel is continually causing incidents. Par t icular resentment is felt at the German behaviour to women.

(c) Roads and bridges are to be put in a fit state to take mechanical transport. (d) Sufficient accommodation is to be arranged and the necessary stores are

to be made available.

Greece. 24. There has been heavy fighting in the Central Sector where the I ta l ians

have been stubbornly resisting the Greek offensive. During these operations the-Greeks have occupied important points on the heights overlooking Tepelene from the North-East and inflicted severe losses on the enemy in men and material .

Africa. Libya.

25. There have been several air ra ids on Benghazi besides other towns in Libya, and one officer and one other rank have been killed. BeyOnd this there is little to report.

Sudan. . ' ..; ,-. :.\;, :.]'.::.:

26. In the Blue Nile sector units of the Sudan Defence Force have occupied Kurmuk and are operating across the frontier. The enemy has retired to Asosa.

Meanwhile, patriot activities in Abyssinia have increased, particularly in the loop of the Blue Nile south of Lake Tana and in the area east of the Lake. The Emperor is now in Abyssinia.

East Africa. ;.. "' ; , ';

27. The I ta l ian white troops and Eri treans have been fighting well. Our troops have advanced about 50-60 miles in Abyssinia and are now astride

the Mega-Yavello road. A force under General Godwin Austen has occupied Kismayu.

Far East. Thailand-Indo-China dispute.

28. The Armistice which was signed between Thailand and Indo-China on the 31st January, and which was originally due to expire on the 11th February, has been extended until 1000 hours on the 25th February. Meanwhile, peace negotiations in Tokyo continue.

There have been reports, however, that the Thais have violated the terms of the Armistice and have advanced into Indo-China in the direction of Luang Prabang. I t is possible that this may be an at tempt on their pa r t to establish a stronger hold on the territories on the right bank of the river Mekong, which will probably form their minimum territorial demands at the peace conference how in progress.

Convoys. Egypt.

29. The following arrived a t Suez on the 16th February :— One Regiment " I " Tanks less one Squadron.

- One Anti- tank Regiment. One Heavy and two Light A.A. Regiments. One Searchlight Regiment. One New Zealand Field Regiment. One New Zealand Anti- tank Regiment, less two Batteries. Base and L. of C. Units . Drafts.

Malaya. 30. 22nd Austral ian Infantry Brigade and attached troops have arrived

in Singapore for service in Malaya.

A I K SITUATION. General Review. . v

31. Adverse weather continued, and Bomber Command operated on two nights only, oil and other plants in the Ruhr being attacked. Sea mining by the enemy is increasing.

Enemy aircraft again raided Malta, and mines were laid in the Suez Canal. Two squadrons have been sent from India to reinforce the a i r strength in

Malaya. Operational aircraft battle casualties and extracts from recent Raid Assess­

ment Reports are given in Appendices V I and V I I .

Germany and Occupied Territory. 32. Bomber Command flew 30 sorties by day and 283 by night (184 on the

15th/16th) and Coastal Command 6 by day and 33 by night. [22245] * * c

33. On the night of the 14th/15th oil plants at Horaburg and Gelsenkirchen were bombed together with the power station and inland port of Duisburg. On the following night the same targets were attacked in much better weather and also the oil plant a t Sterkrade Hoi ten.and many aerodromes in Holland. Thirty­seven aircraft also successfully attacked the docks at Boulogne. Coastal Command aircraft raided Dunkirk, St. Nazaire, Lorient and Brest during the week.

34. By day, Blenheims attacked Calais, Zeebrugge, den Helder, Oostvoorne and Ostend. Two attempts were made without success by aircraft of Coastal Command to locate and at tack the enemy cruiser in Brest, and from one of these, three Beauforts failed to return. Fighter sweeps over northern France were maintained, but on a lighter scale than during last week.

United Kingdom. 35. During daylight hostile activity was slight. Standing patrols in the

Strai ts and English Channel were maintained on most days and the usual weather and reconnaissance nights were made. On four days, in cloudy weather, enemy aircraft penetrated East Anglia and along the East Coast there were a few attacks on shipping. Oil tanks at Invergordon were bombed.

36. Enemy activity by night consisted of widespread raids over East Anglia, with aerodromes apparently the principal objectives, and an attack by about 70 aircraft on the Swansea area on the night of the 19th/20th. On three nights light attacks were made on London. A total of 595 aircraft, including minelayers, was plotted at night during the week.

37. Minelaying, which was considerably increased, took place in Liverpool Bay, Bristol Channel, the Humber, the Wash and Thames Estuary.

38. Fighter Command flew 549 patrols involving 1,595 sorties by day, and 179 patrols involving 225 sorties by night.

Coastal Reconnaissance, Patrols and Minelaying. 39. The activities of Coastal Command were again curtailed by bad

weather; 139 patrols involving 448 sorties were flown; these included 216 convoy escorts.

40. Sea mines were laid in the Gironde Estuary, Terschelling Gat, and at Haugesund and numerous photographic reconnaissances were carried out between Kiel and Bordeaux. Four attacks were made on enemy shipping with direct hits on a tanker off Bergen and a 3,000-ton merchant vessel near den Helder. During routine reconnaissances between Stavanger and Borkum our aircraft reported the sighting of merchant ships in conroy and two formations of E-boats.

41. Enemy long-range reconnaissance units were active off the West Coast of Spain and the Western Approaches where shipping was attacked. 220 aircraft were identified as laying mines, compared with 115 during last week.

Greece and Albania, 42. Buildings were set alight at Durazzo and four enemy aircraft were

burnt out at Ti rana during an attack by Wellingtons when 4 tons of bombs were dropped. Blenheims, sometimes with an escort of Gladiators, have provided continuous support to the Greek land forces in the Tepelene area where camps, stores, supply depots, gun positions, transport and attacking troops were bombed. I n these operations two Blenheims were lost; four enemy aircraft were destroyed in combat.

43. No reports of major air operations by the enemy have been received dur ing the week.

There have, however, recently been signs that German influence may have resulted in the adoption of a more vigorous and aggressive bombing policy against the Greeks. Instead of irregular sorties by small numbers of aircraft against scattered objectives, raids by strong formations are now followed up by further attacks on the same target ; consequently, the I ta l ian a i r effort in Albania and Greece is becoming more concentrated and effective than before.

Malta. 44. Our aircraft patrolled the Western Ionian Sea and made reconnaissances

over Southern Sicily.

45. The enemy repeated his attacks on the Island. Strong forces of. his fighters appeared on four occasions with reconnaissance aircraft, and were driven off by our fighters. An enemy bomber was damaged by A.A. fire and one Hurr icane was shot down, the pilot being safe. Following a short raid on the night of the 13th when the Pimearfa Hospital was damaged, a series of raids were made on the night of the 14th over Valetta when land mines and bombs were dropped in the Grand Harbour, dockyard and town area. Casualties were not numerous although 55 houses were destroyed or partially demolished.

Italy. 46. On the night of the 15th/16th the Sicilian aerodromes at Catania,

Comiso and Gela were attacked by Wellingtons. They also machine-gunned the beacon station a t Cape Passero. Buildings and hangars were hit a t Catania and aircraft on the ground were left burning. On the following night Wellingtons raided Brindisi aerodrome and hangars, and a seaplane were set alight. One Wellington is missing.

Egypt and Libya. 47. Since the capture of Cyrenaica no offensive operations by our aircraft

have been reported.

48. Benghazi was bombed by enemy aircraf t on five occasions. On the 15th, 93 civilians were killed and many houses destroyed. On the two following nights efforts were made to drop mines in the harbour. Two daylight attempts were made on the 18th and Hurricanes of the R.A.F. shot down three enemy aircraft, and damaged a further four. Anti-aircraft defences also destroyed one J u 87. On the 19th five German bombers, escorted by seven German fighters, were intercepted by six Hurricanes over Benghazi and one enemy bomber was damaged. Later in the day Benghazi was again attacked by two enemy bombers, one of which was destroyed by A.A. fire. On the same day three Hurricanes engaged seven German fighters near Agheila and two of our aircraft were shot down, one pilot being safe. Bombs were also dropped a t Maraua (50 miles South-West of Apollonia) and at Soluch, Jedabya, and Agheila. Our fighters shot down three enemy aircraft .

Dodecanese. . . -. 49. Midi Bay aerodrome on Scarpanto Island (60 miles North-East of Crete)

was attacked by Wellingtons on two nights and on the night of the 13th/14th 3^ tons of bombs were dropped on Kat tavia and Caleto aerodromes (Rhodes) where buildings and aircraft on the ground were damaged. Lindos Harbour (Rhodes) and Rhodes Harbour were bombed on the two following nights and fires were started among the dockside buildings. Two Wellingtons.were lost in these operations.

Italian East Africa. 50. Many operations were carried out in the Keren district in support of

our land forces. The railway station at Keren and the tracks leading from it, with the bridge at Habi Plantel (8 miles to the S.E.) were repeatedly bombed with good effect. Our fighters attacked enemy troops and transport on the Keren-Asmara road, as well as at many other points. On the night of 14th/.15th Wellesleys released 3^ tons of bombs on the buildings of the Caproni works at Mai Adaga, and repeated the attack on the following day with 6^ tons. All the hangars were h i t and the adjacent buildings demolished by fires and. explosions. I n the above operations one enemy fighter was destroyed and four damaged without loss to ourselves.

51. In Abyssinia numerous attacks were made by Blenheims from Aden. Bombs were dropped a t Assab, Dessie, Macalle, Hargueisa, and on the Addis-J ibout i railway at Diredawa and the bridge at Awash. I n I tal ian Somaliland aircraft of the South African Air Force were active in support of the land forces along the line of the Juba River from Kisimayo to Bardera. Bombs were dropped at Jelib and on the pontoon bridge at Gobwen (subsequently occupied). Our aircraft also bombed enemy positions in the Omo River Delta (North of Lake Rudolph).

Air Intelligence. Mediterranean.

52. Up to 40 Me. 109 fighters are now probably operating in the Central Mediterranean. They have still not been in action.

Greece. 53. The aircraft which have recently been reported as flying over Thrace

and Eastern Macedonia have now been identified as wearing Bulgarian markings.

Italy. 54. A German air mission, consisting of Air Ministry engineers, and repre­

sentatives of the leading aircraft firms, arrived at Tur in on the 11th February. I t is reported that Me. 109s are to be produced in Italy. Signor Oaproni is reported to have been invited to Berlin to discuss the future policy of the aircraft firms under his control. His anti-German views are well known.

French North and West A frica. 55. Withdrawal of aircraft from West Africa to North Africa now appears

to be in progress and the total of modern aircraft in West Africa has probably been reduced from 125 bombers and 110 fighters to 80-100 bombers and 50 fighters.

HOME SECURITY SITUATION. General. By Day.

56. Enemy activity has again been on a small scale this week. Some bombing has taken place in East Angl ia and North-East Scotland. Reports of machine-gunning in both these areas have been received.

By Night. 57. Bombing by night has been widespread and on a somewhat larger scale,

but it has been singularly ineffective in affecting our war effort. The London area and the Home Counties were chiefly a,ffected, but wi th the exception of Swansea, which was raided on the night 19th/20th, no concentrated attack on a selected target was made.

Damage. London.

58. Eighteen key points were hi t in London during raids on the nights of the 17th/18th and 19th/20th, each lasting for some four hours. Damage was slight, and no factory has reported a loss of production greater than four days. The chief cause of such loss was the interruption of night work through damage to roofs and windows. The key points affected were three in the London docks, thirteen factories, a gas works and the Royal Arsenal. A large number of incendiary bombs were dropped and many fires were started, all of which were quickly extinguished.

Swansea. 59. Damage was largely confined to private property, the dock area being

little affected. Some temporary dislocation to communications was caused but casualties appear to be relatively slight.

Elsewhere. 60. On the 13th direct hits were scored on the British Aluminium Company

Works at Foyers, Inverness-shire, reducing production to some 20 per cent, of normal for some weeks.

On the same day at Hendon 366 houses were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable and a further 400 suffered damage by a single large-calibre bomb. Seventy-five people were killed and 145 seriously injured.

On the 17th/18th an archway shelter at London Bridge Station was hit . Rescue work is still in progress and final casualty figures may amount to some 90 persons killed.

Casualties. 61. For the week ending 0600, 19th February, the estimated casualties are

231 people killed and 495 injured.

[22245]

APPENDIX I.

Enemy Attack on Trade. Merchant Vessels (excluding Commissioned Merchant Vessels) of all tonnages reported lost by enemy action.

(Note.-Tonnages are gross unless otherwise stated.) By Submarine.

Date . Name and Tonnage. Nat ional i ty . Cargo. From- To- How sunk. I n Convoy

or not.* Posit ion. F a t e of Crew and other Remarks .

Feb .

Feb .

Feb .

Feb .

6

1 0

1 3

1 7

Maple Court ... ( 3 , 3 8 8 tons)

Brandevburgh .. ( 1 , 4 7 3 tons)

M/Y Tanker Arthur F.

Convin ( 1 0 , 5 1 6 tons)

M/V Siamese Prince

( 8 , 4 5 6 tons)

Bri t ish

Bri t i sh

Bri t ish

Bri t ish

. General , j steel, I wood pulp

. Copper ore

Oil and spirit

Special stores

Halifax ... Pres ton

Villa Reale j Oban

Aruba ...J Clyde

New York ... Liverpool

...

.

Torpedo

Torpedo

Torpedo

Torpedo

Yes.

Yes.

Not.

Not .

2 6 5 miles W e s t of Bloody Foreland

W e s t of Cape St. Vincent , 3 6 0 miles

1 8 0 miles N.W. Rockall

W.N.W. B u t t of Lewis, 1 9 8 miles

Not known.

Some survivers landed

No survivors found.

Not yet known.

Gibral tar .

By Mine.

Feb . 1 6 S t e a m Trawler Bri t i sh Fish ing W e s t of Spurn Point , No survivors. Thomas Deas 4 miles

( 2 7 6 tons) F e b . 1 7 S t e a m Trawler Bri t i sh Fish ing Off Fa lmou th . Believed 5 rescued, 3 injured,

Ben Rein 2 missing. ( 1 5 6 tons)

N O T E . — T u g s Deanbrook ( 1 4 9 tons) and Lea ( 1 6 8 tons) sunk by mine on November 2, 1 9 4 0 , in Tilbury Bas in have been raised and have therefore been removed from list of vessels lost.

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

In Convoy Name and To- H o w Sunk. Posit ion. F a t e of Crew and other Remarks . Date. Nationali ty. Cargo. From-Tonnage. or not.*

Feb. 11 ..

Feb . 11 ..

F e b . 14 ..

Feb . 16 ..

J an . 14 ..

J a n . 14 ..

J an . 24 ..

J an . 29 ..

Feb . 12 ..

F e b . 12 ..

F e b . 12 ..

Feb . 12 ..

F e b . 12 ..

S team Trawler Eamont

(227 tons) S team Trawler

John Dunkin (202 tons)

S t e a m Trawler Elizabeth Marie

(616 tons) S t e a m Trawler

Naniwa (340 tons)

Wha le Fac to ry Ole Wegger

(12,201 tons) Oil Refinery

Solglimt (12,246 tons)

Mandasor (5,144 tons)

Afric Star (11,900 tons)

Perseus ... (5,172 tons)

Warlaby (4,876 tons)

Shrewsbury (4,542 tons)

Westbury (4,712 tons)

Oswestry Grange (4,684 tons)

Bri t ish F i sh ing ... Bomb 2 miles off Dunbea th All landed.

Br i t i sh F i sh ing Bomb 13 milesBuckie

E a s t of 8 landed, 1 missing.

Br i t i sh (ex-French)

Sc rap i ron ; St. Johns , ; N.F .

Glasgow Bomb Not. W.N.W.Bay

Blacksod 25 landed Greenock, 1 injured.

Bri t ish Fishing ... Bomb About 115 miles N.W. of Bul l Rock

4 killed, 11 injured.

drowned, rest landed,

By Surface Graft.

Norwegian.

Norwegian. \ - Raider Not. Antarc t icGrounds

Whal ing Not known. These ships have now been accepted as probably sunk or captured by Raider.

Br i t i sh Calcut ta ... Durban Raider Not. 300 miles E. of Not known. Seychelles, I nd i an Ocean

Br i t i sh Montevideo St. Vincent Raider Not . 700 miles W. of Free- Not known. town approx.

Greek G e n e r a l . . . Alexandria Belfast and Raider Yes. 200 miles E . of 21 landed Madeira.

Br i t i sh Oil cake . . . Sierra Devonport

U.K. Raider Yes. Azores.

Leone Br i t i sh W h e a t Sierra U K . Raider Yes.

Br i t i sh

and lin­seed

Cot ton

Leone

Sierra U.K. Raider Yes. J, 200 miles

Azores. E. of These ships have not been included in

Appendices I I and I I I th is week.

cake Leone Brit ish G e n e r a l . . . Sierra U.K. Raider Yes.

Leone

* This information is provisional and may be modified subsequent ly on receipt of C o m m o d o r e ^ report .

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

Date . Name and Tonnage. Nat ional i ty . Cargo. F r o m — T o - Cause. In convoy

or not.* Posi t ion. E x t e n t of Damage . Casual t ies to Crew. Other

Remarks .

F e b . 9 ... Varna ... (1,514 tons)

Bri t i sh Pi twood. . . Leixoes South Wales A/C Yes 240 miles W.S.W. Cape St. Vin­cent

Shown last week as not known. I t has since been reported ship is main ta in ing her posi­t ion in the convoy.

Not known.

Feb . 9 ... M/V Grista (2,590 tons)

Bri t i sh Mine Tobruk Harbou r Not known.Alexandria.

Now at

F e b . 9 ... M/V Rodi (3,334 tons)

Bri t i sh Mine Tobruk Harbour Notat

known. Now Alexandria.

at

Feb . 10 ... Benmacdhui(6,869 tons)

... Brit ish G e n e r a l . . . Almeria Barrow A/C Yes Off Win te r ton ... Arrived Middlesborough Feb . 12. Making water.

Feb . 11 ... S/Trawler Aracari

(245 tons)

Bri t ish Fishing ... A/C 25 miles S.W. of F a s t n e t s

Slight damage.Kirkwall

Arrived 1 wounded.

Feb. 12 ... Volturno (3,424 tons)

Bri t i sh Wes t African produce

Lagos Hul l Raider Yes 200 milesof Azores

E a s t Slight damage.F u n c h a l

Arrived None.

F e b . 12 ... Lornaston (4,934 tons)

Bri t i sh W h e a t ...

Sydney Glasgow ... Raider Yes 200 milesAzores

E . of E x t e n t not known. Arrived St. Michaels .

Feb . 12 ... Derrynane(4,896 tons)

... Bri t ish I ron o re . . .

Lourenco Marques

I m m i n g h a m Raider Yes 200 milesAzores

E. of Not ye t known. . .

Not known.

Feb . 12 ... Borgestad. (3,924 tons)

Br i t i sh Por t Sudan Liverpool via Cape

Raider Yes 200 milesAzores

E . of Not ye t known. . .

Not known.

* This information is provisional and m a y be modified subsequent ly on receipt of Commodore ' s report .

J Casual t ies to Name and In Convoy Date . National i ty. Cargo. F r o m — T o - Cause. Posit ion. E x t e n t of Damage. ;j Crew. Other Tonnage. or not .* j Remarks .

Feb . 13 ... Westcliffe Hall... Bri t i sh Ba l las t ... London Sunder land A/C Yes OffWhi tby ... Steer ing gear damaged. (1,900 tons) 2 unexploded bombs

in hold. Arrived Tees Feb . 14 in tow.

F e b . 13 ... Welsh Rose Bri t i sh A/C. ... At Aberdeen ... H i t by unexploded (581 tons) bomb. M a i n m a s t

fractured.

F e b . 13 ... Gape Rodney ... Bri t i sh H u l l F ree town A/C Yes Off Girdleness ... After hold flooded bu t 5 injured. (4,512 tons) and Lagos under control. Ar­

rived Le i th

Feb . 14 ... Moorlands Bri t i sh Stone and Dundee A/C Off Banff Making water forward. None. Lyness (430 tons) sand E n t e r e d Buck le H a r ­

bour

Feb . 18 ... Black Osprey ... Bri t i sh Steel and B a l t i m o r e . . . S/M. T. Nut ... 140 miles S. of Not ye t known. Ba r ry (5,589 tons) t rucks Ice land

F e b . 18 ... M/V Seaforth ... Bri t i sh W. A. Monrovia ... S/M. T, Not 380 miles N.W. Not yet known Not known. (5,459 tons) produce of the Bloody Liverpool :..

Fore land

F e b . 18 ... M/V Tanker Br i t i sh Curacao ... A/C Not 270 miles W. of Slight damage . Making Not known. Tana the Bloody water slowly. Pro-Avonmouth

(10,354 tons) Fore land ceeding own power with escort

: gThis information is provisional and may be modified subsequent ly on receipt of Commodore ' s report .

A P P E N D I X II.

Merchant Ships (all sizes) other than Merchant Ships Commissioned for Naval Service, lost by Enemy Action up to Noon, Wednesday, 12th February, 1941:

Br i t i sh . All ied. N e u t r a l . Toge the r .

Gross Gross Gross GroseB y - No. No. No. No.T o n s . Tons . Tons . Tons .

S u b m a r i nS u b m a r i n ee 308 1,700,000 76 366,000 174 565,000 558 2,631,000 M i nM i n ee . .. . .. 171 440,000 33 96,000 79 232,000 283 768.000 S u r f a cS u r f a c ee GrafGraftt 71 386,000 18 114,000 6 18,000 95 518,000 AircrafAircraf tt 132 366,000 48 208,000 26 71,000 206 645,000 O t h eO t h e rr c ause scauses ,, oorr c a u sc a u s ee 31 64,000 8 38,000 8 25,000 47 127,000

u n k n o wu n k n o w nn 183 822,000 i 293 911,000 1,189 1 4,689,000

713 j 2,956,000N O T K . — " A l l i e d " figures i nc lude P o l i s h ; al l F r e n c h up t o J u n e 25, 1940 ; " F r e e " F r e n c h from J u n e 25, 1940; N o r w e g i a n f rom Apr i l 9, 1940; D u t c h a n d B e l g i a n from M a y 10, 1940; and G r e e k from Oc tobe r 28, 1940. " N e u t r a l " figures inc lude I t a l i a n u p to J u n e 10, 1940; and " V ichy " F r e n c h f r o m J u n e 25, 1940.

A P P E N D I X 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 16th February, 1941.

T a n k e r s . Othe r s .

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 sh ipsh ipsh ipsh ipsh ipsh ipsh ip sssssss 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— N eN eN eN eN eN eN e wwwwwww s h i ps h i ps h i ps h i ps h i ps h i ps h i p sssssss 12 97,000 185 1,005,000 E n e mE n e mE n e mE n e mE n e mE n e mE n e m yyyyyyy sh ipsh ipsh ipsh ipsh ipsh ipsh ipsssssss 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 Sh ipSh ipSh ipSh ipSh ipSh ipSh ipsssssss t r a n s f e r r et r a n s f e r r et r a n s f e r r et r a n s f e r r et r a n s f e r r et r a n s f e r r et r a n s f e r r e ddddddd frofrofrofrofrofrofrommmmmmm o t h eo t h eo t h eo t h eo t h eo t h eo t h e rrrrrrr flags—flags—flags—flags—flags—flags—flags—

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 6 48,000 113 302,000 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 10 57,000 79 369,000 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 . .. .. .. .. .. .. . ....... 2 11,000 1 4,000 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 83,000 119 623,000

O theOtheOtheOtheOtheOtheOthe rrrrrrr a d d i t i o na d d i t i o na d d i t i o na d d i t i o na d d i t i o na d d i t i o na d d i t i o n sssssss . .. .. .. .. .. .. . ....... 11 16,000 91 183,000

T o t aT o t aT o t aT o t aT o t aT o t aT o t a lllllll a d d i t i o na d d i t i o na d d i t i o na d d i t i o na d d i t i o na d d i t i o na d d i t i o n sssssss ... .. .. .. .. .. . ....... 54 318,000 665 2,802,000

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 s h i ps h i ps h i ps h i ps h i ps h i ps h i p sssssss c o m m i s s i o n ec o m m i s s i o n ec o m m i s s i o n ec o m m i s s i o n ec o m m i s s i o n ec o m m i s s i o n ec o m m i s s i o n e ddddddd fofofofofofoforrrrrrr N a v aN a v aN a v aN a v aN a v aN a v aN a v a lllllll ServiceServiceServiceServiceServiceServiceService ;;;;;;; 2 13,000 24 212,000

(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 63 481,000 523 2,417,000 Sh ipSh ipSh ipSh ipSh ipSh ipSh ipsssssss 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 t ht ht ht ht ht ht h 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 O theOtheOtheOtheOtheOtheOthe rrrrrrr d e d u c t i o n sd e d u c t i o n sd e d u c t i o n sd e d u c t i o n sd e d u c t i o n sd e d u c t i o n sd e d u c t i o n s ———————

(i(i(i(i(i(i(i))))))) C o m m i s s i o n eC o m m i s s i o n eC o m m i s s i o n eC o m m i s s i o n eC o m m i s s i o n eC o m m i s s i o n eC o m m i s s i o n e ddddddd fofofofofofoforrrrrrr N a v aN a v aN a v aN a v aN a v aN a v aN a v a lllllll Serv icServ icServ icServ icServ icServ icServ iceeeeeee 2 12,000 (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 9 27,000 146 485,000

T o t aT o t aT o t aT o t aT o t aT o t aT o t a 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 75 527,000 700 3,142,000

N eN eN eN eN eN eN e ttttttt a d d i t i o na d d i t i o na d d i t i o na d d i t i o na d d i t i o na d d i t i o na d d i t i o n sssssss ( - f( - f( - f( - f( - f( - f( - f ))))))) ooooooorrrrrrr 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 ( -( -( -( -( -( -( - ))))))) . .. .. .. .. .. .. . ....... - 21 - 209,000 - 35 - 340,000

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 sh ipsh ipsh ipsh ipsh ipsh ipsh ipsssssss ooooooonnnnnnn F e b r u a rF e b r u a rF e b r u a rF e b r u a rF e b r u a rF e b r u a rF e b r u a r yyyyyyy 16161616161616,,,,,,, 1941941941941941941941111111 498 3,065,000 3,543 15,052,000*

* Of t h e t o t a l Non-Tanker t o n n a g e , vesse l s r e p r e s e n t i n g a b o u t 3,750 t h o u s a n d gross t o n s are e n g a g e d on Nava l , M i l i t a r y or R . A . F . Serv ices ( i nc lud ing s o m e c o m m i s s i o n e d for N a v a l Service) , s o m e of w h i c h b r i n g ca rgoes t o t h e Un i t ed K i n g d o m on the i r h o m e w a r d voyage . After a l lowing for ve s se l s (1) t r a d i n g p e r m a n e n t l y ab road , (2) d e t a i n e d in F r e n c h por t s and (3) under­going or a w a i t i n g r epa i r , i n c l u d i n g t h e fitting of defens ive p ro t ec t i on , t h e b a l a n c e is a l i t t le u n d e r 1\ mi l l ion gross t o n s , s o m e p a r t of w h i c h is engaged in t h e coas t ing t r a d e of the

:U n i t e d K i n g d o m a n d E i r e .

(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.

T o t a l losses s u n k 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 t h e r d e d u c t i o n s in c o n t i n u e d for a y e a r . " t h e per iod.

(3) ;-;-!( 1 ) (2)

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 1,099.000 1,500,000'

Fo l lowing 3 m o n t h s : i.e., f rom J u n e 1, 1940, to A u g u s t 3 1 , 1940 978,000 3,900,000

M o n t h of S e p t e m b e r , 1940 332,000 4,000,000 ' October , 1940 ... 321,000 3,500,000

,, November , 1940 392,000 4,800,000­; ,, D e c e m b e r , 1940 297,000 3,500,000

,, J a n u a r y , 1941 (194,000* 2,300,000)

F e b r u a r y 1 to 16, 1941 (49,000* 1,100,000)

T h e s e figures r e l a t e to losses so far notif ied and m a y be inc reased by l a t e not i f icat ions. : '

(3) Merchant Ships (all sizes) under Construction in British Yards in the United Kingdom and abroad in week ending ISth February, 1941. : i

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

Coll iers and coas t i ng sh ips 4 3,000 40 48,000 Othe r sh ips . . . 37 307,000 128* ' 813,000

41 310,000 168 861,000

* I n c l u d i n g 4 vesse l s (26,000 gross t o n s ) bu i ld ing ab road , 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 d u r i n g c o n s t r u c t i o n 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 add i t i on , t h e r e a re 163 m e r c h a n t sh ips t o t a l l i n g 1,003,000 gross t o n s on order or p roposed to order in t h e U n i t e d K i n g d o m and ab road ( inc lud ing 16 t a n k e r s of 88,000 gross tons ) .

A P P E N D I X IY.

Merchant Ships (all sizes) lost by the enemy up to 18th February, 1941.

G e r m a n . I t a l i a n . T o g e t h e 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 ......

60 77

269,000 421,000

38 21

179,000 138,000

98 98

448,000 559,000

Unident i f ieUnident i f iedd sh ipsh ipss r epor t erepor t edd bbyy S/MS/M,, A/CA/C,, &c&c,, aass sunsunkk oorr d e s t r o y ed e s t r o y edd ,, ( 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 )) 129 645,000 63 315,000 192 960,000

266 1,335,000 122 632,000 388 1,967,000

I n add i t ion , 34 sh ips of 61,000 gross t o n s u n d e r e n e m y con t ro l or usefu l to t h e e n e m y h a v e been sunk .

[22245] F

A P P E N D I X Y.

Casualties to H.M. Auxiliary Vessels and to Naval Personnel.

The following casualties to H.M. Auxiliary Vessels have been reported during the week under review :—

D a t e . Vessel . T y p e . D a m a g e d . M e t h o d .

1941. F e b . 11 Southern Floe A / S T r a w l e r ..

( S o u t h Afr ican S u n k ... P r e s u m e d

T o b r u k . m i n e d off

F e b . 12 Eager... W h a l e r )

A / P Dr i f t e r ... S l igh t lyF i g h t i n gbe l ieved

d a m a g e d . efficiency unaf fec ted

A/C T h a m e s E s t u a r y .

F e b . 13 Rubens A / S T r a w l e r .. R e p o r t e d s ink ing Air a t t a c k 230 mi les S .W. of F a s t n e t .

F e b . 14 M . T . B . 4 1 ... M . T . B . S u n k M i n e , off H a r w i c h .

F e b . 15

F e b . ; 16

William

Ormonde

H. Hastie E x a m i n a t i o n Vesse l

M / S T r a w l e r . .

G r o u n d e d (nott o t a l loss)

S u n k

y e t Y i n s t a y B a y (S hap in ­s a y S o u n d ) .

C r u d e n S c a u r s .

F e b . , 1 6 Souths ea P a d d l e M / S .. D a m a g e d a n d b e a c h e d

M i n e , T y n e .

F e b . 18 Saronta A / P T r a w l e r .. D a m a g e d A/C off Lowes to f t .

The following casualties have been reported to naval personnel :.­.' Officers : 20 killed or missing, 3 wounded.

Rat ings : 201 killed or missing, 101 wounded.

A P P E N D I X YI.

Operational Aircraft Battle Casualties. 0600 hrs., 13th February, 1941, to 0600 hrs., 20th February, 1941.

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

B o m b e r s 5 F i g h t e r s 3 Coas ta l 5 2

T o t a l 13 2

ProbablyGerman. Destroyed. Destroyed. Damaged.

B o m b e r s 7 1 4 F i g h t e r s 1 1 1 M i s c e l l a n e o u s 4 2

T o t a l 12 No a c c o u n t is t a k e n of a i rcraf t d e s t r o y e d on t h e g r o u n d . -Of t h e above t o t a l s , 4 a i rc ra f t were d e s t r o y e d a n d 2 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 . . . 9 F i g h t e r s ... Coas t a l . . .

T o t a l 10 ; Of t h e above t o t a l , 3 b o m b e r s were lost in ac t ion in Greece .

Probably Italian. Destroyed. Destroyed. . Damaged. ' B o m b e r s ' 5,, ^ 1 "ji t

F i g h t e r s 24 2 1 Misce l l aneous ... 1 . . . . . . 12 8 1

T o t a l , .. 4 1 * . 1 1 .. : . ?

* I n c l u d i n g 30 a i rcraf t c l a imed b y . t h e Greeks .

ProbablyGerman. Destroyed. Destroyed. Damaged.

B o m b e r s ... ... . . . 2 1 E i g h t e r s ... ... . . . 1 y Misce l l aneous . . . . . . . 3 3 4

To ta l 6 4 4

Of t h e above t o t a l s , 3 were de s t royed a n d 2 probably d e s t r o y e d by A.A. fire.

A P P E N D I X YII.

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.—The following further information has been received concerning the

raids in the third week of December :— (1) All the front windows in the Imperial Palace were broken and also many

windows in the Unter den Linden district. (2) The Woolworths Stores near the Alexanderplatz was burnt out. (3) An electrical lamp factory near the Schlesicher Station was hit. (4) 5-sfcorey houses in the Eisenacher Strasse and the Ronne Strasse were

completely destroyed.

Information has come to hand of the destruction of that part of Siemens and Halske Works which specialise in Gyro compasses and other instruments for aviation. Some of these are now being manufactured at a factory outside Par is .

Bremen.—The damage has been described as enormous and is stated to be particularly noticeable around the Holzhafen.

Straubing.—A factory manufacturing light metals has been so seriously damaged that work cannot be continued.

Krefeld.—A firm manufacturing machinery has been severely damaged and is a t present unable to fulfil orders.

Hanover.—Personal observation has disclosed that the oil refinery has been severely damaged.

Dusseldorf and Rheydt.—On the night of the 22nd/23rd January consider­able damage was caused in these towns. The main station a t Dusseldorf was hit and was closed for a period owing to the reported existence of a delay action bomb. 350,000 metres of artificial silk were destroyed in a fire caused, but it is not known in which town this fire was started.

General.—The fires caused in Bremen were such that the fire services had to be reinforced by a considerable par t of tlhe fire-fighting personnel from Hamburg.

Mining. On the 9th January a German cargo ship of 2,000 tons en route from Stettin

to a Danish port was sunk. On the 15th/16th January 2 German merchant ships were sunk off the Western entrance to the Fehmarn Channel. The channel was closed for two days.

The German steamer Euler, of 1,879 tons, which was for many months in a North Spanish port, recently escaped to Bordeaux. The ship did not succeed in reaching Germany for on its way it struck a mine off the French channel coast and sank.

A report sent on the 6th February stated that the German Authorities in Oslo announced that the Kiel Canal was only open to ships not exceeding 4,000 tons. I t is understood that ice has hindered the clearing of the obstruction caused by the sinking of a ship in the canal as a result of a mine in December.