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THIS DOCUMENT IS T H E PROPERTY OP H I S BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT

S E C R E T Copy No.

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

April 24, 1941

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

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

N A Y A L S I T U A T I O N .

Tripoli has been bombarded by the Medi te r ranean Fleet, v;

There have been no losses in At lan t i c convoys and shipping losses generally a re lower.

Home Waters . 2. E-Boats a t tacked a coastal convoy oh South wold on the 17th A p r i l and

sank two ships and damaged a thi rd . The E-Boats were engaged and one was h i t but escaped in the mist.

M.T.Bs. carr ied out offensive sweeps off the Flanders coast du r ing the night the 17th /18th , but wi thout result.

The Free French submarine Minerve obtained one cer ta in and one probable h i t on a large tanker off the S.W. coast of Norway on the 21st, and suffered some damage herself.

The German batt le-cruisers Scharnhorst a n d Gneisenau have been at Brest throughout the week, and have been repeatedly a t tacked by the R .A.F . as detailed in the A i r Section of this Resume.

Dur ing an a i r ra id on Por t smouth d u r i n g the n igh t the 17 th /18 th three or four bombs fell in the Dockyard causing minor damage. Admira l ty House received a direct hi t , a n d there were 6 killed and 60 wounded in R.N. barracks. There was fur ther damage on the n igh t the 23 rd /24 th .

Heavy a i r ra ids on P lymouth on the nights of the 21st, 22nd and 23rd caused severe damage and casualties in the Dockyard and Naval establishments, especially in the South Y a r d and in the Naval and Mar ine Barracks . H.M. Destroyer Lewes was also damaged.

H.M. T rawle r Basset destroyed an enemy a i r c ra f t off H a r w i c h on the 20th and damaged another.

The 10th Canad ian troop Convoy a r r ived safely in the Clyde on the 19th Apr i l .

A t l an t i c . 3. H.M.S. Resolution has arr ived in Ph i l ade lph ia Navy Y a r d for refitting. D u r i n g the week ten French merchant vessels eastbound and nine westbound

have passed Gibra l ta r , all under escort. FI.M. Armed Merchant Cruiser Bulolo intercepted the French Ship

Fort de France 500 miles W. of the Canar ies on the 19th Apr i l , and is sending her in to G ib ra l t a r under armed guard .

Medi te r ranean . 4. The Commander-in-Chief, Medi te r ranean , in H .M.S . Warspite, with

H .M. Ships Barham, Valiant, Malaya and Gloucester, accompanied by destroyers, bombarded the por t and sh ipp ing a t Tr ipo l i for 42 minutes a t dawn on the 21st A p r i l ; the Naval bombardment was preceded by bombing a n d flare d ropp ing by R.A.F . and naval a i rc raf t . A i r spot t ing was rendered difficult by smoke and dus t from the a i r a t tack, but three or four ships were set on fire or sunk in the naval basin and two or more others h i t as well as a destroyer; the harbour facili t ies a n d shore establishments were also seriously damaged, some 530 tons of shells having been fired. No naval uni t s were encountered and there was no reply from the shore bat ter ies for 20 minutes. There was no damage or casualties to our ships. D u r i n g the approach naval a i r c r a f t shot down four troop-carrying a i rcraf t a n d one bomber, and after the bombardment destroyed one bomber and defeated an a t tack by dive-bombers, one of which was shot down and one probably destroyed.

Mal ta was a t tacked by enemy a i rc ra f t on the n igh ts of the 19th, 20th and 21st, and damage was done to the Dockyard and small craft .

Enemy a i rc raf t made frequent bombing and minelaying ra ids on Tobruk and the Libyan coast d u r i n g the period the 18th to the 22nd A p r i l ; H.M. Destioy'-r Greyhound was damaged and two merchant ships and H.M.S . Fiona- (Ocean Board ing Vessel) were sunk by bombs.

A large troop convoy has a r r ived safely a t Suez from the Un i t ed Kingdom. The Greek destroyer Hydra has been sunk at Piraeus, a n d the Destroyer

Psara and a hospi ta l ship damaged by enemy aircraf t . The Greek hospi ta l ship Hesperos was bombed and sunk in the Gulf of P a t r a s and another damaged off Megara.

U n i t s of the Greek Navy have joined the Medi te r ranean Fleet a t Alexandr ia .

Anti-Submarine Operations. 5. Two a t tacks on U-Boats have been reported du r ing the week, one by

a i rcraf t and one by a t rawler , both in the N . W . Approaches ; no visible resul ts were observed.

Enemy Intelligence. German.

6. A t the beginning of the week photographic a i r reconnaissance located the following main un i t s : Kiel , one Pocket Bat t lesh ip in dry dock, one H i p p e r class cruiser in floating dock, one Schlesien class bat t leship in floating dock. Bremen, Seydlitz completing. Wilhemshaven, one Schlesien class bat t leship in: dry dock. Brest, both bat t le cruisers present, one in dry dock a n d the other alongside the Torpedo Boat Stat ion. A i r photographs of Bres t on the 23rd A p r i l showed tha t nets have been spread over the space between the sides of the bat t le­cruiser and the wal ls of the dock in which she is lying.

There was a repor t t h a t the bat t leship Bismarck, two cruisers of the Leipz ig Class and three destroyers passed the Skaw early on the 14th A p r i l s teer ing North-West. On the morning of the 22nd Apr i l , a Sunder land a i rc ra f t repor ted sight-, ing one bat t leship, two cruisers and two destroyers a t Narv ik , and these may well be those repor ted pass ing the Skaw on the 14th Apr i l . The composition of this force is not now thought to include a bat t leship of the Bismarck class, both of which a re believed to be still in the Balt ic .

Italian. 7. Owing to lack of reconnaissance flights the posi t ions of main un i t s of

the I t a l i a n Fleet are obscure, bu t on the 19th A p r i l photographs of T a r a n t o showed no ba t t leship present. I n the outer harbour were two cruisers and in the inner harbour were one cruiser, three destroyers and three submarines. The Littorio, therefore, mus t have left T a r a n t o on completion of repa i rs to damage incurred d u r i n g the T a r a n t o r a id by naval a i rcraf t .

The bat t leship Vittorio Veneto, damaged du r ing the ba t t le of Cape M a t a p a n . is thought to have gone to T a r a n t o only for a few hours. H e r present where­abouts a re unknown.

U-Boats. 8. I t is not considered tha t the U-Boat forces in the Nor th-Wes te rn

Approaches have been reduced to any extent , though act ivi ty has been slight. Dur ing the week there have been some fourteen German and four or five

I ta l ian U-Boats in the Nor th -Wes te rn Approaches . These have been opera t ing between 5 2 c N. to 6 3 c N . and 1 2 c W . to 2 7 c W . One German has been pa t ro l l ing off Brest and th ree others between M a d e i r a and the Canar ies and Made i r a and the Cape Verde I s l a n d s ; two of these were probably homeward bound towards the end of the week. One may still be off Braz i l in the P e r n a m b u c o - B a h i a area. Two have been pa t ro l l ing off Freetown. Three I t a l i a n U-Boats have been pa t ro l l ing between Por tuga l , the Azores and Made i r a .

Enemy Attack on Seaborne Trade. 9. Accord ing to the informat ion a t present available the merchant sh ipp ing

losses du r ing the week ended noon, Wednesday, the 23rd A p r i l , amounted to 11 ships and a t u g (46,230 tons), of which 6 ships and the tug (34,227 tons) were British. Three shiplTwere sunk by U-Boat , one in the Nor th A t l an t i c , one in

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the Freetown area and one off Crete. Four ships were sunk by a i r c ra f t in the Med i t e r r anean and one in the Medway. One ship was mined off the Eas t Coast and a tug in the Thames. Two ships were sunk by E-Boat off the E a s t Coast.

The re have been seven a t t acks by a i rc ra f t on coastal convoys dur ing the week, all unsuccessful, and two a t tacks on the 18th A p r i l on a convoy in the N .W. Approaches by Focke-Wulf a i rcraf t , which was driven off.

Details are given in Append ix I of losses and damage to ships of which accurate information has now come to hand . These losses to ta l 19 ships sunk (73,398 tons), of which 5 ships (9,070 tons) form p a r t of the casualt ies given in the p a r a g r a p h above. Of the remain ing ear l ier losses 6 ships (31,161 tons) were sunk by U-Boat , 4 ships (13,525 tons) by a i rc ra f t , three ships (12,611 tons) by mine and one (7,031 tons) by surface craft . I n addi t ion detai ls are given of 22 ships which have been damaged.

Pro tec t ion of Seaborne Trade . 10. D u r i n g the week ended noon, the 23rd Apr i l , 938 ships, including

168 allied and 25 neutra l , 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 act ion; a r a t io of 1 in 204.

Impor t s in to Grea t B r i t a i n by ships in convoy dur ing the week end ing the 19th A p r i l totalled 756,472 tons, compared w i th 376,437 tons du r ing the previous week and an average of 661,645 tons for the pas t ten weeks. Oil impor ts were 247,061 tons in 23 tankers compared wi th 102,706 tons in nine tankers dur ing the week ending the 5th A p r i l . Minera l impor ts were 131,196 tons, of which 86,467 tons were steel, scrap iron, p i g i ron 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, to ta l l ing 167,207 tons. Twenty ships were fully laden w i th gra in . Other food impor ts were also satisfactory, being 73,810 tons, of which meat totalled 18,181 tons, f ru i t 3,316 tons, cocoa 6,789 tons, sugar 9,771 tons and tea 4,063 tons. There were 392 tons of r u m from Demerara and 629 tons of tobacco. There were also sat isfactory imports of machinery . (including 2.391 tons of machine tools), ammunit ion, a i r c ra f t and a i rc raf t engines.

Br i t i sh Minelaying. . 11. On the 18th A p r i l , H .M.S . Teviot Bank laid 270 mines in the E a s t Coast

Bar r i e r . On the 19th A p r i l , H .M.S . Plover la id 120 mines in St. George's Channel and the same number aga in on the 21st Apr i l . On the la t te r day the 20th Destroyer Flot i l la la id 96 mines off the Is le de Bas. M.T.B. ' s la id 8 mines off Dunk i rk on both the 17th and 22nd Apri l . .

A i r c r a f t have la id mines off Brest and off the German Nor th Sea Coast. -

Enemy Minelaying, Br i t i sh Minesweeping. 12. Mines were dropped in the Thames dur ing ra ids 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 ra id . Different sections were reopened in t u r n and sh ipp ing has been very l i t t le held up . S ix mines were dropped in different docks besides those in the s tream.

Minelaying a i rc ra f t have also operated over the Thames Es tuary , including Harwich , off the E a s t Coast TO as far nor th as Yarmouth and off Mi l ford Haven and Liverpool Bay.

Nine magnetic mines have been detonated dur ing the week and three acoustic. D u r i n g clearance operat ions in the port ion of the Fa lmouth contact minefield, six mines have been cut or exploded in sweeps, and cut ters have also been found. Mine totals are now as follows : magnetic 1,077, acoustic 514, contact 858.

The enemy has la id mines off Mersa -Tobruk , for which dangerous areas have been declared.

Enemy Merchan t Shipping. .. ,

German. ' ' : ' , 13. D u r i n g the week a number of successful a t tacks on enemy merchant shipping have been claimed, and the est imated tonnage sunk or seriously damaged in Nor thern W a t e r s may be pu t a t about 55,000 tons. These successes are due to submarines and a i rcraf t , possible casualties from mining are not taken into consideration.

Two ships, each of about 2,000 tons, laden wi th food passed Is tanbul on the 16th A p r i l bound for Salonika.

Italian. , 14. The Conte di Savoia, 48,502 tons, and the Vulcania, 24,469 tons, were

reported to be a t Genoa on the 1st Apr i l , wi th four or five other ships of about 10,000 tons each.

The Silvio Tripcovitch, 2,365 tons, is reported to have been sunk wi th considerable loss of life in the middle of March.

The hospi ta l ship Arno, 8,024 tons, was expected to arr ive at Naples ear ly on the 2nd A p r i l wi th 450 pat ients . Another hospital ship, the Sicilia, 9,648 tons, sent a message to Bari s t a t ing tha t she was a r r iv ing there or the 18th A p r i l w i th 781 hospi ta l cases. :.

A repor t has been received t h a t the Mexican Government have taken over the I t a l i a n tankers Tuscania, 6,904 tons, and Giorgio Fassio, 6,735 tons,, which are at Tampico and V e r a Cruz respectively, and will use them for local t r ade between Mexico and Houston.

I t has been reported from Montevideo, Uruguay , t h a t the Government will requisition the two I t a l i a n ships Adamello, 5,785 tons, anH j,'?e Fausto, 5,263 tons. The only German ship there has a l ready been requisit ioneu.

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

The Ba lkan Operat ions .

Greece.

15. Af te r the collapse of Yugoslavia on the 15th A p r i l , Greek a n d Br i t i sh forces had to meet the addi t ional th rea t of a German dr ive southwards th rough the Monast i r Gap . Our troops therefore held a general line, Mount Olympus westwards along the Al iakmon river, while Greek forces began to w i t h d r a w from the nor thern sectors of the Alban ian front.

16. On the 17th A p r i l Ge rman armoured and mounta in troops were advancing each side of Mount Olympus, whence the line r an north-west to Serbia and then followed roughly the l ine of the River Al iakhmon to Vatokhorion, some 15 miles S.W. of Fior ina . Progress was made by armoured and mounta in troops in the Vale of Tempe (S.E. of Mount Olympus), and fur ther west a rmoured forces crossed the River Venetinos south of Grevena, but made only slow progress.

17. I t was evident t h a t the German object was to ga in the pla in of Thessaly and so drive a wedge between the Br i t i sh and Greek forces, and cut the la t te r off from any possible line of wi thdrawa l .

18. By the evening of the 19th Apr i l , German a rmoured forces opera t ing on both sides of Mount Olympus had gained the eastern half of the p la in of Thessaly and had advanced southwards beyond Lar i ssa . A t the same t ime German armoured forces had reached Tr ikka la , a t 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 A p r i l . Those forces which had a l ready on the day before reached the plain of Thessaly advanced on Lamia , whils t German motorised forces s t ruck across the P i n d u s Mounta ins from Grevena a n d reached the Yann ina area. A t the same time, the roads of w i t h d r a w a l of the Imper i a l and Greek forces were attacked by dive-bombers wi th fighter escort, whi ls t s imilar a t tacks were made on the harbour of Piraeus. .... 20. The w i thd rawa l of our forces to the Thermopylae position was success­

fully completed on the 21st A p r i l a f te r a series of r ea rgua rd actions.

21. On the 21st and 22nd A p r i l very l i t t le advance was made by the German forces, who were consolidat ing the ground gained in p r epa ra t i on for an attack in the Thermopylae area . Bombing of Piraeus continued, a n d bombing attacks were also made on P a t r a s and on al l ied aerodromes in the Athens area. By the evening of fhe 22nd A p r i l the German line w a s believed to be approximately Vo los -Lamia -Yann ina .

22. The islands of Thasos and Samothrace, s i tua ted off the coast of Western Thrace, have been occupied by small German forces, who experienced no resistance.

Bulgaria. 23. Call-up of reservists is cont inuing, though Bu lga r i an un i t s a re already

believed to be a t 75 per cent, s t rength and fur ther increase wil l be difficult. 24. According to the repor ted terms of a mi l i t a ry convention signed early

this month between the Bu lga r i an W a r Min i s te r a n d F ie ld-Marsha l Von Brau­chitsch, the whole of the Bu lga r i an A r m y will be concentrated on the Turkish frontier. Ar rangement s for Bu lga r i an troops to hold cap tured Greek territory in Thrace a n d Macedonia have been continued, a n d the German rad io s ta tes that the Turk i sh Government was officially informed of the i r entry on the 19th April.

Turkey. 25. Repor t s speak variously of a projected a t tack on Turkey and of the

possibili ty of a non-aggression pact . One repor t mentions t h a t Ge rman military circles are much interested in an a t t ack towards the Suez Cana l th rough Asia Minor. Meanwhile, Von P a p e n has left for Ber l in a n d is not expected to return for a for tn ight . Proposa ls of some k ind will doubtless be made on h is return, the T u r k s by then hav ing h a d t ime to apprec ia te the fa te of Yugoslavia.

Morocco. 26. Recent repor t s show tha t the French a re qui te incapable of resisting

German infiltration, and t h a t a t the same time they a re apprehensive of attacks from Span i sh Morocco and Libya should the German campaign in Egypt be successful.

Iraq. 27. On the 17th Apr i l , 150 men, the first flight of an airborne British

I n f a n t r y Ba t ta l ion from I n d i a , were landed at Shaibah. On the 18th A p r i l , an I n d i a n Br igade Group was landed a t Basra .

Spain . 28. There have been a large number of repor t s to the effect t h a t Germany is

press ing Spa in to join the T r i p a r t i t e P a c t and to give passage to German troops for an a t tack on Gibra l t a r . Repor t s of t roop movements on the Franco-Spanish f ront ier have now been contradic ted and a repor t t h a t Suner h a d gone to Berlin w a s shown to be un t rue .

29. Ar rangemen t s for the bi l let ing of German tour is ts in Southern Spain a n d a recent visi t by German generals to the vic ini ty of Gibra l t a r a re further

evidence t h a t the Germans are making every p repa ra t ion for an a t t ack on the Western ga te to the Medi te r ranean , which according to some sources, is to be synchronised w i t h an a t tack on Egypt .

Africa. Libya.

30. The enemy drive Eas twa rds in Libya has halted in the area Sollum-Capuzzo, and reports indicate t h a t the German forces have taken u p defensive posi t ions both there and around Tobruk. A t the moment the enemy appears to be having difficulties wi th the supply and maintenance of his forces in the forward area, and there is evidence t h a t t r anspor t a i rc raf t are being used to supplement the normal supply services.

31. There are repor ts tha t the German forces in Libya are being reinforced and also t h a t they in tend to seize K u f r a and thence advance aga ins t Southern Egypt and the Sudan .

32. The Gar r i son of Tobruk continues to repel enemy a t tacks and to carry out offensive sorties. On the 17th Apr i l , twelve enemy tanks penet ra ted the perimeter. The infantry , however, failed to follow up the tanks, four of which were destroyed. On the n igh t 21s t /22nd Apr i l , three ra ids were carr ied out on enemy posit ions opposite the West and South-West Sectors of the defences. Four hundred and forty-six pr isoners were captured, mostly I ta l ians , including 16 officers. O u r own casualties in these operat ions were light. One l ight tank was lost.

33. Our force opera t ing in the Sollum-Sofafi a rea has also carr ied out active pa t ro l l ing operat ions including a successful ra id on an enemy force in Sollum on the n igh t of 15 th /16 th Apr i l .

34. On the n igh t of the 19 th /20 th A p r i l a landing operat ion by 450 Special Service personnel was carr ied out at Bard ia , wi thout opposition. A tyre dump and a br idge 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 A p r i l reinforcements, which included one Army Field Regiment, one Heavy and one L i g h t A.A. Regiment , the Roj^al M a r i n e Group of the Mobile Nava l Base Defence Organisa t ion, ar r ived in Suez on the 21st Apr i l .

A byssinia. 36. Our columns opera t ing from the nor th have cOme into contact wi th t h e

enemy nor th of Gondar and near A m b a Alag i .

37. Our troops fann ing out from A d d i s Ababa in pu r su i t of the enemy are­operat ing in three directions. To the north, they are in touch w i th the enemy just south of Dessye; to the south, contact has been made near Sciasciamana, about 100 miles south of A d a m a ; and to the south-west a s tand has been made by I t a l i a n forces r e t i r ing on J i m m a a t the Omo crossing, 100 miles S.W. of A d d i s Ababa.

38. The advance from Kenya continues and our troops have occupied M a j i ; further east they a re in touch wi th I t a l i a n forces in the areas of U a d a r a and Alghe.

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

39. Wea the r great ly restr icted our n i g h t operations, the p r inc ipa l a t tacks were made on the indus t r ia l centre of Berl in, and the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau at Brest. Numerous successful dayl ight a t tacks were carr ied out aga ins t enemy shipping. I n Af r i ca and the Balkans our a i r operat ions were of considerable intensity.

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A heavy n igh t a t tack was made on London, a n d ' P l y m o u t h was ra ided on three successive nights . Enemy a i r c ra f t were very active in Greece and Libya.

Germany and Occupied Terr i tory . 40 D u r i n g the week Bomber Command carr ied out 210 day and 363 night

sort ies; compared wi th the preceding week the scale of operations by day was approximate ly the same, bu t by n igh t there was a substant ia l reduction. These operat ions were supported by Coastal Command, notably by a t tacks on Brest, and F igh t e r Command flew a number of offensive pa t ro l s both by day and night over enemy-occupied terr i tory.

Day. 41. The major i ty of dayl ight sorties have been directed aga ins t enemy

shipping, details of which will be found under Coastal Operat ions. On the 17th Apr i l , 18 Blenheims, escorted by six squadrons of fighters, bombed the docks at Cherbourg, many burs ts were seen a round the t a r g e t and several fires were observed. On the 21st Apr i l , a s imilar operat ion was under taken aga ins t the electricity power s tat ion a t H a v r e ; cloud prevented the location of th is target, but the harbour a t Quetthou, in the vicini ty of Havre , was at tacked, burs t s being seen on the ra i lhead alongside the docks. Other a i rc ra f t a t tacked sh ipp ing , but no impor tan t results were seen. From these two operat ions the 36 bombers engaged re turned safely, but one Spitfire was lost on the r e tu rn journey from Havre .

42. Blenheims carr ied out a successful a t t ack agains t the docks at Terneuzen, and also a t tacked the harbour a t Breskens. Two direct h i t s were made on a ra i lway br idge and on the pe rmanen t way in the vicini ty of Leyden. Two a i rc raf t a t tacked the electricity power sat ion a t Ibbenburen, twenty miles Wes t of Osnabruck; blue smoke was seen issuing from the power house and much debris was thrown into the air . Four a i rc ra f t a t t acked a wireless s ta t ion on Terschell ing Is land, the bui ld ing being enveloped in smoke and dust .

43. F igh te r s flew a number of offensive pat ro ls over Nor the rn F rance and Belgium. On one occasion gun emplacements near Wimereux and a j e t ty east of Calais were machine-gunned, on another pa t ro l two E-boats were machine­gunned near Gravelines. D u r i n g these operat ions very few enemy a i rc ra f t were encountered; one Me. 109 was shot down in flames a n d another probably destroyed; one Spitfire is missing.

Night. 44. On the n igh t of the l 7 t h / 1 8 t h Apr i l , 118 bombers, inc luding one

S t i r l ing , were sent to a t t ack the indus t r i a l centre of Ber l in ; 66 tons of H.E., inc luding one 4,000 lb., three 2,000 lb. and six 1,900 lb. bombs were dropped. Thick haze prevented detai led observation of results, but burs ts were seen on the Schlesischer s ta t ion and the Lehr te r marsha l l ing y a r d ; i t is es t imated t h a t the 4,000 lb. bomb fell in the Moabi t d is t r ic t . One a i rc ra f t dropped propaganda leaflets. Bad weather prevented some of our bombers from locating Ber l in and these a t tacked a number of a l te rnat ive t a rge t s .

45. The indus t r i a l centre of Cologne was a t tacked on the n i g h t of the 20 th /21s t A p r i l by 33 a i rc ra f t and a l ighter scale of a t tack was made on the n i g h t of the 17 th /18 th A p r i l ; burs ts were seen in the centre of the town and a number of fires were s tar ted. On two occasions the petroleum harbour at R o t t e r d a m was bombed by a total of 25 a i rcraf t , about 35 tons of H . E . and a l a rge number of LBs . were dropped.

46. The enemy bat t le-cruisers a t Brest were a t tacked on five nights by a i rc ra f t of Coastal Command and on two n ights by a i r c ra f t of Bomber Command, when about 120 tons of H.E . , inc luding forty-two 2,000 lb. bombs were dropped. On account of bad weather or very da rk n igh ts combined w i t h intense searchl ight and A.A. activity detai led results were very difficult to observe; however, a number of burs t s were seen in the area of the dry dock and one aircraft repor ts hav ing seen the batt le-cruiser alongside the quay and claims a h i t or near miss on the quayside. Burs t s were also observed in the area of the torpedo-boat s ta t ion and a number of fires were s ta r ted .

47. Six Coastal Command a i rc ra f t a t tacked the Caen-Carp ique t aerodrome and all bombs were seen to burs t in the area, but results could not be observed. On two n igh t s the docks a t H a v r e were at tacked, on each occasion by six Blenheims from the same command; many bursts were seen in the t a rge t area , fires were started, and a warehouse and dock bui ld ings were hi t .

48. A number of aerodromes and other mi l i t a ry objectives in Germany and occupied te r r i to ry were successfully at tacked, mostly by single a i rcraf t .

49. A few offensive pat ro ls over enemy te r r i to ry were flown at n ight by aircraft of F igh te r Command. On one occasion an enemy aircraf t , believed to be a four-engine type, about to land at St. Leger, was at tacked and appeared t o ' break up in the air .

United Kingdom.

50. F igh t e r Command flew 1,458 patrols , involving 3,527 sorties, by day, and 590 n i g h t sorties were flown. Enemy act ivi ty by day was aga in on a small scale and by n igh t showed a considerable reduct ion on the preceding week, about 1,170 a i rc ra f t being employed.

51. Enemy act iv i ty by day consisted very largely of defensive patrols in the St ra i ts and off the French and Belgian coasts, and of reconnaissances over the southern and eastern por t ions of England . The usual reconnaissances and pat ro ls were flown over the sea. On the 17th A p r i l , e ight Spitfires engaged four Me. 110 over Ramsgate , two of which were destroyed. A J u . 88 was shot down by our fighters off Bognor ; du r ing the week several other encounters took place, in which a few of our fighters were lost and about an equal number of enemy a i rcraf t were probably destroyed.

52. The heaviest r a id took place on the n igh t of the 19 th /20 th Apr i l and was main ly directed aga ins t London and the E a s t e r n Home counties; approxi ­mately 350 enemy a i r c ra f t were employed, 10 of which made two sorties. On the night of the 21s t /22nd and the two following nights , a t tacks were mainly directed against P l y m o u t h and Devonpor t ; the first two a t tacks were on a heavy scale; on the t h i r d n igh t the a t t ack was less severe. On the n igh t of the 17th / 18th, a heavy attack was made on Por t smouth , but on the remain ing two n igh t s of the week enemy act iv i ty was on a very small scale.

Coastal Operat ions . 53. Coastal Command a i rc raf t flew 302 pa t ro ls and provided escorts for

152 convoys, involving a to ta l of 977 sorties. I n addi t ion, F igh te r Command made 1,689 sorties on sh ipp ing protect ion patrols .

54. On the 18th A p r i l , an a i rc ra f t on rout ine pa t ro l s ighted a convoy of eight merchant vessels off S tavanger ; two formations of Blenheims from Coastal Command were sent out, in the morn ing and afternoon respectively, to a t t ack this convoy. A s a resul t of the first pa t ro l a 7,000-ton vessel is believed to have been hit , and a 3,000-ton vessel was h i t twice and seen to be rap id ly s ink ing ; two of our a i r c r a f t were lost. Dur ing the second pa t ro l the Blenheims were a t tacked by five Me. 110, three of our a i rc raf t being shot down, bu t all were able to drop their bombs and a direct h i t is est imated on another ship.

55. On each day of the week formations of a i rc ra f t have been sent out from Bomber Command to a t t ack enemy shipping, w i th the following results :—

7,000-ton M.V. believed h i t off Brest . 800-ton ship off Hoedenserke seen to d is in tegra te . 4,000-ton M.V. off Hel igoland believed h i t ; was last seen w i t h large columns

of smoke issuing from amidships . 5,000-ton M.V. off Hel igoland, a t tacked from 50 feet and left on fire l i s t ing

to s tarboard. A F l a k ship off Hel igoland probably hi t . 7,000-ton M.V. off Texel received two h i t s and was seen to have a l ist of

35 degrees. 6,000-ton M.Y. off Terschell ing was probably hi t .

5,000-ton M.V. off Scheveningen w a s a t tacked from 100 feet and was left s inking.

3,000-ton M.V. off S.W. Norway was h i t ; the ship stopped and was down by the stern.

2,000-ton cargo ship N.W. of Stavanger was hit , resul t ing in an explosion a f t of the funnel wi th considerable smoke a n d steam issuing from the ship.

8.000-ton M.V. off the Dutch Coast received three direct h i t s and was last seen wi th clouds of smoke and steam issuing from it­

56. I n addi t ion a number of other a t t acks were made resul t ing in near misses and many ships were machine-gunned. A 3,000-ton ship was seen beached N. of Egersund a n d another ship of 4/5,000 tons was seen s inking off Den Helder.

57. Detai ls of mining by a i rc ra f t and enemy activi ty aga ins t our shipping are reported in the Naval Si tuat ion.

The Ba lkans . 58. D u r i n g the week the activity of our a i rc ra f t was mainly directed

agains t enemy communications, t ranspor t and aerodromes. A heavy a t tack was made by our bombers on a br idge in the K o z a n i - G r e v e n - K u l a b a k a area, a n d many bombs burs t among mechanical t ranspor t . The aerodromes a t La r i s sa a n d Sedes were bombed and a t the lat ter , a number of fires were seen followed by explosions believed to be a i rcraf t . The aerodromes at Kozani and K a t e r i n i were both successfully at tacked.

59. On a number of occasions our fighters engaged la rge formations of enemy aircraf t , Seven Hur r i canes destroyed three German bombers and one fighter when fifty a i rc ra f t were found to be a t t ack ing one of our columns; on another occasion seven Hur r i canes on an offensive pa t ro l destroyed one Henschel and three Me. 109s. On the 20th Apr i l , formations of German a i r c ra f t continually approached the Athens a rea ; fifteen Hur r i canes were sent u p and destroyed nineteen enemy a i rc ra f t and probably a fur ther e igh t ; five of our fighters were lost, the pilots of two are safe. Numerous other engagements took place in which a fur ther number of enemy a i rc ra f t were destroyed.

60. The chief role of the German A i r Force in this a rea continued to be close and s t ra tegic suppor t for the Army, bu t a cer ta in effort by long-range bombers has been main ta ined a g a i n s t harbours and shipping.

61 Towards the end of this per iod dive-bombers wi th fighter escort were opera t ing aga ins t shipping, these a i r c ra f t now being wi th in effective r ange from advanced bases. The r ap id movement of shor t - range a i rc ra f t to advanced landing grounds continues to be a feature of the operat ions, the avai labi l i ty of t ransport a i rc ra f t making i t possible to supply these uni t s .

Ma l t a . 62. Daily r a i d s were made aga ins t the Is land, bu t generally on a small

scale, except on the evening of the 22nd Apr i l , when about for ty German aircraft made a large-scale r a id on the dockyard, many bombs and mines being dropped; as a result of th is r a id considerable damage was done to service and civil ian pro­per ty . Dur ing the week Hur r i canes shot down three I t a l i a n and one German fighter and A.A. destroyed one German bomber; several other enemy a i rc ra f t were ei ther probably destroyed or damaged.

63. Glenn M a r t i n a i r c r a f t car r ied out numerous very valuable reconnais­sances, in pa r t i cu la r of the Tun i s i an Coast, Tr ipo l i and the Ion i an Sea.

E g y p t and Libya. 64. On three n igh t s du r ing the week Well ingtons opera t ing from Malta

bombed the harbour a t T r ipo l i ; the Spanish Quay and ships were s t raddled, two hi ts were made on the west mole and a number of fires were s tar ted. On three n ights a t tacks were made on sh ipp ing and the harbour a t Benghazi by Welling­tons, a number of fires were s ta r ted one of which was visible fifty miles away; a successful dayl ight a t t ack was also made, a sh ip in the harbour being hi t .

65. Many a t tacks were made aga ins t enemy aerodromes including those at Berka, Gazala , Derna and E l Adem. Enemy mechanical t r anspor t and troops were also heavily and continual ly a t tacked; oh one occasion Hur r i canes machine­gunned t w o German M.T. columns inflicting heavy casualties on motorised troops, on another occasion fifty-five a i rc ra f t were bombed on the ground a t Derna . As a result of these a t tacks many M.T. vehicles were destroyed and enemy movements were great ly restr icted.

66. Enemy operat ions mainly consisted of a t tacks agains t the fortifications at Tobruk, l i t t le other act ivi ty t ak ing place beyond heavy fighter protect ion for Convoys. Reconnaissances were made in the forward area, pa r t i cu la r a t tent ion being p a i d to our sea and land supply routes. Nineteen German a i rc raf t are known to have been shot down, fifteen by fighters and four by A.A. defences.

Dodecanese. 67. On the n igh t of the 2 2 n d / 2 3 r d A p r i l the aerodrome a t Calato was

raided and the harbour at Rhodes was heavily a t tacked.

I ta l ian E a s t Africa. 68. Our a i r c ra f t have continued to a t t ack the I t a l i a n aerodromes, the most

successful resul t being achieved a t Dessie, where fighters of the South Afr ican Ai r Force destroyed seven enemy a i r c r a f t on the ground. Many successful a t tacks were also carr ied out agains t enemy positions, troops and mechanical t ranspor t .

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

69. Very few incidents occurred d u r i n g the week, bu t a t Fraserburgh , Scotland, two incidents on different days caused some damage a n d seven people were killed.

By Night. 70. The enemy bombing has been concentrated on London, one night , a n d

on P lymouth for three successive n igh ts . Po r t smou th also received a measure of at tent ion. The number of incidents outs ide the a t tacked areas h a s been remark­ably small.

7 1 . On the 17 th /18 th A p r i l the chief bombing occurred in Por t smouth and neighbouring H a m p s h i r e dis t r ic ts for some seven hours wi th small effect.

72. On the 18th/ '19th A p r i l bombing was negligible,, but on the following night a heavy a t t ack occurred on London and the Home Counties . I n London the Docks were chiefly affected. Some 1,460 fires were s ta r ted and about 63 p a r a ­chute mines were dropped. I n the Home Counties there were many incidents . Casualt ies a n d damage occurr ing a t Rochester, Dar t fo rd , Re iga te and Romford.

73. Af te r a quiet n igh t on the 20 th /21s t Apr i l , P lymouth was bombed for the las t three n igh t s of the period. On the n igh t of the 21s t /22nd A p r i l the bombs were dropped chiefly in the dockyard area of Plymouth , bu t the centre of the city was also considerably affected. Some 30 large fires were s ta r ted and the casualties were heavy.

74. On the 2 2 n d / 2 3 r d A p r i l outs ide the P lymouth area a public shelter was h i t a t Southsea, causing several casualt ies, and minor bombing occurred in Scotland. A t P lymouth communicat ions suffered severely and the Control Cent re had to be evacuated. By midn igh t 23 fires were burning, only one being under control. The Fore S t ree t a rea of Devonport was chiefly affected, a n d the posit ion in the city was made worse by a h igh wind. On the following day control was gained of most of the fires.

75. On the 2 3 r d / 2 4 t h A p r i l the a t tack on Plymouth was not so serious as on the previous n ight , but some fires gave anxiety in the Milbay area . Al l except one fire in the centre of the city and fires at the oil cisterns a t Tor P o i n t were

u[22450]

under control by 0200 hrs. I t is thought t ha t the casualt ies will not be heavy. Some fires occurred at Por tsmouth , but in the rest of the country only very minor incidents occurred

Damage. London.

76. I n the Dock area considerable damage was caused to warehouses, ,silos, t imberyards, barges, trucks a n d offices. Traffic was much disturbed on the London Nor th Eas te rn and Southern Rai lways , but other u t i l i ty services escaped lightly.

77. Public buildings d a m a g e d include the Royal Naval College a t Green­wich, the Japanese Embassy and five museums. Of the hospitals, a serious fire occurred a t St. P e t e r ' s Hospi ta l . Stepney, where casualt ies occurred.

Plymouth and Devonport. 78. As yet i t is early to assess the damage for the three nights , but it is

known tha t considerable damage occurred in the Dockyards. Fi res occurred at the Mi l i t a ry Area Headquar t e r s , a t the Naval Exchange and a t Naval, Mil i tary and Mar ine Barracks . Al l u t i l i t i es were affected, the Devonport Telephone Exchange being destroyed, the ma in G.W.R. ma in down line wrecked, and considerable damage at the P lymouth Goods Yard . Four oil cisterns a t Tor Point were still burn ing a t 0440 on the 24th Apr i l .

Casualt ies. 79. The est imated civilian casualt ies for the week ending 0600 hours, the

23rd Apr i l , are 2,035 killed a n d 3,899 seriously injured. These figures include : — Seriously

Killed Injured. L o n d o n : 16 th /17 th 1,179 2,233 London : 19 th /20 th 442 1,354 P l y m o u t h : 21s t /22nd ... 108 99 P l y m o u t h : 22nd /23 rd .. . 163 58

A P P E N D I X 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.

Name and Tonnage. Nationality. Cargo. From-— T o - How sunk. In Convoy or not.* Position. Fa te of Crew and other Remarks.

M/V Tanker Duffield (8,516)

Tweed ... (2,697)

Corinthic (4,823)

Helena Margareta (3,316)

Harpathian (4,6V 1)

Tanker British Science (7,138)

British

British

British

British

British

British

Spirit

Ballast

Grain

Ballast

...

...

Curacao

Liverpool ...

Buenos Aires

Tyne

Tees

Haifa

Gibraltar ...

Pepel

Freetown and U.K.

Takoradi ...

Clyde

Piraeus

Torpedo

Torpedo

Torpedo

Torpedo

Torpedo

Torpedo

...

...

Not

Not

Not

Not

Not

Yes

340 miles W. by S. of Madeira

100 miles off Free­town

92 miles W. by S. of Freetown

350 miles W. of Madeira

290 miles W. of Madeira

E. Mediterranean ..

27 arrived Teneriffe.

15 landed Konakry. RestDakar.

2 killed, 28 landed Freetown.

9 in H.M. ship. 27 missing,lost.

21 arrived Teneriffe.

All saved.

arrived

believed

By Aircraft.

Favorit (2,826)

Nemas

Norwegian...

Greek

Steel and scrap

Boston, U.S.A.

Hul l Bomb

Bomb

Yes 180 miles N.W. of B u t t of Lewis.

At Chalkis, Isle of

40 in H.M. Ship, 11 landed Kirkwall.

Not known. (4,359)

Evoihos (4.792)

Margit

Greek

Panamanian

... Bomb

Bomb

Eubuea, Greece At Piraeus

At Malta

Not known.

Not known. (3,257)

Hospi tal Ship(1,461) "

Amiens

Esperos Greek

British

Ballast ... Piraeus

Cardiff

Suda Bay ...

Barry

Bomb

Bomb Yes : ...

Off Missolonghi, Gulf of Pa t ras .

Near Land ' s End ...

Not yet known.

All landed St. Ives.

M

(1,548) Coal

By Mine.

Name and Tonnage. Nationality. Cargo. From— T o - How sunk. In Convoy or not.* Position.

1I

Fa te of Crew and other Remarks.

Ranee ... (5,060)

Clan Gumming (7,264)

Profit (1,608)

S/T. Millimumull (287)

British

British

Norwegian

British ...

Piraeus

London

Alexandria

Hul l

Not

Yes

Suez Canal ...

Off Pirreus.

Thames Es tuary

Near Newcastle, N.S.W.

Previously damaged, now declared C.T.L.

5 survivors, 4 injured, 13 missing.

5 survivors, 7 missing.

By Surface Craft.

Tanker Hetty(7,031)

Nereus... (1,298)

Effra (1,446)

Brovig Norwegian

Dutch

Brit ish ...

Potatoes

Coke . J

Bahrein

Dundee

Middlesbro.

LourencoMarques

London

London

Raider

E-boat T. ...

E-boat T. ...

Not

Yes

Yes

Indian Ocean

Of! Gt. Yarmouth

Off Gt. Yarmouth

38 landed Maurit ius, 4 prisoners of war. Captured by Raider and later scuttled.

All landed Yarmouth.

25 landed Harwich, 3 landed Southend, 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 s ta tement as 1,557 instead of 1,577.

SECTION B.—Merchant Yessels (excluding Commissioned Merchant Vessels) of all tonnages R E P O R T E D damaged by Enemy Action, since previous Statement.

Casualties to Date. ! Name and In convoy Nationality. Cargo. From— T o - Cause. Position. Ex t en t of Damage. Crew. Other tonnage. or not.* Remarks.

Mar. 1 7 . . . Pilot Cut ter ' Pioneer

British A/C.B. and M.G.

Thames Es tuary Steering gear damaged, also bulwarks and plates. Ar­

2 killed, 2 injured.

( 2 8 1 ) rived Gravesend in tow Mar. 3 1 . . . M/V Tanker Swedish Por t Arthur Gothenburg S/M Not 7 5 0 W. of the Abandoned and left buroing 2 1 arrived Cura-

Castor Hebrides on 3.4.41 cao, 1 5 missing. (8,714)

Prior to Apr. 1 2 . . . Constantinos Greek A / C B : . . . At Pirseus Extensive None reported.

Louloudis . (4 ,697)

Ditto ... Point Clear Greek A / C B . ... At Piraeus Slight None reported.

Dit to ... (4 ,839)

Ekaterini Coumantarou

Greek A / C B . ... At Piraeus Not stated ... None reported.

(7 ,777) Dit to ... Nitsa Greek A / C B . ... At Piraeus Not stated None reported.

(4 ,732) Apr. 1 2 . . . Richard de British Wheat ... Halifax Loch Ewe . . . A / C B . ... Yes Not given, N. Not stated No casualties.

Larrinqa Atlantic (5 ,538)

Prior to Apr. 1 3 . . . Veni Norwegian... Timber ... Louisburg . . . Grange- A / C B . Yes N. Atlantic Considerable damage None reported.

(2 ,982) mouth and M.G. Apr. 1 5 . . . Coalpara British ... Govt. ... A / C B . ... E 1 e u s i s Bay, Damaged and beached None reported.

(5 ,314) Greece Apr. 1 5 . . . Quiloa ... British ... A / C B . ... E 1 e u s i s Bay, Slightly damaged and

Apr. 1 6 . . . (7 ,765)

S/T King Athelstan

British A / C B . ... Greece

S.W. of Ireland beached.

Holed aft.flooded.

Engine room Beached Horse

None.

Apr. 1 6 . . . (159)

M/V Swedru(5 ,379)

... British Wes t African produce

Duala Liverpool ... A / C B . ... Yes 158 miles W. of Bloody Fore­land

Island, Ballinskelligs Las t reported still burning

and likely to float 1 killed, 3 3 crew

and 5 passengers landed London­derry.

Date.

Apr. 17

Apr. 17

Apr. 18

Apr. 18 .

Apr. 20 .

Apr. 21 .

Apr. 21 .

Apr. 21 .

Apr. 21 .

Apr 21 ,.

Casualties to Name and In Convoy ., .,. Nationality. i Cargo From— To- Causc , * Position, Exten t of Damage. Crew. Other Tonnage. or not. Remarks.

Mentalto British Cement IA/C.B. At Rochester ... Submerged on even keel ... None reported. (623)

Ethel Radcliffc... (5,673)

British Grain i

St. Johns , ; LondonN.B. I ... E-Boat Yes Off Great

mouth Yar- Beached in Yarmouth.

Water in Nos. 1, 2 and 4 1 wounded.

holds M/V Tanker

Scottish British Ballast F a l m o u t h . . . Milford

Haven and A/C. ii. Not Off Milford

Haven Hole 10ft.

deck on in diameter in starboard side,

1 dead,4 wounded.

Musician Aruba I piercing No. 6 tank and (6,998) p o s s i b l y

bottom. penetrating

Brought into Milford Haven

Osihos ... Panamanian Lisbon ... Ardrossan A/C.B. Yes 120' W. by S. of Making water in all holds. None reported. (3,938) Bloody

land Fore- Arrived

April 19 Loch Foyle,

Empireance

Endur- British Govt. Swansea ...! Alexandria ! S/M. Not 470' WestSlyne Head

of Corvette sent to assistance None reported.

(8,570) Tanker British

Lord (6,098)

Pass . & Cargo Chalcis

British

British

Fuel o i l . .

Foodstuffs and steel

Abadan

Sydney

.... Suda Bay ... A/C.

I ; ... Liverpool S/M.

via Durban Not

South of Crete. .

530 miles W . S W of Canaries

Engines out of action— abandoned and left afloat

Torpedoed

None reported.

None reported.

az

(10,305) M/V Tanker British Renown

British billets

Dar tmouth A/C Yes Off Dar tmouth . . Down by sternroom flooded.

and engine Returned

None reported

(6,997) to Dar tmouth

Tug Regency(76)

Maidstone

... British

British

M.

A/C.

Off Ford's ,Dagen ham

At P lymouth ..

Submerged ...

Bomb penetrated engine

None reported.

None reported. (688) room. Vessel

grounded filled and

* 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 re turn 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.

Bri t i sh . Allied. Neu t ra l . Together .

No. Gross Tons. No. Gross

Tons. No. Gross Tons . No. Gross

Tons .

Submar inSubmar inee ...... 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

N O T E . — " Allied " figures inc lude Pol i sh ; all F r ench u p to J u n e 25, 1940; " Free " F r e n c h from J u n e 25, 1940; Norwegian from April 9, 1940; D u t c h and Belg ian from May 10, 1940; Greek from October 28, 1940; and Yugo-Slavian from April 6, 1941. " N e u t r a l " figures inc lude I ta l ian up to J u n e 10, 1940; " V i c h y " F rench from J u n e 25, 1940; and Yugo-S lav ian to April 6, 1941.

A P P E N D I X II I .

(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 GrossNo. No.Tons. Tons.

Bri t isBri t isBri t isBri t isBri t isBri t isBri t ishhhhhhh shipshipshipshipshipshipshipsssssss ooooooonnnnnnn S e p t e m b eS e p t e m b eS e p t e m b eS e p t e m b eS e p t e m b eS e p t e m b eS e p t e m b errrrrrr 2222222,,,,,,, 1931931931931931931939999999 519 3,274,000 3,578 15,392,000

Additions-—Additions-—Additions-—Additions-—Additions-—Additions-—Additions-— NeNeNeNeNeNeNewwwwwww shipshipshipshipshipshipshipsssssss 16 130,000 208 1,135,000 E n e mE n e mE n e mE n e mE n e mE n e mE n e m yyyyyyy shipshipshipshipshipshipshipsssssss c a p t u r ec a p t u r ec a p t u r ec a p t u r ec a p t u r ec a p t u r ec a p t u r eddddddd ..................... ..................... ..................... 1 6,000 53 275,000 ShipShipShipShipShipShipShipsssssss t ransfe r ret ransfe r ret ransfe r ret ransfe r ret ransfe r ret ransfe r ret ransfe r reddddddd frofrofrofrofrofrofrommmmmmm otheotheotheotheotheotheotherrrrrrr flags—flags—flags—flags—flags—flags—flags—fffffff

Dan i sDan i sDan i sDan i sDan i sDan i sDan i shhhhhhh 8 66,000 115 305,000 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 ..... .. .. .. .. ........ . .. .. .. .. .. .. ........ . .. .. .. .. .. .. ........ . .. .. .. .. .. .. ........ 12 60,000 107 502,000 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 2 8,000 E s t o n i aE s t o n i aE s t o n i aE s t o n i aE s t o n i aE s t o n i aE s t o n i a nnnnnnn ..................... ..................... . .. .. .. .. .. .. ........ ..................... 22 37,000 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 8 6,000 OtherOtherOtherOtherOtherOtherOthersssssss 13 85,000 142 751,000

OtheOtheOtheOtheOtheOtheOtherrrrrrr add i t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionsssssss ..... .. .. .. .. ........ 11 16,000 91 183,000

TotaTotaTotaTotaTotaTotaTota lllllll addi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionsssssss ..................... 63 374,000 743 3,202,000

Deductions—Deductions—Deductions—Deductions—Deductions—Deductions—Deductions— ShipShipShipShipShipShipShipsssssss sunsunsunsunsunsunsunkkkkkkk bbbbbbbyyyyyyy t ht ht ht ht ht ht heeeeeee 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 shipshipshipshipshipshipshipsssssss commissionecommissionecommissionecommissionecommissionecommissionecommissioneddddddd 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 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 thththththththeeeeeee enemenemenemenemenemenemenemyyyyyyy ..... .. .. .. .. ........ 1 6,000 5 16,000 OtheOtheOtheOtheOtheOtheOtherrrrrrr deduc t iondeduc t iondeduc t iondeduc t iondeduc t iondeduc t iondeduc t ionsssssss ( includin( includin( includin( includin( includin( includin( includinggggggg Mar inMar inMar inMar inMar inMar inMar ineeeeeee Risk)Risk)Risk)Risk)Risk)Risk)Risk)———————

(i(i(i(i(i(i(i))))))) Commiss ioneCommiss ioneCommiss ioneCommiss ioneCommiss ioneCommiss ioneCommiss ioneddddddd fofofofofofoforrrrrrr NavaNavaNavaNavaNavaNavaNavalllllll ServicServicServicServicServicServicServiceeeeeee 2 2,000 19 55,000 (ii(ii(ii(ii(ii(ii(ii))))))) Othe rOtherOtherOtherOtherOtherOthersssssss 8 40,000 157 546,000

TotaTotaTotaTotaTotaTotaTotalllllll deduc t iondeduc t iondeduc t iondeduc t iondeduc t iondeduc t iondeduc t ionsssssss 98 713,000 S68 3,868,000

NeNeNeNeNeNeNettttttt addi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionsssssss (-j-(-j-(-j-(-j-(-j-(-j-(-j-))))))) ooooooorrrrrrr deduc t iondeduct iondeduct iondeduct iondeduct iondeduct iondeduct ionsssssss ( -( -( -( -( -( -( - ))))))) . .. .. .. .. .. .. . ....... - 35 - 339,000 - 125 - 666,000

BritisBritisBritisBritisBritisBritisBritishhhhhhh shipshipshipshipshipshipshipsssssss ooooooonnnnnnn ApriApriApriApriApriApriAprilllllll 20202020202020,,,,,,, 1941941941941941941941111111 484 2,935,000 3,453 14,726,000*

* Of the to ta l Non-Tanker tonnage , vessels r ep resen t ing about 4,100 t housand gross t o n s are engaged on Naval , Mil i tary or R.A.F. Services ( including some commiss ioned for Naval Service) , some of which br ing cargoes to the United Kingdom on the i r h o m e w a r d voyage. After allowing for vessels (1) t r ad ing pe rmanen t ly abroad, (2) de ta ined in F r e n c h por t s and (3) under ­going or awai t ing repair , including the fitting of defensive pro tec t ion , t h e ba lance is a l i t t le unde r ' million gross tons , some pa r t of which is engaged in the coas t ing t r ade of the Uni ted Kingdom and E i re .

(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.

Tota l losses sunk or Approx ima te a n n u a lcap tu red by t h e enemy ,Period. loss if co lumn (2) losses and o the r d e d u c t i o n s in con t inued for a year.the period.

(i) 1 (2) (3)

F i r s t 9 m o n t h s of war : Gross Tons . Gross Tons. i.e., from S e p t e m b e r 3, 1939, to M a y 31, 1940 1,098.000 1,500,000

Fol lowing 3 m o n t h s : i.e., from J u n e 1, 1940, to Augus t 31 , 1940. . .

Month of Sep tember , 1940 . . . October, 1940

993,000 345,000 317,000

3,900,000 4,200,000 3,700,000

,, November , 1940 380,000 4,600,000 ,, December , 1940 329,000 3,900,000

J a n u a r y , 1941 F e b r u a r y 1941March , 1941

April 1 to 20, 1941 . . . . . .

...

. . .

... . . . 214,000 377,000 ,334,000 (188,000*

2,500,000 4,900,000 3,900,000) 3,400,000)

* These figures r e l a t e to losses so far notified, and m a y be increased by l a t e r notif ications.

(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 coas t ing ships 6 4,000 34 37,000 Other ships ... 40 333,000 131* 844,000

46 337,000 165 881,000

* Inc lud ing 5 vessels (33,000 gross tons) bui lding abroad, 2 m e r c h a n t ships (18,000 gross tons) t aken over by t h e Navy du r ing const ruct ion and 11 sh ips (20,000 gross tons) of m e r c h a n t t ype in tended for Naval use.

I n addi t ion, the re are 181 m e r c h a n t ships to ta l l ing 1,195,000 gross tons on order or proposed to order in the Uni ted Kingdom and abroad ( including 16 t a n k e r s of 106,000 gross tons ) .

A P P E N D I X I Y .

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

German . I ta l i an . Together .

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

Cap tu reCap tu redd oorr seizeseizedd Scu t t l eScu t t l edd oorr s u ns u nkk ......

6196

' 274,000 544,000

39 49

183,000 286,000

100 145

457,000 830,000

UnidentifieUnidentifiedd shipshipss repor terepor tedd bbyy S/MS/M,, A/CA/C,, &c&c,, aass sunsunkk oorr des t royedest royedd ( tonnag( tonnagee e s t ima tedes t ima ted )) 163 815,000 97 485,000 260 1,300,000

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

I n addi t ion, 37 sh ips of 66,000 gross tons u n d e r enemy control or useful t o the enemy have been sunk.

Some 53 ships, to ta l l ing near ly 300,000 gross tons , have been p laced under p ro tec t ive custody in Uni ted S t a t e s and Sou th Amer ican por ts to p reven t sabotage by the i r crews.

Casualties to H.M. Auxiliary Vessels and to Naval Personnel. The following casualt ies have occurred to H.M. Auxi l i a ry P a t r o l Vessels

dur ing the period under review :— 17th April.—Pilot Cut ter Pioneer bombed and machine-gunned in Thames

E s t u a r y and towed to Gravesend. V&th April.—A/P Trawler Kopanes bombed and sunk off Tyne. The following casualt ies to Naval personnel have been reported :—

Officers : Kil led 9, missing 31, wounded 6. R a t i n g s : Ki l led 137, missing 236, wounded 96.

Four missing officers later reported prisoners of war are now reported released.

A P P E N D I X YI .

Operational Aircraft Battle Casualties. 0600 hours, April 17, 1941, to 0600 hours, April 24, 1941.

1 " misce l l aneous " probably des t royed and 2 " misce l laneous " damaged by A.A. lire.

Metropolitan Area. British J the Air.n On the G round.

B o m b e r s . . . ... ... ... . . . . . . 22 F igh t e r sCoastal

... ...

. . . . . .

... ...

... ...

. . . . . .

. . . . . .

7 9

1

Total 38 1

Probably German. Destroyed. Destroyed. Damaged.

B o m b e r s ... . . . . . . ... 7 ... 3 F igh te r s 4 2 2 Miscel laneous . . . . . . ... 9 1 2

Tota l 20 3 7 No a c c o u n t is t aken of aircraft destroyed on the ground. Of t h e above to t a l s , 3 bomber and 4 " m i s c e l l a n e o u s " aircraft were destroyed,

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

B o m b e r s . . . . . . ... ... . . . . . . 8 6 F igh te r s 17 2 Coastal . . . . . . ... ... ... . . . 1

To ta l 25 9 Of t h e above to ta l s , 3 bombers and 12 fighters were lost in act ion and 6 bombers and

3 fighters lost on the ground in Greece. Probably

Italian. Destroyed. Destroyed. Damaged. B o m b e r s 5 2 2 F igh te r s 12 1 9 Misce l laneous

To ta l 17 3 11

German. B o m b e r s 37 9 4 F igh t e r s 20 9 2 Misce l laneous ... . . . . . . 7

T o t a l 04 18 0 Of t h e above t o t a l s , 2 bombers , 3 fighters and 4 " m i s c e l l a n e o u s " a i rcraf t were des t royed

2 fighters were probably destroyed and 1 bomber damaged by A.A. fire

F[22450]

Air A t t acks on Enemy Terr i tory in Europe.

Ex t r ac t s from Recent Ra id Assessment Repor ts .

T H E following repor ts of damage have been received du r ing the past week from air reconnaissance and Intel l igence sources : —

Germany. Berlin.—Further information as to the March ra ids s tate tha t the

Klingenberg Power S ta t ion was severely damaged, and some confirmation of this was received from another source, who s ta ted tha t one of the power s ta t ions had broken down and t h a t electric l ight in some quar t e r s had been out of order on the 13th, 14th and 15th March. Tak ing in to account previous reports, i t now seems clear t ha t the Kleist Strasse dis t r ic t suffered severely and the neighbourhood of the Char lo t tenburg s ta t ion was also badly damaged. Houses in the Augsburger Strasse, the Wai tzs t rasse and Neue K a n t St rasse were destroyed or damaged. The ra id on the 9 t h / 1 0 t h A p r i l i s s tated to have caused considerable mater ia l damage and casualties, and resulted in the author i t ies for the first t ime being­unable to hide from the major i ty of the inhab i t an t s the extent of the damage. Pa r t i cu l a r s so far available show t h a t about 20 buildings in the Un te r den Linden were destroyed. The Sta te l ibrary (which is opposite the former palace of the Kaiser) was gut ted and the S ta te Opera House (which lies between tha t palace and the former palace of the Crown Pr ince) was demolished. Fires were s ta r ted in the p r inc ipa l food office and the boiler house of the ma in fire s tat ion received a direct hi t . The r a i d on the 1 7 t h / 1 8 t h A p r i l is reported as having caused consternat ion in the German Embassy at Anka ra . 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 tha t they received news t h a t . h a d alarmed them.

Kiel.—Photographs taken on the 17th A p r i l show the fur ther damage caused in the r a ids of the 8 t h / 9 t h and 15 th /16 th Apr i l . The greater p a r t appears to have been caused in the Deutsche Werke and German ia Sh ipya rds and, in the Gaarden resident ial area where the skilled sh ipyard workers reside. Th i s last a rea suffered severely in the r a id of the 7 t h / 8 t h A p r i l and i t is reasonable to assume from the fur ther damage now disclosed tha t the greater p a r t thereof has been rendered uninhabi table . P r i n c i p a l features include :—

(a) Deutsche Werke.—The engine and tu rb ine engine shops have been fur ther damaged and i t has become necessary to unde r t ake demolition and clearance of the whole of the ship stores building.

(b) An area South of Deutsche Werke - S e v e r a l bui ldings in th is area conta in ing sh ipyard stores have been completely gut ted, and it is a p p a r e n t t h a t there was a major fire in this neighbourhood.

(c) Germania Yards.—The angle and p la te shap ing sheds have been heavily damaged, a la rge workshop destroyed and the locomotive sheds and smithy bui ld ing completely gutted.

(d) An area between Kleiner Kiel and Schreven Pond.—This is another ' ' bl i tzed ' ' a rea of the town. There are a minimum of 14 points of major damage and the whole area must have suffered from blast or fire. I n the Hohenzollern R i n g nearby a block of houses 200 yards long have the i r roofs and uppe r storeys destroyed or damaged by fire.

Cologne.—Photographs taken on the 8 th A p r i l show t h a t the city power s ta t ion bui lding had been gut ted. Some confirmation of the damage to the Hohenzollern br idge (previously reported) is obtained from these photographs which disclose a remarkable lack of ra i l a c t i v i t y ' i n the main stat ion and the marshal l ing yards on each side of the river. The house of 4711 " Eau de Cologne " received a direct h i t and 20 people a re believed to have been killed in the building.

Bremen.—The Ju . 87 Assembly Factory (previously repor ted damaged) was hit in the r a id of the 12 th /13 th March. An i ron works and the engine sheds on the Wes te rn side of the Kohlenhafen were also h i t and damaged in this ra id , 8 locomotives being pract ical ly destroyed.

General.—A German l iving near Wilhelmshaven has given the following account of ra ids to his daughter , mar r i ed to a neutra l . She was not allowed to visit h im a t home and the visi t took place in Berl in :—

H e s ta ted the docks a t Wilhelmshaven had been shot to pieces and the damage was devas ta t ing . Some submarine bui ld ing was still going on, but not more t h a n 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 th rown out of employment, Hanover also suffered appa l l ing damage. Most of the bombs h i t objectives of mi l i ta ry importance, including H a n o m a g a,nd the Cont inenta l Rubber Works .

France. Brest.—Reports have been received of h i t s on both the bat t le cruisers. I t is

stated t h a t d u r i n g one of the early a t tacks an a i rc raf t a t t ack ing alone in the early hours of the morning scored a direct h i t on one of them. This a i r c ra f t was subsequently shot down and the pilot, a Canad ian aged about 19, was saved. (A C a n a d i a n pilot aged 19 belonging to 22 Squadron Coastal Command is missing from an a t t ack on Brest on the 6th Apr i l , 1941.) A factor which may also ind ica te damage to the bat t le-cruisers is t ha t A d m i r a l Raeder has recently made a special visi t to inspect them. The Pre fec ture Mar i t ime and the Salle des Fetes have been h i t a n d damaged.

Bulgaria . Sofia.—In the r a id on the 13 th /14 th A p r i l direct h i t s were obtained on an

ammunit ion t r a in . The petrol s torage ins ta l la t ion was h i t and explosions were still t ak ing place 8 hours after the r a id finished. The area sur rounding the main s ta t ion w a s 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. April 22 194-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.