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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 Y E R N M E N T

S E C R E T Copy No.

W.P. (41) 102 (Also Paper No. C.O.S. (41) 311) May 15, 1941

TO B E K E P T U N D E R JLQCK A N D K E Y .

I t is requested tha t special care may be taken to ensure the secrecy of this document.

WAR CABINET

WEEKLY RESU:

of the , MILITARY AND AIR SITUATION

from 12 noon May 8th, to

12 noon May 151

1941

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

1

v" A N important convoy from the Uni ted Kingdom has' reached Alexandria via' the Mediterranean. ­

The port of Benghazi has twice been successfully bombarded by our light forces.

Our shipping losses dur ing the week are ra ther lower than of late.

Home Waters. 2. Cruiser patrols have been maintained in the Iceland-Faroes channel

and in the Denmark S t ra i t s throughout the week. M.T.Bs. carried out offensive sweeps off the Belgian and Dutch coasts.

; 3. Blenheims of the Bomber Command claim to have sunk a destroyer, or naval auxiliary, of 2,000 tons off the Texel on the night of the 8 th /9 th . Our aircraf t dur ing the week have sunk or damaged nine enemy merchant vessels in Home Wate rs totall ing 39,600 tons.

Dur ing a i r raids on the night of the 10t)h/ l l th on London, the Auxi l iary Pa t ro l Depot Ship Gypsy and 8 motor-boats were sunk at Tower P ie r a n d the A. A. Ship Goat fell Was damaged. On the night of the l l t h / 1 2 t h the torpedo warhead and depth-charge store at Felixstowe was demolished, and some damage was done in the dockyard at Pembroke. On the night of the 12th/13th one oil cistern was set on fire at Devonport.

u ;' - I n addi t ion to the casualties mentioned above, 4 auxi l iary vessels were sunk and 4 were damaged. Details are given in Appendix V.

North At lant ic . 4. H.M. Armed Merchant Cruiser Salopian was torpedoed and abandoned

650 miles south-west of Iceland early on the 13th. 278 survivors are on board H.M. Destroyer Impulsive.

The I t a l i an tanker Gianna M. (5,719 tons) was captured on the 10th by H.M. Ocean Boarding Vessel Hilary 325 miles north of the Azores.

The German trawler Munchen has been captured in northern waters by H.M. Destroyer Somali.

Dur ing the week five French merchant vessels eastbound and six westbound have passed Gibra l tar under escort.

H.M.S. Illustrious has arr ived in American waters for refit.

South Atlantic. 5. The Vichy French s.s. Criton (4,564 tons) was intercepted by H.M.

Armed Merchant Cruiser Cilicia on the 9th, 400 miles North of Freetown, and has been escorted into tha t port. The Master s tated tha t instructions to scuttle French ships if intercepted are no longer in force.

The French s .s. Bourbonnais (4,484 tons), carrying 400 native troops to Madagascar, was intercepted by H.M. Armed Merchant Cruiser Bulolo on the 13th, 100 miles S.W. of Dakar , and is being taken in to Freetown.

Mediterranean. 6. The Mediterranean Fleet and the Gibra l ta r Force have been engaged in

escorting and covering important convoy movements. One convoy of five ships carrying mil i tary stores and supplies from the Uni ted Kingdom passed through the Stra i ts of Gibra l tar and arrived on the 12th at Alexandr ia wi th the loss of one ship, the Empire Song (9,228 tons), which was mined and sunk in the Sicilian Channel. The s.s. New Zealand Star also struck a mine but proceeded with the convoy. Two convoys from Alexandr ia arr ived a t Mal ta on the 9th without

mishap, al though the harbour had been heavily mined by enemy aircraf t and had to be cleared by emergency measures. Exceptional weather conditions of poor visibility persisted throughout almost the whole of these operations. No enemy surface warships were encountered, but repeated air a t tacks were ineffectually made by German and I t a l i an bombers and torpedo-bombers, which were beaten off by our naval fighters and by the ships ' guns. One destroyer, H.M.S. Fortune, was hit, but was able.to proceed a t reduced speed. Nine enemy aircraf t were shot down for the loss of seven F A . A . aircraft , of which two only were due to enemy action.

7. Benghazi has twice been shelled by H.M. Ships dur ing the week. H.M. Cruiser Ajax wi th four destroyers, on the n ight of the 8 th /9 th , sank an ammunition ship of 5,000 tons and another supply vessel of 3,000 tons approaching the harbour. H i t s were also obtained on other shipping inside the port . On the second occasion, the night of the 10th/11th , four destroyers fired nearly 900 rounds a t very close range at sh ipping and mil i tary objectives. They were attacked by dive-bombers wi thout success. ,

H.M. Gunboat Ladybird shelled a landing ground a t Gazala dur ing the night of the 10th/11th, causing several fires. Gazala was again bombarded on the night of the 13th/14th by H.M. Gunboat Gnat. On the afternoon of the 13th, dive-bombers at tacked and sank H.M.S. Ladybird in Tobruk harbour. !

H .M. Submarine Usk is overdue a t Mal ta and must be considered lost.

8. On the 12th Swordfish of the Fleet Ai r Arm attacked an enemy convoy bound for Tripoli and hi t a destroyer and a merchant vessel of 8,000 tons.

9. Merchant shipping lost dur ing the t ranspor t of the expeditionary forces to Greece totalled 36,000 tons, wi th 6,000 tons damaged. Dur ing the evacuation from Greece the totals were 147,000 tons lost and 57,000 tons damaged. '

10. The French Gallium (1,775 tons) was intercepted on the 8th by H.M. Submarine Truant 180 miles east of Gibral tar , but was released from escort by a French destroyer.

Anti-Submarine Operations. 11. Four a t tacks were carr ied out by H.M. Ships dur ing the week on

U-Boats, all in the North-Western Approaches, but without conclusive results,. The most promising of these was made on the 9th by H.M. Destroyers Niagaraand St. Clair, 150 miles W.N.W. of Blacksod Bay. A Catalonia flying-boat, on the 11th, made an attack 100 miles west of Ireland.

Enemy Intelligence. -

German. ­12. The main s t rength of the German Fleet is now believed to be at Kiel

and in the Baltic, except for the battle-cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, which remain a t Brest, and the 8-inch cruiser Seydlitz, which was photographed a t Bremen on the night of the 9 th /10 th . Three destroyers which were in Bordeaux on the 5th May arr ived at L a Pallice on the 11th May. *

A succession of t ranspor ts is reported to have proceeded from Germany to Northern Norway dur ing late March and early Apr i l .

U-Boats. 13. There have been fourteen or fifteen German U-Boats and five or s ix

I ta l ians in the Nor th-Western Approaches dur ing the week. They have been disposed much as before, but activity has been on a low scale except for a prolonged at tack on an outward-bound convoy S.W. of Iceland, which lasted for three days.

[22521] B

j J n addi t ion to the main concentrations in the North, there have been some three Germans west of Freetown, one or two I ta l ians in the Madei ra -Canar ies a rea , and possibly one German off the coast of Brazil .

Ear Eastern Intelligence. 14. There is evidence that the Japanese have not u p to date made any claim

for the use of naval bases in Indo-China.

Enemy A t t a c k on Seaborne Trade. 15, Shipping losses dur ing the period have been below the average for the

pas t two months, They have been mainly due to TJ-boats, which made a successful a t tack on an outward bound convoy to the south-west of Iceland (C) and sank several ships to the westward of Freetown.

A i r at tacks on coastal convoys, although persistent, were not very effective; but some losses were caused by a i rcraf t operat ing in the North-Western Approaches. Several ships were damaged dur ing the air ra ids on Hull .

According to the information available up to the 14th May, shipping losses in A p r i l (details of which are given in Appendix I ) were 177 ships totall ing 523,000 tons, of which 45 ships were Allied or neutral .

Thir ty-nine ships (230,000 tons) were sunk by U-boat, 31 of them in the At lan t ic and North-Western Approaches, and 8 off Freetown. Sixty-four ships (249,000 tons) were sunk by aircraft , 40 of them in the Mediterranean, and the remainder in Home Wate rs and the North-Western Approaches.

For the first time losses by a i r a t tack have exceeded those by U-boats, but th is is due to the heavy casualties incurred in the Medi te r ranean . A p a r t from the Mediterranean, sh ipping losses have tended to show a sl ight improvement.

Protect ion of Seaborne Trade. 16. Dur ing Apr i l 3,372 ships were convoyed and twenty-two ships, totalling

120,471 tons, were sunk while under escort. Eleven of these ships were lost through U-boat a t t ack on two convoys. I n the week under review two battleships, one cruiser, 9 armed merchant cruisers, one ant i -a i rcraf t ship, 5 submarines, 60 destroyers and 65 sloops and corvettes were employed on escort duties.

Impor t s into Great Br i t a in by ships in convoy du r ing the week ending the 10th May totalled 891,156 tons, as compared wi th the 557,968 tons for the previous week, and an average of 695,048 tons for the past ten weeks. Twenty-six tankers brought in 245,291 tons of oil, as compared with 171,809 tons of the previous week. Mineral imports were 209,223 tons; eight ships being loaded w i th iron ore, two wi th manganese ore, three wi th phosphates and phosphate rock and three w i th scrap iron. Timber imports were 31,922 tons and cereals 239,528 tons Twenty-one ships were laden wi th wheat, three with gra in and one with pulse. Other food imports totalled 131,962 tons and included quant i t ies of meat, tea, but ter and cheese. Two ships brought in 18,761 tons of sugar.

British Minelaying. . ; 17. There has been no minelaying by surface craf t du r ing the period under

-review, but a few mines have been laid by aircraf t off the French Channel and At lan t ic ports and a few off the German North Sea Coast!

Enemy Minelaying, British Minesweeping. Home Waters.

18. Mines were dropped from aircraf t in the Thames on the night of the 10 th /11 th May and have been suspected dur ing the week off ports in the south­west of England and in large numbers off the Durham coast. Mines were also dropped in Liverpool Bay on two nights early in the week, but otherwise there has been no minelaying on the west coast nor th of Milford Haven. The enemy has taken to dropping mines wi thout parachutes.

The organisations for mine-watching have proved very valuable both in the Thames and on the Clyde. Dur ing the heavy raid on London dur ing the n ight of the 10th/11th May many mines were dropped in the Thames; these were marked and the River was closed for only one day

Twenty magnetic mines and four acoustic mines have been exploded dur ing the week in Home Wate rs in widely separated localities. The mine totals (including Foreign Waters) are now 1,140 magnetic, 597 acoustic and 864 contact.

Foreign Waters. 19. The Suez Canal has been raided on three nights of the week. Many

mines and bombs were dropped in and about the northern section of the Canal, which is closed. Five mines have been detonated.

A t least three mines were detonated dur ing the week at Mal ta and three.have been accounted for off Alexandr ia . .-;

Dangerous areas have been declared off the Tunis ian Coast, where enemy mines are suspected.

S.A. Trawler Aurora II and the L.L. Whaler Svana swept a channel to Gazala on the 11th May prepara tory to the bombardment of this port by H.M.S. Ladybird.

Enemy Merchant Shipping. 20. Two Norwegian oil refinery ships, each of about 12,000 tons, which

were captured by a German raider in the South At lant ic in mid - January were at Bordeaux on the 5th May.

A Bulgar ian ship of 1,994 tons and a German ship of 1,756 tons, fully­loaded, passed Is tanbul bound for the JEgean on the 7th and the 8th respectively.: One I t a l i an of 3,175 tons and a Bulgar ian of 2,300 tons ar r ived a t Is tanbul on the 10th May to load for the JEgean.

Three German ships are reported to have left Constanza for Salonika on the, ;12th loaded wi th ammunit ion under a covering of forage.

M I L I T A R Y S I T U A T I O N . Operations. Egypt and Libya.

21 . A t Tobruk on the 10th May our patrols surprised and shot up a working par ty of 300 I ta l ians and wi thdrew before enemy tanks could intervene.

I n the Sollum area an a t tempt was made on the 8th May to dislodge the enemy from Halfaya. This however failed and on the 9th May enemy armoured forces advanced from Sidi Omar towards Sidi Suleiman. Our troops engaged them and subsequently wi thdrew without serious loss. Since then sand storms and extreme heat have l imited activity.

A byssinia. ' ' 22. Activi ty continues in the Amba Alagi area. On the 5th May we

occupied further high ground captur ing one company of the M.T. battalion of the Grenadier Division. Dur ing an at tack on the 9th May heavy casualties were: caused by bombs thrown by I ta l ians flying a white flag.

Iraq. 23. As a result of vigorous ground and air action the enemy force concen­

trated at Habbaniya wi thdrew on the 9th May eastwards to Fal lu jah and west­ward to Ramadi carrying out demolitions and inundat ions covering these two­towns.

[22521] B 2

On the 11th May Rutbah was abandoned by the enemy and has been occu­pied by armoured cars of the A r a b Legion. - Conditions a t Basra appear to be re turn ing to normal.

24. The following uni ts have arrived in I r a q :-Strength.

! Three battalions and Force H.Q., H.Q. 21 Ind. Inf. Bde. ... ... ... 2,500

Remainder of second Br igade Group, base and L. of C. uni ts 2,500

Field regiment, field company, adminis t rat ive uni ts 3,000

Crete. ­25. The present garrison in Crete under the command of Major-General

Freyberg consists of :— 14 Inf. Bde. One Aust . Bde. Two N.Z. Bdes. Three l ight A.A. Btys. Two heavy A.A. Btys.

and ancillary uni ts . I n addi t ion there are Greek troops under t ra in ing who are being organised

for the defence of the island.

Intelligence. Syria, Iraq and Turkey.

26. There are strong indications tha t Germany intends to send to I r a q the assistance for which the lat ter country is urgently asking. Three German ai rcraf t arr ived at Aleppo on 9th May, alleging t h a t they had lost their way. They left for an unknown destination. The arr ival of some German a i rcraf t in Damascus is also reported.

The French authori t ies are known to have sent two train-loads of ammuni t ion eastwards, but deny that they are destined for I r a q on German demands.

27. Enemy agents are believed to be entering I r a q from Turkey and I ran , presumably to assist the F i f th Column already organised there and to prepare for the reception of German airborne troops. Germany is reported to have promised to come to the help of I r a q wi th in a for tnight irrespective of whether Turkey agrees to the passage of troops or not.

28. I t is reported tha t Germany intends to isolate Turkey by occupying Syr ia ra ther than to a t tack her directly. I t seems, however, impossible for Germany to send an effective land force to Syria or I r a q wi thout using the land route across Anatol ia . There are other indications tha t the centre of gravi ty of German activities at the moment has moved to S.E. Europe, and i t seems probable tha t developments in I r a q have led the Germans (whatever their earlier p lans may have been) to concentrate for the moment on the eastern Medi ter ranean and beyond.

By advancing through Turkey into Syr ia and at the same time renewing thei r offensive in Nor th Afr ica they could develop once again the pincer movement -vvhich they have used so consistently in all their recent campaigns.

Yugoslavia and Greece. 29. The I t a l i ans announce their occupation of Southern Yugoslavia,

proceeding from Eas tern Albania, up to the line Pecs-Pr izren-Tetovo-Kicevo, and of Epi rus , Acarnan ia a n d Altolia in Greece, i.e., of the whole of Western Greece nor th of the Gulf of P a t r a s . There are unconfirmed reports of guerilla act ivi ty in Montenegro and in Southern Serbia.

Nearly all the islands, including Chios, Mitylene, Samos, Kythera and Melos. a r e now in enemy hands.

Roumania. . '- .';V-'-.1-' ' 30. Whatever Germany 's real intentions in S.E. Europe may be, Roumanian

mili tary circles are being led to expect tha t the co-operation of the Roumanian army will shortly be required for an attack on Russia. Roumanian irredentism over Bessarabia is being openly encouraged and the usual sources indicate tha t conversations between the German and Roumanian staffs are in progress. Russian mili tary maps a re being issued t o all Roumanian officers. Such a policy does not necessarily indicate that an a t tack on Russia is planned for the immediate future..

Spain. 31. Ail the indications point to preparat ions for a move into Spain being

almost complete, but German thoroughness may wan t to be assured of addit ional railway facilities before commencing operations. If there were no Spanish resistance the occupation of the country could be carr ied out by the troops already near the Spanish frontier, and consequently very little warning (in the form of troop concentrations, heavy t ra in movements, &c.) could be expected.

Portugal. 32. German propaganda has been making play wi th alleged Bri t ish and

American intentions to occupy the Azores and is h in t ing at the necessity for " p r o t e c t i n g " Por tugal . A report that Germany has assured Salazar tha t Portuguese neutra l i ty will be respected has in itself a somewhat sinister r ing.

Morocco. 33. I t is reported tha t wa r material has been filtering through from Spain to

Spanish. Morocco, and it is possible tha t some of i t a t least is intended for German use, for other reports refer to the passage of German motor t ransport through Tunis to Tripol i tania . There are indications tha t Germany has p u t pressure on Vichy to deliver up a large number of motor vehicles already in North Africa, I t is believed tha t the Vichy Government agreed, but tha t General Weygand, after consenting to deliver not more than 200 vehicles, subsequently declined to hand over any at all. Fur ther information is lacking, bu t tha t this demand should have been made at all by Germany confirms the view / that t ranspor t difficulties are hamper ing German operations in Cyrenaica.

U.S.S.R. 34. Addi t iona l confirmation has been received of the gradual strengthening

of German forces all along the Russian frontier from the North of Norway to the Black Sea, and. it is suggested that preparat ions for operations against Russia will soon be complete. I t is also reported tha t S.S. contingents are being formed among emigrants from the Ukra ine and the Balt ic States, and tha t pro-German Governments for these terri tories are being planned.

There are indications of possible Roumanian co-operation in a move against Russia, a t least as far as Bessarabia is concerned.

35. Repor ts from various quarters—some of them probably inspired by Germany—stress the inevitabil i ty of a clash between Germany and Russia eventually, bu t they differ as to the probable date. J u n e and Ju ly are mentioned as the earliest possibilities, but this seems somewhat optimistic.

I t is probable that no decision has yet been taken as to whether Russia is to be persuaded by threats to comply with German wishes or should be attacked.

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

36. Dur ing the week, Bomber Command carried out their heaviest a t tack of the war . Our a i rcraf t have again made a number of successful a t tacks on enemy coastal shipping.

A heavy concentrated a t tack was made on London. Our night fighters have been conspicuously successful. Mal ta and Crete were at tacked on several occasions.

Germany and Occupied Terri tory. General.

37. Dur ing the week Bomber Command flew 85 day and 953 night sorties, which is a decrease in the scale of day operations and an increase in night operations as compared wi th the previous week. The largest number of a i rcraf t yet detailed since the outbreak of war, namely 383, were despatched on the night of the 8 t h / 9 t h May to at tack targets in Germany, the main efforts being concentrated on Hamburg and Bremen.

Day. 38. Most of the daylight at tacks have again been directed against enemy

coastal shipping, details of which are given under Coastal Operations. The naval base a t Hel igoland was at tacked on the 13th M a y b y ten Blenheims. r

Bombs were dropped on jett ies and buildings, causing a number of fires, and barracks and gun positions were at tacked wi th machine-gun fire.

Night. 39. Ai rc ra f t of the Bomber Command, taking advantage of good visibility,

made heavy at tacks on several impor tan t enemy objectives on five nights of the week. The shipyards and the indus t r ia l centre of H a m b u r g were attacked on three nights by a total of 357 aircraf t , and similar targets at Bremen were at tacked on two nights by a total of 198. Nearly 280 tons of H.E . bombs, including twelve 4,000-lb. bombs, and 25,000 incendiaries were dropped on Hamburg , and 180 tons of H . E . bombs and 35,000 incendiaries on Bremen. Direct h i t s were scored on the Blohm and Voss shipyards, the Rhenania Ossag oil refinery, and the Tiefstack electrical power station, a t Hamburg , and on the shipyards at Bremen. Large fires were s tar ted in both cities, and those at Hamburg could be seen seventy miles away.

40. The indust r ia l centres of Mannhe im and Ludwigshafen were at tacked twice, by a total of 185 aircraft . On the first occasion visibili ty was good and excellent results were obtained, nearly sixty tons of H .E . bombs and 7,500 incendiaries being dropped into the ta rge t area. The large concentration of fires which resulted could be seen by our re turn ing a i rcraf t when they were ninety miles away.

At tacks on a smaller scale were made on the indus t r ia l centre of Berl in and on the docks a t Bremerhaven, Emden, Rot terdam, Ostend and Calais.

41. Ai rc ra f t of Coastal Command! a t tacked the docks a t St. Nazaire on two occasions and direct hi ts were obtained on dock buildings, on the rai lway stat ion and on the customs house. Other successful at tacks were made on enemy supply ships and on oil stores at L a Pallice, on " E " Boats at Boulogne and a t I jmuiden and on several aerodromes in Norway.

42. F ighter Command a i rcraf t carr ied out offensive patrols over the Low Countries and Northern France on six n igh ts of the week. Bombs were dropped on several aerodromes.

United Kingdom. 43. F ighter Command flew 2,661 patrols , involving 3,808 sorties, by day,

and 1,402 addi t ional sorties were flown by night. The daylight effort of the enemy fighter force was slightly increased, but at n igh t 1,070 long-range bombers were employed, which showed a reduction compared wi th the previous week.

44. By day, the usual enemy reconnaissances were flown, and defensive fighter patrols were mainta ined over the Dover S t ra i t s and over coastal areas. A number of small-scale offensive daylight sweeps covered Kent and South and South-West Coastal regions; our fighters destroyed eighteen Me. 109's, and probably destroyed six others. W e lost six aircraft , but four of the pilots were saved. Ten Me. 109's dived from 29,000 feet to 100 feet to at tack Rochford aerodrome, and destroyed the control office.

45. London was heavily at tacked on the night of the 10th /11th May; it is est imated tha t 320 Bombers were engaged, about 30 of which carried out two sorties. Dur ing this attack, our n igh t fighters destroyed twenty-seven of the

raiders, probably destroyed five and damaged eleven others ; ant i -a i rcraf t guns shot down six. I n addition, our bombers destroyed five enemy aircraf t dur ing their operations over Germany. Details of other n ight at tacks are referred to i n the Home Security Si tuat ion; these were mostly of a scattered nature , and a feature has been the decline in effort since the full moon and the heavy losses sustained on the 10th/11th. Sixty-four enemy night bombers were destroyed dur ing the week.

46. Royal A i r Force Stat ions were bombed on many occasions, more par t icular ly on the night of the 11th/ 12th May, when thir ty-nine stations reported attacks. The damage was not of a serious nature , but some buildings and hangars were h i t and a number of a i rcraf t were damaged, and casualties occurred amongst the personnel. Dur ing one night , 200 bombs were dropped a t St. Eval, the a t tack last ing over four hours. A t Wat ton , a J u . 88 machine-gunned the station and was brought down by A.A. Lewis guns.

Coastal Operat ions. 47. Coastal Command flew 275 patrols and provided escorts for 95 convoys,

involving a total of 865 sorties. In addition, Fighter Command flew 1,908 sorties on shipping protection patrols.

48. Bomber Command a i rcraf t have again made several successful a t tacks on enemy shipping. The following received direct hi ts :—

A 700-ton Flak-ship off Stavanger. A 500-ton M.V. off the Dutch Coast. A 350-ton trawler off the Dutch Coast. A 2,000-ton destroyer or naval auxi l iary off Texel. Believed sunk. Two 500-ton coasters a t Maasluis. Probably sunk. A 12,000-ton supply ship a t St. Nazaire . A 2,000-ton M.V. off Ushant . Left sinking. Three M.V.S of 5,000, 4,000 and 1,600 tons respectively off the Is land

of Wangeroog. Al l set on fire.

Several other ships were at tacked but results could not be observed. On the 14th May a Coastal Command Beaufort torpedoed an enemy supply

ship of 5,000 tons in an escorted convoy off the Dutch Coast.

49. Ten successful minelaying sorties were flown by Bomber Command, and nine by Coastal Command. Enemy minelayers operated on a larger scale than in the previous week, covering the Eas t Coast, the Bristol Channel, Liverpool Bay and the Southern I r i sh Sea.

50. Enemy bomber-reconnaissance a i rc raf t carried out normal routine patrols dur ing the week. The Condor Uni t , which is opera t ing He . I l l as well as F .W. 200 aircraft , carr ied out reconnaissance flights over the Western and North-Western Approaches. Weather flights from Trondheim have also covered the area of J a n Mayen Is land and to nor th of Iceland (C) on two or three occasions dur ing the week. A few long-range torpedo-carrying reconnaissance float-planes operated over the Bay of Biscay. A detachment of about six J u . 87 dive-bombers engaged on armed reconnaissance of shipping is now operat ing from Banak, near Hammerfest . These a i rcraf t have a maximum radius of action of 180 miles.

Malta. 51. Five n ight at tacks were made on the Is land by German a i rcraf t ; on

the n ight l l t h / 1 2 t h May th i r ty enemy bombers mainta ined the a t t ack for five and a half hours. The main ta rge t was Luqa aerodrome, which was damaged, together wi th some bui ldings; a hangar was also hit, and one Maryland and a Wellington were destroyed and other a i rcraf t seriously damaged. I n addition, damage was inflicted on civilian proper ty and many houses were demolished. Two barrack blocks were destroyed and damage was caused to the dockyard and to a hospital. Three a t tacks were also made in daylight, when fighterspredominated.

52. Beaufighters on a s tanding pa t ro l shot down a J u . 88, and Hurr icanes on two occasions intercepted Ju . 87's a t t ack ing shipping, and destroyed two of them and probably destroyed two others. A Sunderland was at tacked a t its moorings by seven Me. 109's and set on fire, while five Hurr icanes were shot down by enemy fighters and one Beaufighter is missing.

53. On the 10th May nine Beaufighters made a very good a t tack on Catania and Comiso aerodromes, where considerable damage is believed to have been inflicted. Two J u . 52's, three bombers, a n d a number of other a i rcraf t were set on fire and further a i rcraf t damaged. A.bout 30 officers were machine-gunned on the run.

Crete and Eas tern Medi terranean. 54. On the n ight of 12th / 13th May enemy aircraf t operat ing singly bombed

Suda Bay for seven hours. The a t tack was repeated dur ing daylight on 13th and 14th May, and included the aerodromes a t Herakl ion and Melemo, but no serious damage resulted. E igh t enemy ai rcraf t were shot down and another was damaged.

55. Over 500 German t ranspor t a i rcraf t are concentrated in Greece, the majority in the neighbourhood of Athens. A t least twenty-five of the fifty I ta l ian long-range bombers a t present in the /Egean are now equipped for torpedo carry­ing. Two Me. 110 uni ts , totalling about sixty aircraft , are reported to have been fitted w i th ext ra tanks. One of these may operate from Rhodes, wi th in range of Alexandr ia . Rhodes may also be reinforced by additional German aircraft , con­sist ing of Ju . 88 and Me. 110. The Germans are believed to be p repar ing an air base on the Is land of Melos, about eighty miles south-east of Athens.

Egypt and Libya. 56. Our bombers continued their a t tacks on the enemy aerodromes a t Derna,

Jedabaya, Benina and Gazala. On the n igh t of 11 th /12th May, Wellingtons destroyed one Me. 110 and four He . l l l ' s a t Benina and, a t Derna and Gazala, bombs burst amongst grounded a i rcraf t destroying four single-engined fighters,in addi t ion to which about six a i rc raf t were severely damaged by machine-gun fire. Benghazi harbour was a t tacked and some large fires were s ta r ted ; bombs were also seen to drop very near two 5,000 ton vessels, and on buildings near the mil i tary headquar te rs and Government House.

On the n igh t of 10th/11th May, four Wellingtons from Mal ta scored several h i t s on the Spanish Mole, and near the Power Stat ion at Tripol i . A t the same time four Swordfish la id sea mines in the harbour.

57. M.T. vehicles were attacked wi th good results on a number of occasions. On 12th May, twenty-two Hurr icanes and Blenheims successfully machine­gunned the enemy dur ing his wi thdrawal from Sofafi to the Capuzzo area.

58. Enemy aircraf t , believed to be German, at tacked Tobruk harbour on four occasions. On the first, A.A. guns accounted for three of these and probably destroyed two others. The th i rd at tack, which was on the 12th May, was carr ied out by forty-six enemy aircraf t , on the south of the harbour. Two A.A. positions were h i t and one gun was pu t out of action. Three of the a t tacking a i rcraf t were probably destroyed, and, dur ing a subsequent attack, several others were damaged.

59. There has been a slight increase in German long-range bombers in Libya, but the reinforcement Of th is theat re is proceeding comparatively slowly.

I raq . 60. A t Habbaniya, the si tuation has remained quiet since the I r aq i s were

driven from their positions overlooking the cantonment. Rutbah was evacuated on the 11th May after action by Royal A i r Force armoured cars and repeated at tacks by aircraf t .

61. A p a r t from reconnaissance and s tanding patrols, operations have been confined to a t tacks on I r aq i aerodromes and mil i tary establishments. Rashid was bombed by Wellingtons and by a i rc ra f t of No. 4 Flying Tra in ing School;

direct hi ts were obtained on hangars , barracks and other buildings, and on three occasions the petrol dump a t the aerodrome was attacked. At tacks were also made on Baghdad A i r Por t , and on aerodromes a t Baquba, Mosul, and Shahraban. A t Mosul, twelve direct hi ts were registered on the barracks and, at Shahraban, ten a i rc raf t were destroyed on the ground. Barracks were also h i t a t Washshash, Masir iya and Qaraghan.

62. On the 13th May, a Blenheim fighter on a reconnaissance over Mosul was intercepted by a Me. 110; the enemy broke off the engagement after four very determined a t tacks ; i t may have been h i t by the Blenheim rear gun. On the 14th May, six monoplanes, believed to be Me. 109's, were seen a t Erbil , fifty miles east of Mosul, and three Heinkel l l l ' s have also been reported.

63. W i t h their present commitments in Libya and the vEgean, the Germans might make available up to thi r ty fighters and th i r ty long-range bombers for operations in I raq . Sufficient t ranspor t a i rcraf t for the supply of this force could also be found. I t has been reported tha t approximately th i r ty German a i rcraf t have landed in Syr ia up to the 12th May, at Damascus, Aleppo and Rayak. The passage of German a i rcraf t through Syria to I r a q appears to be effected with the connivance of the French Authori t ies .

64. I t is estimated tha t the I raq i A i r Force has now been reduced to a total of about fifty a i rcraf t of which only six are first line operational types.

Abyssinia. 65. Our a i rcraf t continued their a t tacks on enemy positions a t Amba Alagi

in close support of land operations. The fort was hit on several occasions. . Ai rc ra f t also at tacked enemy positions and M.T. near Wadera , Gimma,

Uondo and Sciasciamanna in Southern Abyssinia, and Nor th of Debareeh in Nor thern Abyssinia.

General Air Intelligence. Dispositions of the German Air Force.

66. A table showing the general disposition of the German A i r Force is given at Appendix V I I I . Movements indicate t ha t a certain amount of refitting is in progress. A p a r t from the slight increase of long-range bombers in North Africa, the most interest ing feature is the concentration of t ranspor t aircraft in Greece. Local movements are reported in the relevant pa rag raphs above.

A zores. 67. Reports received suggest tha t the Portuguese Government is making

serious efforts to provide for the air defence of the Azores. I t is s tated tha t one fighter squadron, probably equipped wi th fourteen Gladiators, will be transferred to Achada from the mainland in the near future, and tha t the Achada landing­ground is itself in course of improvement. A stock of 100-kg. bombs has been shipped to Pon ta Delgada, and an A.A. bat tery is understood to have been established at a point near Arrifes .

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

68. Enemy bombing has been negligible.

By Night. 69. The principle event of the week was a heavy and concentrated bombing

at tack on London on the 10th /11th May, causing considerable damage and many casualties. On the first two nights of the period Barrow and Hul l were bombed and Not t ingham had its first serious at tack. On the 11th/12th May bombing was widespread, many R .A.F . aerodromes being attacked. On the last three nights bombing was on a very minor scale.

Other places at tacked were chiefly in the north of England and in the south and south-west. Some damage and casualties were caused.

[22521] c

Damage. London.

70. The main weight of the at tack fell on the Central and City areas, but bombing was also widespread and affected sixty boroughs.

The main problem was the incendiary bomb and the fire si tuation, aggravated by a serious water shortage. Damage to residential , commercial and public property was very extensive.

71. Damage to the docks is substantial, but the abili ty of the por t as a whole to handle traffic is probably li t t le affected.

The river wall at Southwark and the embankment at Chelsea were damaged. Tower P ie r and the floating pier a t Billingsgate were hi t . The river, however, remained open except for a few restrictions.

72. There was considerable dislocation of t ransport , especially the railways. A t o n e time all the rai lway termini were closed except Marylebone.

Ut i l i ty services stood up to the at tack well. Gas was most affected; five gas works and many mains were damaged. Water pressure was low in most boroughs as the result of the fracture of 47 large and 100 smaller mains. Six electric power stations were hit , but in terrupt ion of services was only temporary. Damage to telephone services and equipment seriously affected communications from London to various pa r t s of the country.

73. Damage to public buildings was extensive. Amongst the buildings damaged were the Houses of Par l iament , Westminster Abbey and the Br i t i sh Museum. Several Hal ls of City Companies were destroyed and five churches and fourteen hospitals affected.

About eighteen impor tant indust r ia l concerns received hi ts dur ing the ra id . Hull.

74. There were extensive fires in the Dock area, affecting especially the K i n g George and Alexandra Docks. Rai lway dislocation seriously interfered wi th dock working.

Ut i l i ty services escaped lightly, but damage to proper ty was widespread and caused a large increase in the number of homeless.

Seven factories were affected, some receiving severe damage. Nottingham.

75. In its first ra id considerable damage was caused by fire to shops, offices and commercial premises; 500 houses were demolished.

Severe damage was caused to u t i l i ty services, especially those of water and gas, but only two factories were reported as damaged. Elsewhere.

76. Some damage was caused in Docks and to a few factories, but chiefly to pr ivate property. General Situation on Merseyside.

77. The dock system is chiefly affected by the major working difficulties of the railways, inside and outside the dock area, but clearance of lines is being effected.

On the 12th May road t ranspor t was still in operation to rai lheads, and workers could be taken to and from work without difficulty by road. In spite of the heavy loss of vehicles, considerable quanti t ies of goods are being moved daily from the docks.

Ut i l i ty services have greatly improved, but difficulty has occurred in obtaining rai l borne coal and gas supplies.

Casualties. 78. Casualties for the week ending 0600 hours, the 14th May, are est imated

a t 2,055 killed and 2,685 seriously injured. Seriously These figures i n c l u d e - injuredK U U d

London (for period) 1,212 1,769 H u l l ­

l%) -Nott ingham, 8 t h / 9 t h May ' 150 127

A P P E N D I X I .

SECTION A.-Merchant Vessels (excluding Commissioned Merchant Vessels) of all tonnages lost during the REPORTEDt o

t o

Date,

Apr. 1

Apr. 2

Apr. 2

Apr. 3

Apr. 3

Apr. 3

Apr. 3

Apr. 3

Apr. 3

Apr. 4

^ Apr. 4

Apr. 4

Name and Tonnage. Nationality.

S/S Cargo Ena de j British Larrinaga

(o,200) M / V T a n k e r British I -

Reliance (7,000)

S/S Cargo Beaverdale..] British (9,95'()

8/S Tanker British j British . Viscount

(6,895) S/S Cargo Alderpool ... British

(4,313) S/S Cargo Westpool ... British

(5,724) S/S Cargo Belle ... Norwegian

(2,467) 8/S Cargo Indier ... Belgian

(5,409) S/S Cargo Leonidas Z Greek

Cam banis (4,274)

S/S Cargo Athenic ... British (5,351)

S/S Cargo Harblcdoivn i British (5,414) . I

S/S Cargo Welcombe...\ British (5,122).

month of April by enemy action. (Note.—Tonnages are gross unless otherwise stated.)

By Submarine.

In Convoy Cargo. From- T o - How sunk. Position. Casualties to Crew and Remarks. or not.

Coal Hull Buenos Torpedo.. Not 205 miles E. of St. Some survivors picked*up. Aires Paul ' s

Gas oil Aruba Clyde Torpedo.. Yes 680 miles W. of Bu t t All saved. of Lewis

General St. John, Liverpool ... Torpedo.. Not 540 miles W.N.W. of 33 picked up. Fur ther 20 men ,N.B. Rockali seen in boat by aircraft.

Fuel oil ... Curacao ... Scapa Flow Torpedo.. Yes 650 miles W. of Bu t t 18 crew, 2 gunners, landed Liver­of Lewis pool.

Grain New York ... Liverpool . Torpedo.. Yes 680 miles W. of Bu t t No information regarding crew. of Lewis

Scrap iron... Bal t imore. . . Leith Torpedo.. Yes 650 miles W. of But t 2 Europeans, 3 lascars landed of Lewis Liverpool.

Steel and St. John, London Torpedo.. Yes 350 miles W. of All landed Liverpool. pulp N.B. Roekall

Steel and New York ... Glasgow . Torpedo . Yes 650 miles W. of 3 crew, 1 gunner, landed Liver­general Bu t t of Lewis pool.

Wheat Halifax ... Swansea . Torpedo.. Yes 650 miles W. of 29 in H.M. ships. Bu t t of Lewis

Grain Portland London Torpedo.. Yes 220 miles W. of All crew landed Liverpool. (Or.) Rockall

Grain Portland Loch E w e . Torpedo.. Yes 310 miles W. of 25 landed Liverpool. 16 crew, . (Or.) Rockall 2 Naval staff missing.

Grain Bal t imore. . . Loch Ewe . Torpedo,. Yes 350 miles W. of 24 crew, 2 gunners, landed Liver-Rockall pool.

H1

0

1 ' - ; ; In convoy i T. ... Date. Name and Tonnage. Nationality. Cargo. F r o m - T o - How sunk. Casualties.to Crew and Remarks. or not," Position.

Apr. 4

Apr. 4

Apr. 6

Apr. 8 ...

Apr. 8 ...

Apr. 8 ...

Apr. 8 ...

Apr. 8 ...

Apr. 8 ...

Apr. 10 ...

Apr. 11 ...

Apr. 12 ...

Apr. 13 ...

Apr. 13 ...

Apr. 15 ...

Apr. 20 ...

S/S Cargo Marlene (6,507)

S/S Cargo Portadoc ... (1,746)

M/V Tanker Lincoln Ellsworth

(5,580) S/S Cargo Helena

Margareta (3,316)

S/S Cargo Tweed (2,697)

S/S Cargo Harpathian (4,671)

M/V Tanker Duffield "... (8,516)

S/S Cargo Eskdene (3,829)

S/S Cargo Prins Wil­lem II

(1,304) S/S Cargo Saleier

(6,563) S/S Cargo /Egon

(5,285) S/S Cargo St. Helena...

(4,313) S/S Cargo Gorinthic ...

(4,823) S/S Cargo Ville de

Liege (7,463)

S/S Cargo Aurillac (4,733)

S/S Cargo Empire Endurance

(8,570)

British

British ...

Norwegian

British

British

British

British

British . .

Dutch

Dutch

Greek

British

British

Belgian

British

British

Iron, jute, oilcake,

ground nuts Ballast ...

Ballast ...

Ballast ...

Ballast ...

Spirit

Coal

Sugar

Coal

Wheat

Grain and general

Grain

Steel, tools, w h e a t , bacon

Manganese ore

Government stores

Calcutta ...

St. John, N.B.

Reykjavik.. .

Tyne

Liverpool ..

Tees

Curacao ...

Hull

Demarara ...

Loch Ewe . . .

Buenos Aires

Montevideo

Buenos Aires

New Y ork ...

Takoradi ...

Swansea ...

London, via Freetown

Freetown ...

Trinidad ...

Takoradi ...

Pepel

W.C. Africa

Gibraltar ..

Buenos Aires

London

Durban

ILK.

Hull

Freetown and U K

Liverpool ...

Workington

Alexandria

Torpedo. .

Torpedo...

Torpedo...

Torpedo...

Torpedo...

Torpedo.. .

Torpedo...

Torpedo...

Torpedo...

Torpedo...

Torpedo...

Torpedo...

Torpedo...

Torpedo...

Torpedo...

Torpedo...

Not ... 70 miles W. of Free­town

Not ... 250 miles W. of Free­town

Not ... 140 miles W.S.W. Reykjanes, Iceland

Not ... 350 miles W. of Madeira

Not ... 100 miles off Free­town

Not ... 290 miles W. of Madeira

Not ... 340 miles W. by S. Madeira

Not ... 300 miles W. of Madeira

Not ... 360 miles W.N.W.-Rockall

Not ... 558 miles W. of Rockall

Not ... 160 miles S. by W. of Freetown

Yes ... 100 miles off Free­town

Not ... 92 miles W. by S. of Freetown

Not ... 570 miles N.W. Rockall

Not ... 470 miles W. of Cape St. Vincent

Not ... 470 miles W. of Slvne Head

22 Europeans, 25 natives arrived Freetown. 9 Furopeans missing.

Crew landed French Guinea. 7 sent Freetown.

Crew picked up.

9 in H.M. Ship. 27 believed lost.

15 landed Konakry. Rest arrived Dakar.

21 landed Teneriffe.

27 arrived Teneriffe.

All arrived Pernambuco.

13 saved, 3 drowned, 1 boat missing.

63 picked up.

23 landed, 8 killed.

40 in H.M. Ship.

2 killed, 28 landed Freetown.

11 saved, remainder ('? 52) adrift in boats.

22 landed Madeira, 19 picked up, 1 died.

24 landed Greenock, 1 boat missing.

Date. Name and Tonnage. Nationality. Cargo. From— T o - How

Sunk. In Convoy

or not. Position. Casualties to Crew and Remarks.

Apr. 21 ... S/S Cargo and Passen­ger Oalchas

(10,305)

British General and Refrig.

Sydney ... L i v e r pool via Dur­ban

Torpedo... Not 530 milesCanaries

W.S.W. 18 Europeans, 13 Chinese lost ; 35 and 3 passengers saved.

Apr. 27

Apr. 27

...

...

M/V Cargo Beacon Grange

(10,160) S/S Cargo Rimfaltse ...

(1,334)

British

Norwegian

Ballast Tyne

Loch Ewe. . .

Buenos Aires

Reykjavik ...

Torpedo...

Torpedo...

Not

Not

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

130 miles N.W. of Bu t t of Lewis

41 picked up ; 1 boat missing.

7 landed Serabster; 12 possibly prisoners in U-boat.

Apr. 28 ... S/S Cargo Port(8,897)

Hardy British General Wellington, Dunedin Avonmouth

Torpedo... Yes About 300 miles W.N.W. of But t of Lewis

84 crew, 4 gunners, 10gers landed, 1 missing.

passen-

Apr. 28 ... M/V Tanker Oilfield(8,516)

... British Benzine Aruba Loch Ewe. . . Torpedo... Yes About 300 miles W.N.W. of Bu t t of Lewis

8 landed Londonderry, 3 injured, 2 dead; 2 gunners among saved.

W Apr. 28 ... S/S Cargo City of

Nagpur (10,146)

British General Glasgow ... Freetown ... ? Torpedo Not 500 miles W. of Ire­land

9 boatship.

loads picked up by H.M.

Apr. 28 ... M/V Tanker Gapidet(8,190)

... British Fuel oil ... Curacao ... Scapa Flow Torpedo... Yes 340 miles W.N.W. of But t of Lewis

35 saved, 11 missing.

Apr. 28 ... M/V Tanker(9,892)

Caledonia Norwegian Diesel oil ... Aruba Clyde Torpedo... Yes * ... About 300 miles W.N.W. of Bu t t of

25 survivors landed Greenock.

Lewis

Apr. 29 ... S/S Cargo Henri(2,564)

Mory British Iron ore ... Bermuda Barrow Torpedo... Not 300 miles W.Achill Head

of 3 saved, 29 missing.

Apr. 30 ... S/S Cargo(5,583)

Nerissa British General Halifax- Liverpool ... Torpedo... Not 92 miles N.W. by W. Bloody Foreland

84 survivors.

Apr. 30 ... M/V" Cargo(7,417)

Lassell British Ballast ... Liverpool ... Buenos Aires

Torpedo Not 950 miles W.Freetown

by N. Survivorsship.

picked up by Spanish

By Aircraft .

Date. Name and Tonnage. Nationality. Cargo. From— T o - How sunk. In Convoy or not. Position. Casualties to Crew and Remarks.

Apr. 1

Apr. 1

Apr. 2

Apr. 2

Apr. 2

Apr. 3

Apr. 4

Apr. 5

Apr. 5

Apr. 6

Apr. 6

...

...

...

. . .

S/S Tanker San Conrado

(7,982) M/V Tanker Hidlefjord

(7,639) S/S Cargo Home field ...

(5,324) S/S Cargo Fermain ...

(759) S/S Cargo Coulouras

Xenos (4,914)

S/S Cargo Northern Prince (10,917)

S/S Cargo Salvus (4,815)

S/S Cargo St. Clement (450)

S/S Cargo Uattray Head

(496) Steam Trawler

DaweZand (289)

S/S Cargo Dunstan ... (5,149)

British

Norwegian

British

British

Greek

British

British

British

British

British

British

Spirit

Spirit

Ballast

Coal

Government stores

Cereals

General and Livestock

Bricks

Pishing

General

Curacao ...

Aruba

Piraeus

Sunderland

Piraeus

Suez

Eosario

Kirkwall ...

Methil

Liverpool ...

Milford

Haven

Avonmouth

Por t Said ...

Cowes

Port Said ...

London

Aberdeen ...

Stromness. . .

Pernambuco

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

Yes

YeB

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Not

Yes

Not

Yes

13 miles N.W. of Smalls

20 miles N.W. of Smalls

Gavdo Is., E. Medi­terranean

26 miles E. of Spurn Head

Off Gavdo Is., E. Mediterranean

Anti Kithera Chan­nel, E. Mediter­ranean

Off Cromer ...

4 miles off Ythan River

Off Aberdeen

30 miles off Rathlen 0 'Byrn

78 miles N.W. of But t of Lewis

All safe, 5 injured.

5 survivors.

No casualties reported.

15 saved, 1 injured.

Not known.

None reported.

40 survivors.

10 saved, 1 missing.

8 saved, 2 missing.

All saved, 3 injured.

Not known.

Apr. 6

Apr. 6

Apr. 6

M/V Cargo Olga S. ... (2,252)

S/S Cargo Cyprian Prince

(1,988) S/S Cargo Clan. Fraser

(7,529)

British

British

British Vehicles and Army stores

Clyde

Glasgow ...

Takoradi

Piraeus

... Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

...

...

...

Not

Not

65 miles N.W. Bloody Foreland

Pirasus

Piraeus

30, saved, 3 wounded, 1 missing.

Not known.

Not known.

T r ,Date. Name and Tonnage. Nationality. Cargo. ! How In Convoy From— i 0 - Position. Casualties to Crew and Remarks. Sunk. or not.

Apr. 6

Apr. 6

Apr. 6

Apr. 6

Apr. 6

Apr. 6

Apr. 6

Apr. 7

Apr. 9

Apr. 9

Apr. 11

Apr. 11

Apr. 12

Apr. 12

Apr. 12

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

S/S Cargo City of Roubaix

(7,108) S/S Cargo Pa ins

(1,706) S/S Cargo Constantinos

Louloudis (4,697)

S/S Cargo Styliani ... (3,256)

S/S Cargo Petalli (6,565)

S/S Cargo Nicolaou Zograyhia

(7,156) Steam Trawler

Naeraberg (352)

Steam Trawler Sylvia (213)

S/S Cargo Dudley Rose (1,600)

M/V Tanker Bueston (5,187)

Hospital ship Attiki ... (2,561)

S/S Cargo Evoikos (4,792)

Cable ship Retriever ... (674)

M/V Tanker Marie Maersk

(8,271) S/S Cargo Kexhohn ...

(3,815)

British

British

British

British

Greek

Greek

Faroes

British

British

Norwegian

Greek

Greek

British

British

Swedish ...

Bomb ...

Bomb ...

Bomb ...

Bomb ...

Bomb ...

General Calcutta ... Liverpool ... Torpedo.. .

Bomb ...

Pishing Bomb ...

Coal Barry Portsmouth Bomb ...

Kerosene Bay town ... Milford Bomb ... and Haven Benzine

Bomb ...

Bomb ...

Bomb ...

Bomb ...

Buenos Gothenburg Bomb ... Aires

Piraeus

Piraeus ...

Piraeus

Piraeus ...

Piraeus

Not 140 miles W. by N. Barra Head

Not Between Orkneys and Faroes

Not 20 miles S.E. Nolso

Yes 150 Berry Head 4 miles

150 Berry Head 4 miles

Off Karystos, Greece

Piraeus

Yes Off Paleva, Greece ...

Piraeus

120 miles N.W. of But t of Lewis

Not known.

Not known.

Not known.

Not known.

Not known.

All saved.

No casualties.

-a

Crew 11, 1 missing, 5 wounded.

19 survivors.

7 survivors.

28 lost.

None reported.

35 survivors, 11 missing.

Not known.

All saved, 2 wounded.

an Not em

Date.

Apr. 13

Apr. 13

Apr. 13

Apr. 14

Apr. 16

Apr. 16

Apr. 16

Apr. 16

Apr. 16

Apr. 16

Apr. 17

Apr. 18

Apr. 19

Apr. 21

Apr. 21

Apr. 21

Name and Tonnage.

S/S Cargo City of Karachi

(7,140) M/V Cargo Brattdal ..

(4,968)

S/S Cargo Arbel (90.1)

S/S Cargo Trabzon ... (2,485)

M/V Cargo Sioedru .. (5,379)

S/S Cargo Anglesea Rose

(1,151) S/S Cargo Amiens

(1,548) S/S Cargo Memas

(4,359) S/S Cargo Bolette ...

(1,167) S/S Cargo Favorit

(2,826) S/S Cargo

Petrakis Nomikos (7,020)

S/S Tanker British Science

(7,138) S/S Cargo Margit

(3,257) S/S Cargo Moseha L.

Goulandris (5,199)

Hospital Ship Esperos (1,461)

Hospital Ship Ellenis.. (876)

Nationality. Cargo

British

Norwegian

Belgian .. Coal

Turkish

British W.A. Produce

British

British Coal

Greek

Norwegian

Norwegian Steel and

Greek Scrap

British Fuel Oil

Panamanian Ballast

Greek

Greek

Greek

From—

Maryport

Duala

Bristol Channel

Cardiff ...

Bristol Channel

Boston, U.S.A.

Haifa

Piraeus

How sunk.

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

In convoy or not.

Not

Yes

Not

Yes

Not

Yes

Yes

Position.

Piraeus

Piraeus

O f f L a n d ' s E n d

E. Mediterranean ...

158 miles W. of Bloody Foreland ...

Near Land ' s End ...

Near Land's End ...

Chalkis, Greece

Near Land 's End ...

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

Piraeus

E. Mediterranean ...

Malta

Chalkis

Off Missolonghi

Pat ras

Casualties to Crew and Remarks.

None reported.

None reported.

17 saved, 3 missing.

Not known.

33 saved, 1 killed.

None reported.

All saved.

oc Not known.

None reported.

51 saved.

Not known.

All saved.

Not known.

Not known.

Not known.

Not known, All wounded disem­barked.

In Convoy Date. Name and Tonnage. Nationality. Cargo. Prom— T o - How sunk. Position. Casualties to Crew and Remarks. or not.

to w Apr. 22 bo

1 Apr. 24

Apr. 24

Apr. 24

Apr. 24

Apr. 24

Apr. 24

Apr. 26

Apr. 26

Apr. 26

Apr. 27

Apr. 27

Apr. 27

Apr. 27

^ Apr. 29

Apr. 29

S/S Cargo Teti Greek Bomb ... Piraeus ... Not known (2,747)

S/S Cargo DimUrioa Nomieos

Greek Bomb ... Piraeus Not known.

(1,171) Hospital Ship PolicoB...

(875) Hospital Ship Andros...

Greek

Greek

Bomb

Bomb

...

...

Methana

Loutraki

No casualties.

Some crew casualties. (2,068)

S/S Cargo Teti Greek Bomb ... Piraeus Not known. Nomicou

(1,882) S/S Cargo Kyriaki

(5,528) S/S Cargo George A.

Greek

Greek

Bomb

Bomb

...

...

Suda Bay, Crete

Piraeus

Presumed no casualties.

Not known. Dracoulie

(1,570) S/S Cargo Mount-park...

(4,648) S/S Cargo Nicolaou

Georgios (4,108)

Hospital Ship Sokratis (1,134)

S/S Cargo Celte (943)

British

Greek

Greek

British

Grain Bahia Manchester Blanca ;

Reykjavik Hull

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

...

...

...

...

Not

Not

150 miles N.W. Bloody Foreland

Nauplia ?

Nauplia ?

110 miles S.W. of Faroes

35 saved, 6 killed.

Not known.

Not known.

23 saved, 2 wounded.

SO

S/S Cargo Maiotis (1,712)

S/S Cargo Ypants (1,459)

S/S Cargo Danapris ...

Greek

Greek

Greek

Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

Pirasus

Pirasus

Piraeus '?

Not known.

Not known.

Not known. (2,113)

S/S Cargo Kaloa (722)

Passenger S/S

British

Dutch

General Tyne Bomb

Bomb

Yes Off Tyne

E. Mediterranean

No casualties.

Not known. Slamat II

(11,636)

O S

Name and How In Convoy -.

Date. Nationality. Cargo. From— T o - Position. Tonnage. sunk. or not. Casualties to Crew and Remarks.

Apr. 29

Apr. 29

Apr. 29

...

...

...

S/S Cargo Santa Clara Valley

(4,665) Passenger S/S

Pennland (16,381)

Passenger S/S Costa Bica

(8,672)

British

Dutch

Dutch

Piraeus Nauplia Bomb

Bomb

Bomb

...

...

E. Mediterranean

E. Mediterranean

E. Mediterranean

...

...

...

Crew saved, 1 died, 1 injured.

Not known.

Not known.

By Cause Unknown.

Apr. 15

Apr. 21

...

...

S/S Cargo Agios Markos (4,514)

S/S Cargo Urania

Greek

Panamanian

Buenos Aires

Pirseus, left Port Said April 13

E . Mediterranean

Tobruk ...

... Not known.

Not known.

Apr. 25 ... (1,953)

S/S Cargo Messarya Nosicou

Greek Greek waters Not known.

Apr. 25 ... (985)

S/S Cargo Sofia Greek Greek waters Not known.

Apr. 26 ... (1,722)

S/S Cargo Point(4,810)

Judith Greek Greek waterssumably

pre- No casualties.

By Mine.

Name and In Convoy Date. Nationality. Cargo. F r o m - To- How sunk. Position. Casualties to Crew and Remarks. Tonnage. or not. t o

t o

' Apr. 7 .. S/S Cargo Elizabeth ... British Coal Port Talbot Poole Not 5 miles E.S.E. Port \ 9 survivors. (945) Scatho i

Apr. 8 .. S/S Tanker Ahamo British Ballast London Curaijoo Yes Off Skegness 34 saved, 14 missing. (8,621)

Apr. 9 .. S/S Tanker Lunula ... British Spirit Halifax Thames- Thameshaven, Lon- i About 20 killed, rest ashore and (6,363) haven don j safe.

(arrived 9/4) Apr. 15 .. S/S Cargo Clan British Pirasus Alexandria Off Piraeus ... No details known.

Gumming SP-: . ' i- ­(7,264) I

Apr. 17 .. S/S Cargo Profit Norwegian London .':".! Hul l Yes Barrow Deep 5 survivors, 4 injured, 13 missing, (1,608)

Apr. 18 .. Steam Trawler British Off Newcastle, j 5 survivors, 7 missing. Millimumul N.S.W. '

(287)

By Surface Graft.

Apr. 17

Apr. 28

S/S Cargo Effa (1,446)

S/S Cargo Nereus (1,298)

...1 S/S Cargo Ambrose Fleming

(1,555)

British

Dutch

British

Coke

Potatoes

Ballast

Middlesbro' j London

Dundee London

' London ... Burntisland

Near Cross Sand L.V.

..J Near Cross Sand L. V.

... Off Cromer

27 saved, 2 missing.

All saved.

...! 11 saved, 11 missing.

a

M , CD O O

SECTION B. Merchant Vessels (excluding Commissioned ^Merchant Vessels) of SOD gross tons and over REPORTED damaged during thesmonth of April by Enemy Action. Vessels suffering superficial or minor damage excluded.

Date.

Apr. 1

Apr. 1

Apr. 1

Apr. 2

Apr. 2

Apr. 3

Apr. 6

Apr. 6

Apr. 8

Apr. 9

Apr. 9

Name and Tonnage.

M/V Tanker Kaia Knudsen

(9,063) M/V Tanker

Adellen (7,984)

M/V Tanker Chesapeake

(8.955) S/S Cargo

Melrose Abbey (1,908) /S Cargo Wild

Rose (873)

S/S Cargo Oed­dington Court

(6,903) S/S Cargo

Glenfinlas (7,572)

S/S Cargo Katie Muller (3,100)

S/S Cargo Chaucer

(5,792) S/S Cargo

Kylegorm (622)

S/S Tanker.Bri­tish Workman (6,994)

Nationality.

Norwegian.

British

British

British

British

British

British

British

British

British

British

Cargo.

Oil fuel

Oil fuel

Petrol

Ballast .

General .

Govt. .

Coke

Ballast

From- To- Cause. In convoy or not. Position. Extent of Damage.

Casualties to Crew. Other

Remarks.

Curacoa ...1 Milford Haven

" \ ' -Curacoa ..J Milford

Haven

Balt imore. . . Avonmouth

London ...1 Clyde

Dublin ...! Rosslare

Tees

London, Tees

Halifax and U.S.A.

Yokohama...

A/C

A/C

A/C

M.

A/C

A/C

A/C

Yes

Yes

Yes

Not

20 miles N.N.W. of Smalls

Off Milford Haven

(1) Off Smalls ... (2) OffSt.Govans

N. of Aberdeen, River Ythan

St. George's Channel

E. of Montrose.. .

Off Orfordness .

Damaged in engine room. Towed into Milford Haven

Fire damage and hole on port side.. Taken into Milford Haven

U.X.B. in tank—removed— repairs effected and later left for U.S.A.

Large hole amidships. En­.gine room, stokehold and bunkers flooded

Beached off Rosslare, later refloated and berthed Dublin

2TJ.X.B.'sonboard, damage below water line. Arrived Rosyth 9.4.41.

Damage to engine room and boilers

2 wounded, 1 killed.

1 killed, 4 wounded.

1 wounded.

No casualties.

No casualties.

No casualties.

11 killed, 1 wounded.

A/C Piraeus Extent not known. Arrived Suez, April 26, 1941,

Hull Halifax A/C At anchor near Humber L.V.

Towedroom

into Hull . damage

Engine No casualties,

Sunderland Burry Port A/C Off St.Head

Anne's Beached Milford Shelf ...\ No casualties

London Aruba A/C Yes Off Moray Fir th P u t into Kirkwall. W i l l ' 4 injured, require dry docking for repairs '

Date. Name and Tonnage. Nationality. Cargo. From— T o - Cause. 1 ^ Convoy

i or not. Position. Extent of Damage. Casualties to Crew. Oth er

Remarks.

Apr. 11 ... S/S Cargo Kronprinsessan

Margareta ...

Swedish ... Paper, Honey

Montreal ... Portishead A/C Portishead Dock Fire damagebadly.

and listing None reported.

Apr. 12

Apr. 13

...

...

(3,746) S/S Cargo

Dartford (4,093)

S/S Cargo Baron Belhaven

British

British

Ballast

Ballast

...

...

Avonmouth

Belfast ...

Swansea

Cardiff

... A/C

A/C

Not

Yes

1£ miles S. of Mumbles Lt .

Off Milford

Struck by bomb amidships starboard side. Engines disabled and towed Cardiff.

Engine room damaged. Ar­rived Milford Haven and

No casualties.

4 killed.

Apr. 13 ...

Apr. 1-21

Apr. 15 ...

(6,591) S/S Cargo Veni

(2,982) S/S Cargo Draco

(2,018) S/S Cargo

Ooalpara

Norwegian

British

British

Timber

Govt.

Govt.

...

...

...

Louisburg. . . Grange­mouth

A/C

A/C

A/C

Yes Haven

N. Atlantic

Tobruk ...

Pirseus ...

later arrived Barry in tow Considerable damage

Badly damaged after two attacks

Seriously damaged and beached; probably total

None reported.

1 killed.

Not known.

Apr. 15 ... (5,314)

S/S Cargo Quiloa (7,765)

British Govt. ... A/C Piraeus... loss owing evacuation

Seriously damaged and beached; probably total loss owing evacuation

Not known.

Apr. 17 ... S/S Cargo Montalto

British Cement . . . A/C Rochester Submerged on evenWill be refloated

keel. when

No casualties.

Apr. 17

Apr. 18

...

...

(623) S/S Cargo Ethel

Radcliffe (5,673)

M/V Tanker Scottish

British

British

Grain

Ballast ...

St. John, N.B.

Falmouth ...

London

Aruba

... E-B

A/C

Yes

Not

Near Cross Sand I. V., Yarmouth

Off St. Anne's Head

tides serve (end of May) Beached off Yarmouth.

Cargo being discharged to enable vessel to be floated

Arrived Milford Haven. Hole in deck star, side

1 wounded.

2 killed, 4 injured.

Apr. 18 ...

Musician (6,998)

S/S Cargo Csikos (3,938)

Panamanian Steel and scrap

Gibraltar ... Ardrossan ... A/C Yes 120 miles W.S.W. of Bloody Fore­land

piercing No. 6 tank and penetrating bottom

Making water in all holds. Arrived Ardrossan April 29

2 killed, 2 wounded.

Apr. 21 ... S/S Tanker British Lord

British Govt. ... Abadan Suda Bay ... A/C S.W. of Gavdo Island, Eastern

Engines damaged.arrived Port Said.

Later None reported.

(6,098) Mediterranean

Casualties to Name and In Convoy ,, ... Date. Nationality. Cargo. From— T o - Cause. , Position, Extent of Damage. Crew. Other Tonnage. or not. Remarks.

Apr. 21 ... M/V Tanker British Ballast ... Dartmouth, Curacao ... A/C Not 3 miles S.E. of Engine room flooded and No casualties. British Renown Falmouth Dartmouth down by the stern. Re­(6,997) turned Dartmouth

Apr. 21 ... S/S Pass. Cargo British Govt. ... A/C ... Bomb penetrated engine No casualties. Plymouth Maidstone room. Vessel grounded

(688) Apr. 21 ... S/S Cargo British Govt. ... A/C Severely damaged. Engine None reported.

Tobruk Bank lira room and stokeholds (3,185) flooded

Apr. 24 ... M/V Cargo British General . . . Hong Kong, London A/C Yes 20 miles N. of Aground Largs Bay, later 1 wounded. Dolius Table Bay Bell Rock, refloated and docked Leith

(5,507) Fir th of Tay Apr. 25 ... M/V Tanker Norwegian... Ballast ... Curacao A/C Not 130' Myrdals Fire in engine room. Pro-Mersey Polarsol Jokul Lt . 180 ceeding Reykjavik in tow

(10,022) miles Iceland and thence Rothesay. Apr. 29 ... S/S Cargo British Coal ... London A/C Yes Off Tyne Extensive damage amid- 1 killed, 1 injured. Tyne Gorglen ships. P u t back to Tyne

(2,822) . in tow Apr. 29 ... S/S Cargo British Coal London A/C Off Tyne P u t into Tyne in tow No casualties. Methil Askeladden

(2,496) Apr. 29 ... S/S Cargo Greek Alexandria A/C Suda Bay, Crete Bombed and ashore None reported. Pirseus Konistra

(3,537)

Merchant Ships (all sizes) other than Merchant Ships Commissioned for Naval Service reported lost by Enemy Action up to Noon, Wednesday, 14th May. 1941.

Brit ish. Allied. Neutra l . Together.

B yB y --No. Gross

Tons. No. Gross Tons. No. Gross

Tons. No. Gross Tons.

Submar inSubmar inee ...... 3 8 5 2 , 1 8 0 , 0 0 0 9 9 4 8 9 , 0 0 0 1 8 1 5 8 8 , 0 0 0 6 6 5 3 , 2 5 7 , 0 0 0 MinMinee ... . .. 1 9 6 4 9 9 , 0 0 0 3 9 1 0 6 , 0 0 0 7 9 2 3 2 , 0 0 0 3 1 4 8 3 7 , 0 0 0 SurfacSurfacee CrafCraftt 1 2 0 6 0 3 , 0 0 0 3 9 2 5 3 . 0 0 0 6 1 8 , 0 0 0 1 6 5 8 7 4 , 0 0 0 AircrafAircraftt 1 9 9 6 0 1 , 0 0 0 9 9 4 0 7 , 0 0 0 3 4 9 0 , 0 0 0 3 3 2 1 , 0 9 8 , 0 0 0 OtheOtherr causescauses ,, oorr causcausee 3 9 8 3 , 0 0 0 1 2 5 0 , 0 0 0 1 0 3 2 , 0 0 0 6 1 1 6 5 , 0 0 0

unknowunknownn 9 3 9 3 , 9 6 6 , 0 0 0 2 8 8 1 , 3 0 5 , 0 0 0 3 1 0 9 6 0 , 0 0 0 1 , 5 3 7 6 , 2 3 1 , 0 0 0

N O T E . — " A l l i e d " figures include Pol i sh ; all French up to J u n e 2 5 , 1 9 4 0 ; " F ree " F rench from J u n e 2 5 , 1 9 4 0 ; Norwegian from April 9 , 1 9 4 0 ; D u t c h and Belgian from May 1 0 , 1 9 4 0 ; Greek from October 2 8 , 1 9 4 0 ; and Yugo-Slavian from April 6 , 1 9 4 1 . " Neu t ra l " figures include I ta l ian up to J u n e 1 0 , 1 9 4 0 ; " V i c h y " F rench from J u n e 2 5 , 1 9 4 0 ; and Yugo-Slavian to April 6 , 1 9 4 1 .

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 11th May, 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 SeptembeSeptembeSeptembeSeptembeSeptembeSeptembeSeptemberrrrrrr 2222222 ,,,,,,, 1 9 31 9 31 9 31 9 31 9 31 9 31 9 3 9999999 5 1 9 3 , 2 7 5 , 0 0 0 3 , 5 7 8 1 5 , 3 9 0 , 0 0 0

Additions—Additions—Additions—Additions—Additions—Additions—Additions— NeNeNeNeNeNeNewwwwwww shipshipshipshipshipshipshipsssssss 2 1 1 5 5 , 0 0 0 2 1 3 1 , 1 5 7 , 0 0 0 E n e mE n e mE n e mE n e mE n e mE n e mE n e m yyyyyyy shipshipshipshipshipshipshipsssssss capturecapturecapturecapturecapturecapturecaptureddddddd . .. .. .. .. .. .. . ....... 1 6 , 0 0 0 5 2 2 7 4 , 0 0 0 ShipShipShipShipShipShipShipsssssss t ransferret ransferret ransferret ransferret ransferret ransferret ransferreddddddd frofrofrofrofrofrofrommmmmmm otheotheotheotheotheotheotherrrrrrr flagsflagsflagsflagsflagsflagsflags———————

DanisDanisDanisDanisDanisDanisDanishhhhhhh . .. .. .. .. .. .. . ....... . .. .. .. .. .. .. . ....... .:.:.:.:.:.:.:....... 8 6 6 , 0 0 0 1 1 5 3 0 5 , 0 0 0 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 ..... .. .. .. .. . ....... . . . . .. . . . .. . . . .. . . . .. . . . .. . . . .. . . . . ....... 1 2 6 0 , 0 0 0 1 0 7 5 0 2 , 0 0 0 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 1 1 , 0 0 0 2 8 , 0 0 0 Es ton iaEs ton iaEs ton iaEs ton iaEs ton iaEs ton iaEs ton iannnnnnn 2 2 3 7 , 0 0 0 La tv i aLa tv i aLa tv i aLa tv i aLa tv i aLa tv i aLa tv i annnnnnn 3 6 , 0 0 0 OtherOtherOtherOtherOtherOtherOthersssssss 1 3 8 5 , 0 0 0 7 8 9 , 0 0 01 4 S

OtheOtheOtheOtheOtheOtheOtherrrrrrr addi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionsssssss .............. ....... 1 1 1 6 , 0 0 0 9 2 1 8 5 , 0 0 0

TotaTotaTotaTotaTotaTotaTotalllllll addit ionaddit ionaddit ionaddit ionaddit ionaddit ionaddit ionsssssss . .. .. .. .. .. .. . ....... 6 8 3 9 9 , 0 0 0 7 5 4 3 , 2 6 3 , 0 0 0

Deductions—Deductions—Deductions—Deductions—Deductions—Deductions—Deductions— ShipShipShipShipShipShipShipsssssss sunsunsunsunsunsunsunkkkkkkk bbbbbbbyyyyyyy ththththththth eeeeeee enemyenemyenemyenemyenemyenemyenemy———————

(i(i(i(i(i(i(i))))))) MerchanMerchanMerchanMerchanMerchanMerchanMerchan ttttttt shipshipshipshipshipshipshipsssssss commissionecommissionecommissionecommissionecommissionecommissionecommissioneddddddd fofofofofofoforrrrrrr NavaNavaNavaNavaNavaNavaNavalllllll ServicServicServicServicServicServicServiceeeeeee 2 1 3 , 0 0 0 3 2 2 8 0 , 0 0 0

(ii(ii(ii(ii(ii(ii(ii))))))) OtherOtherOtherOtherOtherOtherOthersssssss 9 1 6 9 8 , 0 0 0 6 9 3 3 , 1 9 5 , 0 0 0 ShipShipShipShipShipShipShipsssssss cap tu recap tu recap tu recap tu recap tu recap tu recap tu reddddddd bbbbbbbyyyyyyy thththththththeeeeeee enemenemenemenemenemenemenemyyyyyyy ..................... 1 6 , 0 0 0 5 1 6 , 0 0 0 ShipShipShipShipShipShipShipsssssss de ta inedeta inedeta inedeta inedeta inedeta inedeta ineddddddd iiiiiiinnnnnnn FrencFrencFrencFrencFrencFrencFrenchhhhhhh por tpor tpor tpor tpor tpor tpor t sssssss 1 4 , 0 0 0 1 8 5 9 , 0 0 0 OtheOtheOtheOtheOtheOtheOtherrrrrrr deduc t iondeduct iondeduct iondeduct iondeduct iondeduct iondeduct ionsssssss (includin(includin(includin(includin(includin(includin(includinggggggg MarinMarinMarinMarinMarinMarinMarineeeeeee Risk)Risk)Risk)Risk)Risk)Risk)Risk)———————

(i(i(i(i(i(i(i))))))) CommissioneCommissioneCommissioneCommissioneCommissioneCommissioneCommissioneddddddd fofofofofofoforrrrrrr NavaNavaNavaNavaNavaNavaNavalllllll ServicServicServicServicServicServicServiceeeeeee 2 2 , 0 0 0 2 2 6 2 , 0 0 0 (ii(ii(ii(ii(ii(ii(ii))))))) OtherOtherOtherOtherOtherOtherOthersssssss 9 4 9 , 0 0 0 1 6 2 5 4 0 , 0 0 0

TotaTotaTotaTotaTotaTotaTotalllllll deduct iondeduct iondeduct iondeduct iondeduct iondeduct iondeduct ionsssssss 1 0 6 7 7 2 , 0 0 0 9 3 2 4 , 1 5 2 , 0 0 0

NeNeNeNeNeNeNettttttt addi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionaddi t ionsssssss (-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-))))))) ooooooorrrrrrr deduc t iondeduct iondeduct iondeduct iondeduct iondeduct iondeduct ionsssssss ( -( -( -( -( -( -( - ))))))) ... .. .. .. .. .. . ....... - 3 8 - 3 7 3 , 0 0 0 - 1 7 8 - 8 8 9 , 0 0 0

BritisBritisBritisBritisBritisBritisBritishhhhhhh shipshipshipshipshipshipshipsssssss ooooooonnnnnnn MaMaMaMaMaMaMayyyyyyy 1 11 11 11 11 11 11 1 ,,,,,,, 1 9 41 9 41 9 41 9 41 9 41 9 41 9 4 1111111 4 8 1 2 , 9 0 2 , 0 0 0 3 , 4 0 0 1 4 , 5 0 1 , 0 0 0 *

* Of the tota l Non-Tanker tonnage, vessels represent ing about 4 , 1 0 0 thousand gross tons are ­engaged on Naval , Mili tary or R.A.F. Services (including some commissioned for Naval Service), some of which bring cargoes t o the United Kingdom on their homeward voyage. After allowing for vessels ( 1 ) t rading pe rmanen t ly abroad and ( 2 ) undergoing or await ing repair , including t h e fitting of defensive protection, the balance is a l i t t le under 7 million gross tons , . some par t of which is engaged in the coasting t r ade of the United Kingdom and Eire .

(2) Total losses of, and other deductions from, British Sea-going Merchant Ships of S00 gross tons and over, including Merchant Ships Commissioned for Naval Service, expressed as approximate annual rates of loss.

Total losses sunk or Approximate annua lcaptured by the enemy,Period. loss if co lumn (2) lossesand other deduc t ions in continued for a year.the period.

U) - (2) (3)

First 9 m o n t h s of war : Gross Tons. Gross Tons. i.e., from Sep tember 3, 1939, to May 31,1940' 1,098.000 1,500,000

Following 3 m o n t h s : i.e., from J u n e 1, 1940, to August 31 , 1940.. . 1,051,000 4,200,000

Month of September, 1940 345,000 4,200,000 October, 1940 321,000 3,800,000

,, November, 1940 380,000 4,600,000 . , , December , 1940 ... 334,000 3,900,000

,, J anua ry , 1941 226,000 2,700,000 ,, February 1941 376,000 4,800,000

March, 1941 369,000 4,300,000 April, 1941 369,000* 4,500,000*

* These figures re la te to losses so far notified, and may be increased by late notifications.

(3) Merchant Ships (100 gross tons and over) under construction in British Yards in the United Kingdom and abroad in week ending 8th May, 1951.

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

Colliers and coast ing ships 6 4,000 33 39,000 Other ships ... 40 333,000 130* 858,000

46 337,000 163 897,000

* Inc lud ing 5 vessels (33,000 gross tons) building abroad, 2 me rchan t ships (18,000 gross tons) t aken over by t h e Navy dur ing construct ion and 8 ships (16,000'gross tons) qf merchan t type intended for Naval use.

I n addit ion, there are 183 merchan t ships, totall ing 1,220,000 gross tons , on order or proposed to order in t h e United Kingdom and abroad (including 19 tankers of 122,000 gross tons).

A P P E N D I X IY.

Merchant Ships (all sizes) lost by the Enemy up to 13th May, 1911.

German. I t a l i an . Together .

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

CaptureCapturedd oorr seizeseizedd 61 274,000 39 183,000 100 457,000 Scut t leScut t ledd oorr sunsunkk ...... 103 589,000 72 397,000 175 986,000 UnidentifieUnidentifiedd shipshipss reportereportedd

bbyy S/MS/M,, A/CA/C,, &c&c,, aass sunsunkk oorr destroyedestroyedd ( tonnag(tonnagee es t imatedest imated)) 182 910,000 104 520,000 286 1,430,000

346 1,773,000 215 1,100,000 561 2,873,000

I n addit ion, 38 ships of 67,000 gross tons under enemy control or useful to t h e enemy have been sunk.

Also some 53 ships, total l ing 320,000 gross tons, have been placed under protect ive custodyin Uni ted S ta tes and South American por ts to prevent sabotage by their crews.

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

The following casualties have occurred to H.M. Auxil iary Vessels du r ing the period under review :—

8th May.—M/S Trawler Sicilia mined and sunk in the Humber. Seven of crew missing.

8th/9th May.—A/S Trawler Grampion slightly damaged by air a t tack off Aberdeen. No casualties.

8thI'9th May.—Mine Detection ship Queensworth sunk by air at tack off the Outer Dowsing. No casualties reported.

9th110th May.—Free French Submarine-chaser Chasseur Al slightly damaged by a i r a t tack off Portsmouth.

10th/ilth May.—A/P Depot ship Gipsy sunk in Thames and A / A Vessel Goat fell damaged dur ing air ra id on London.

11thI'12th May.—A/P Drif ter Eunice and Nellie slightly damaged by air a t tack off Brightl ingsea. One casualty. j

lAth May.—Examination Vessel M.A. West bombed and sunk off Yarmouth.

l&h May.—Harbour Defence Vessel Minicoy and E .A.F . Launch 316 mined and sunk off Mil ford Haven.

The following casualties to naval personnel have been reported :— Officers : Killed 29, missing 7, wounded 16. Ra t ings : Killed 112, missing 256, wounded 76.

The missing include the ra t ings lost in H.M. Destroyers Diamond and Wryneck on the 8th Apr i l .

A P P E N D I X Y I .

Operational Aircraft Battle Casualties. 0600 hours, Thursday, 8th May, 1941, to 0600 hours, Thursday, 15th May, 1941.

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

Bombers ... 30 1 Fighters ... 11 2 Coastal ... 3

Total 44

ProbablyGerman. Destroyed. Destroyed. Damaged.

Bombers 63 11 ' 31 F igh te r s 21 8 5 Miscel laneous 29 6 14

Tota l 113 25 5 0 No account is t aken of aircraft destroyed on t h e ground. Of the above totals , 7 bombers , 1 fighter and 14 " m i s c e l l a n e o u s " aircraft were destroyed,

2 " miscel laneous " aircraft were probably destroyed and 1 "miscel laneous " aircraft was damaged by A.A. fire.

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

Bombers . . . . . . ' . . . 1 Figh te r s ... 8 Coastal ...

Total 11 [22521] E

ProbablyGerman. Destroyed. Destroyed. Damaged.

Bombers ... 5 2 1 F igh te r s ... -2 1 Miscel laneous 3 18

Total 10 21 1 Of the above totals , 2 bombers and 3 " miscel laneous " aircraft were destroyed and 5

" miscel laneous " aircraft were probably des t royed by A.A. fire.

Italian Aircraft Losses: Nil.

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 dur ing the past week from air reconnaissance and Intelligence sources :—:

Germany. Berlin.—On the l 7 t h / 1 8 t h Apr i l a bomb " of tremendous power " fell in

an open space between the Bredscheider Strasse and the Rognitz Strasse (Charlot tenburg area). The two nearest houses were razed to the ground and the interior and windows of all houses wi th in a radius of 500 yards were ruined. The blast effect was such tha t some of the soldiers quartered in the exhibition buildings nearby were found wander ing aimlessly. On the 9 th /10 th Apr i l one corner where the Mittelstrasse crosses the Friedrichstrasse was completely demolished and many houses in the vicinity were rendered uninhabitable. A mi l i ta ry store was fired, and the bomb which fell on the Sans Souci palace caused serious damage to the interior. The " Swiss House " and the Graphic and P r i n t i n g Ins t i tu te , modern buildings in the hear t of Berlin, were both destroyed.

Kiel.—An informant who visited the town on the 17th Apr i l described i t as a picture of destruction. H e saw 136 houses in varying stages of ruin, and was told that from many of them bodies had not yet been recovered. A naval engineer stated that , while work on several vessels under construction had had to be suspended, the damage was not such as to cause total suspension on some of them for more than 10 days. H e was informed tha t the casualties were between 800 and 1,000 and tha t there had been a considerable shortage of A .R .P . workers to alleviate the distress. I n the ra ids on the 24th /25th a n d the 25 th /26 th Apr i l domestic proper ty suffered severely and the damage was considerable. Casualties were h igh and two special t ra ins were sent from Berlin wi th doctors and medical equipment.

Wilkelmshaven.—In the ra id on the 24 th /25 th A p r i l the Western Section of the po r t suffered most. I t is said tha t approximately 25 per cent, of the houses in the por t neighbourhood have been rendered uninhabitable.

France. Brest.—Several reports have been received of vary ing degrees of reliability

which are unanimous in s ta t ing tha t both the Scharnhorst and the Gneisenau have been hit. One source, believed reliable, states that the Gneisenau received three direct h i t s on the n ight of the 10th /11th Apr i l , when over 100 of her crew were killed, and a further direct hi t on the n ight 12th/13th. She is said to have her forward tu r re t out of al ignment and the armoured deck behind this tur re t is broken up. H e personally observed two tugs working pumps lying alongside the Scharnhorst, which was down by the stern. I t is said that the Gneisenau may be out of commission for at least three months. On the 27th/28th Apr i l a pa t ro l vessel in the harbour was severely damaged and photographs taken on the 8 th May, while not enabling the actual damage to the bat t le cruisers to be assessed, confirmed the success of the a t tack on the night of the 7 th /8 th . They

29 1 7 2 ,show considerable fresh damage to buildings and sheds in close proximity to the battle cruisers.

St. Nazaire.-Photographs taken on the 6th May show tha t in the ra ids on the 4 th /5 th and 5 th /6 th hi ts were obtained on one of the hangars of the seaplane station and the marshal l ing yard of the Gare de 1'Ouest, where the damage appears to extend over about four lines and should hamper traffic to the main station. I t is thought tha t the general store and drawing office of the ship­building yard Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire was also hit.

Cherbourg.-Or\ the 10th/ 11th March a tanker was h i t and i t is thought will be a total loss.

Calais.—In the ra id on the 23rd /24 th March Lieutenant-General Cranz was among those kdled. He was a Divisional Commander and had led h is troops with conspicuous success in the Bat t le of France.

Belgium. Ostend.-In the first week of Apr i l the main radio stat ion for submarines

recently constructed by the Germans was completely destroyed as a result of a i r attack.

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

Disposition of the German Air Force as at the 13th May, 1941.

Figures represent Establishment in Ini t ia l Equipment Aircraft .

Fighters .LongLong-- BombeBomberr DivDivee ArmArmyy TotalTotal .. TransporTranspor ttAreaArea.. rangrangee Co-opCo-op.. CoastalCoastal ..reccerecce.. bombersbombers.. Short- AircraftAircraft..bombersbombers .. Long­range. range.

Norwaymark

and Den­ 30 48 30 Nil 45 Nil 90 243 50

France , Belgium, Hol land and N.W.

870 246 60 681 264 198 144 2,463 200

GermanyE. Germany, Poland, Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 100

etc. Balkans , Aegean

and Rhodes 180 51 90 120 90 108 Nil 639 600

Central Mediter­ 78 36 75 60 21 Nil Nil 270 100 ranean and I t a ly

North Africa 30 9 45 30 18 9 Nil 141 ' 50

Central Ge rmany ... 212 60 180 159 12 25 16 664 400

Total 1,400 450 480 1,050 450 340 250 4,420 1,500

BRITISH (red) AND FOREIGN (BLACK) MERCHANT SHIPPINGDIFFERENT FORMS OF ENEMY ACTION.

Vote: ­ includes vessels of all tonnages I but excludes ComjiusslonedShips.)/taudn. losses are Included up to June. lO. 1940.

LOSSES BY

500

250

2 0 O

150

100

Vava / In t s l l i genceDiv i s ion . March. 194-1. This graph, is basedon-infornvaticrv received in the Admiralty up to 1200 on April 12 194-1.