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THIS D O C U M E N T I S T H E P R O P E R T Y OF H I S BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S

GOVERNMENT

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

Copy No.

TO BE K E P T UNDER

LOCK A N D

KEY.

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

WAR CABINET

WEEKLY

RESUME

(No. 77)
of t h e

NAVAL, MILITARY AND AIR SITUATION from 12 noon February 13th, to 12 noon February 20th, 1941

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

Cabinet War Room

N A Y A L SITUATION. General. A H i p p e r class cruiser has again been located in Brest. Italian shipping has been successfully attacked off Tripoli and at Kismayu. Enemy minelaying aircraft have been active in home waters and in the Mediterranean. Shipping losses caused by raider attacks have raised the total tonnage sunk, although losses reported from U-Boat, mine and aircraft a r e on a small scale. Home. 2. Two cruisers patrolled to southward of Iceland but sighted nothing. H.M. Minesweeping Trawler Stella Rigel shot down an enemy aircraft off Harwich. H.M. Submarine Snapper, overdue from her patrol area in the Bay of Biscay, has been presumed lost. Bombs were dropped in Aberdeen harbour on the 13th, causing little damage, and early in the morning of the 16th a dock pumping station was damaged in Chatham Dockyard. The Naval establishment at Skegness was bombed twice during the same morning, the second attack causing fairly extensive damage and a few casualties. I n a daylight attack by a single enemy aircraft at Invergordon on the 17th a cistern containing 4,000 tons of oil fuel was demolished. On the night of the 17th/18th the Royal Naval Base building at Yarmouth was demolished by a direct hit from a bomb and incendiary bombs caused minor damage at the Royal Naval Yard at Deptford. Lowestoft was unsuccessfully attacked at noon on the 19th, and during the evening the Royal Naval Hospital at Plymouth was hit and slightly damaged by a direct hit from a small bomb. North Atlantic. 3. H.M. Ocean Boarding Vessels on patrol in the M a d e i r a - C a n a r y Islands area have intercepted the French ships Richepance (3,485 tons), PLM. 13 (3,754 tons) and Lorient (4,185 tons), which are being taken to Gibraltar. Mediterranean. 4. Two separate attacks were carried out by H.M. Submarine Truant on an escorted convoy off Tripoli on the 11th. One ship was hit by gunfire and a ship of 3,500 tons was sunk by torpedo. On the 12th H.M. Submarine Utmost attacked an escorted convoy of three ships in the vicinity of Tripoli and obtained a hit on a ship of 8,000 tons, which was last seen with her stern awash. H.M. Submarine Rover, off the south coast of Italy, successfully attacked an enemy tanker. During the night of the 13th/14th one Swordfish aircraft with flares and three with torpedoes attacked a northbound escorted convoy of three or four merchant vessels, 120 miles N.N.W. of Tripoli. One probable and one possible hit were made. On the night of the 15th/16th four Swordfish aircraft attacked and sunk an escorted merchant vessel, believed to be the Italian s.s. Jiiventus (4,920 tons), thirty miles east of Sfax (Tunisia). During the last four weeks attacks by our aircraft and submarines on the T r i p o l i - I t a l y route have resulted in five ships being sunk for certain and two probably sunk. I n addition, one struck a mine off the entrance to Tripoli. 5. The harbour at Tobruk has now been cleared of mines. Derna can be used by small vessels only. A preliminary survey of Benghazi shows that until extensive salvage operations are undertaken it can be used only to a limited extent owing to the presence of wrecks of enemy ships and to a breach in the breakwater from our bombs which admits swell into the harbour.

East Africa. 6. Operations in support of British land forces in Italian Somaliland were carried out on the 13th and 14th. On the 13th H.M. Destroyer Kandahar fired three salvos at Kismayu to test whether the shore batteries were still inactive and H.M.S. Shropshire bombarded Mogadishu, where she obtained several straddles on a merchant ship. She also bombarded motor transport and encampments near Brava. I n the morning of the 14th coastal batteries at Kismayu a n d Muanga were bombarded at 2,300 yards range, but the enemy made no reply. Kismayu was occupied in the afternoon of that day. I n the course of this operation H.M. Ships Shropshire and Capetown were attacked by aircraft from Merka on several occasions without result. The details of enemy shipping captured and sunk is shown later in this resume. Red Sea. 7. On the morning of the 13th fourteen aircraft from H.M.S. Formidable attacked the harbour at Massawa. The attack was considerably hampered by fighter opposition. I t is probable that one hit was made with a torpedo on a ship lying at a jetty in the Northern Harbour, where a submarine and a supply ship had been reported by reconnaissance, and one merchant ship was sunk outside, also by torpedo. A second merchant ship was also sunk either by torpedo or bomb. I n the bombing attack on the main harbour one probable hit was made on a large destroyer. Two of our aircraft did not return, one of which made a forced landing 20 miles from Massawa owing to engine troubleFar East. 8. H.M. Transport Queen Mary, with Australian troops, escorted H.M.S. Durban, arrived at Singapore on the 18th. Enemy Intelligence. German. 9. I t is now thought that the ship which attacked the convoy 640 miles west of Cape St. Vincent on the 12th February was certainly a Hipper class cruiser. A cruiser of this class was reported in dry dock at Brest by air reconnaissances on the 15th. F u r t h e r reconnaissances were hampered by bad weather, but the ship was seen again on the morning of the 19th. One destroyer was also seen in Brest on the 13th. Italian. 10. There have been no reconnaissances of the main Italian Naval forces during the past week. Submarines. 11. There have been some six or seven German submarines in the NorthWestern Approaches, and in the earlier p a r t of the week there w as one between the Azores and the coast of Portugal. There has been little evidence of I t a l i a n submarines, but it is believed there may have been six or seven at sea on the 18thAir reconnaissance showed ten submarines at Lorient on the 15th.
T

by

Far Eastern Intelligence. / apan. 12. I n the latter p a r t of J a n u a r y the Japanese forces in south Chinese waters were reinforced by one battleship, five cruisers, two aircraft carriers, and twelve destroyers. Some of the cruisers and destroyers have been making use of K a m r a n h Bay (south-eastern Indo-China). [22245] B

Netherlands

East

Indies.

13. The Naval Forces in the Netherlands East Indies comprise two 6-inch cruisers, one flotilla leader, five destroyers, eleven submarines, five M.T .B .'s and a number of minelaying and minesweeping craft. I n addition to these, the cruiser Sumatra, two destroyers and four submarines are refitting or otherwise out of commission. Enemy Attack on Seaborne Trade. 14. Fourteen ships and five small craft, a total of 91,127 tons, have been reported lost by enemy action; of these all but three ships (29,619 tons) were British. Three of these ships and three small craft were sunk during the period under review. Four British ships (23,833 tons) were sunk by U-boats, three in the North-Western Approaches and one to the westward of Cape St. Vincent. Two steam trawlers (432 tons) were sunk by mines, four steam trawlers (1,385 tons) by aircraft, and nine ships (65,477 tons) by raider; five of the latter were in the home-bound convoy attacked on the 12th. Of this convoy, which consisted of nineteen ships, ten certain and two probable are reported safe, which leaves two more which are probably sunk. Sixteen British ships are reported damaged. During the week enemy aircraft have continued to attack convoys on the East coast and in the North-Western Approaches as far north as Cape W r a t h . Details of ships sunk and damaged are shown in Appendix I. Protection of Seaborne Trade. 15. During the week ended noon, Wednesday, the 19th February, 842 ships, including 155 allied and 13 neutral, were convoyed, of which one was lost by enemy action. One battleship. 2 cruisers, 7 armed merchant cruisers, 35 destroyers and 39 sloops and corvettes were employed on escort duty. Imports into Great Britain by ships in convoy this week totalled 933,382 tons, twice as much as the amount imported last week. Twenty-eight tankers brought in 284,127 tons of oil compared with only 43,139 tons in the previous week. Cereals amounted to 144,478 tons as compared with 60,490 tons. Other food imports totalled 93,840 tons compared with 119,883 tons last week. Mineral imports totalled 250,255 tons, the corresponding figure last week being 164,208 tons. Timber amounted to 47,849 tons compared with only 4,000 tons last week. General cargoes and sundries totalled 112,833, more than twice the amount of the previous week. Many aeroplanes and a large number of lorries were also imported. British Minelaying. 16. On the 14th two M.T.B.'s laid mines off the Belgian Coast. On the 15th H.M. Submarine Cachalot laid fifty mines in West Fjord, and on the 17th and 18th H.M. Ships Southern Prince and Port Quebec laid 1,110 mines between the Faroes and Iceland. On the 15th and 18th H.M.S. Plover laid 240 mines in St. George's Channel. Minelaying by aircraft has taken place off the Norwegian, French Atlantic and Dutch coasts. Enemy Minelaying, British Minesweeping. Home Waters. 17. On 8 nights during the week enemy aircraft have laid mines, as many as 100 planes operating at a time. The raids have been heaviest off the East Coast, particularly off the southern half. Off the South Coast the only places where mines have been dropped a r e off Torbay and Exmouth. Milford Haven and Liverpool Bay have also been visited. The Humber Minesweepers had a successful day on the 18th, when 30 acoustic and five magnetic mines w ere detonated. The following day five acoustic
T

mines were exploded, another seven exploding spontaneously. A fishing trawler was sunk by mine that day to the south of the channel. Mines have been detonated during the week as follows : seventeen magnetic and sixty-three acoustic. In addition to the two trawlers previously reported as sunk by mine, one M.T.B. was mined and sunk off Harwich and a Paddle Minesweeper was mined and beached off the Tyne. A n Oropesa Trawler was bombed and sunk with all hands south-east of Peterhead. Foreign Waters.

18. German minelaying aircraft have been active over the Mediterranean and Suez Canal. On the 17th Malta reported that there had been air raids, including minelaying raids, for eleven successive nights. Two mines have been detonated off Valletta, and two mines are thought to be inside the Grand Harbour. Both these harbours are closed. D u r i n g the night of the 12th/13th enemy aircraft laid mines off Benghazi, and a dangerous area has been declared to the north-east of the port. Mines were dropped in the Suez Canal early on the 18th and traffic has been suspended. A contact minefield has been found off Tobruk and has caused four casualties. Out of a number of whalers lying idle at Durban it is hoped to select six and fit them with L L Sweeps for use in the Mediterranean. Enemy Merchant Shipping. German. 19. E i g h t loaded German ships are reported to be lying in Oslo Fjord, presumably ice bound. The German-Swedish shipping agreement has been prolonged to July 1941 with little alteration except that freights for wood and pulp have been increased. Sweden's Baltic tonnage will be used for trade with Germany, but not for German trade with other countries. The s.s. Ankara (4,768 tons), which was reported in November and December as being at Trieste fitting out as a transport, is believed to have sailed from Palermo on the 10th. German ships which were in Kismayu are included under Italian Merchant Shipping. Italian. 20. Enemy merchant shipping losses in the Mediterranean and I n d i a n Ocean have recently been heavy, the latter as a result of our operations a t Kismayu. There were sixteen ships at Kismayu in J a n u a r y , and so far fourteen have been accounted for. Five I t a l i a n ships, totalling 28,055 tons, were captured when they tried to escape on the 11th February, a n d all these have now reached Mombasa. The German s.s. Tannenfels (7,840 tons) and s.s. Askari (590 tons) sailed before the 7th February; the former has not so far been reported, but the latter went ashore south of Brava. The s.s. Uckermark (7,021 tons), which was intercepted when she tried to escape, attempted to scuttle herself and subsequently sank after being taken in tow. The I t a l i a n tanker Marghera (4,531 tons) and the s.s. Moncalieri (5,723 tons), and two other unidentified ships were scuttled at Kismayu. The Italian tanker Pensilvania (8,861 tons) and the German tug Kionga (192 tons) are thought to have gone to Mogadishu. The troopship Garibaldi (5,278 tons) is reported to have been hit in dry dock during the bombardment of Genoa on the 9th February, and the s.s. Citta di Messina (2,472 tons) is believed to have been sunk on the 15th J a n u a r y off Misurata by H.M. Submarine Regent. Damage caused to shipping in recent attacks in the Mediterranean has already been mentioned in this resume. The New York press reports that negotiations are in progress for the purchase of 27 I t a l i a n ships, including the s.s. Conte Biancamano, 23,255 tons, which are in United States harbours.

MILITARY SITUATION. Germany. 21. The total of identified German divisions is increased by three to 221. Distribution of German divisions. The distribution of German divisions at 1200 hours the 19th February is believed to be as follows :
,. . Area. Cav. Armd. Mot.* Inf. Total.

Norway D e n m a r k .. ... . G e r m a n y .. ... . Baltic Coast .. ... . .. ... . .. ... . E a s t P r u s s i a and Corrido or r P o l a n d (excluding Corridor r) ) Bohemia-Moravia Austria S l o v a k i a .. ... . Roumania Holland, B e l g i u m and F r a n c e . . . Italy

... "2 .. ... . "l ... 1 2 2 4 2 re ported.

-

2 ... 1 "l "3 3

10 3 22 5 10 53 6 9 1 13 65

10 3 26 5 10 56 8 12 1 20 m i n . 70

Troops 1

Totals

13

10

197

221

* I n c l u d e s t w o S.S. d i v i s i o n s .

Italy. 22. Reports continue to be received of the movement of German troops into Italy. No confirmation of these reports, however, has so far been received. Balkan States. Bulgaria. 23. The Bulgarians continue to prepare for the entry of German troops into their country. The programme appears to be as follows : (a) A retaining force of 80,000 Bulgarian troops are to be located on the Turkish frontier. General mobilisation is now considered unlikely. (&) The remainder of the Bulgarian army is to be distributed throughout the country to maintain order. This has become necessary owing to the widespread dissatisfaction at the prospect of a German entry, especially among the peasants. There is great discontent in the districts where German observation posts have been set up and the behaviour of the German personnel is continually causing incidents. P a r t i c u l a r resentment is felt at the German behaviour to women. (c) Roads and bridges are to be put in a fit state to take mechanical transport. (d) Sufficient accommodation is to be arranged and the necessary stores a r e to be made available. Greece. 24. There has been heavy fighting in the Central Sector where the Italians have been stubbornly resisting the Greek offensive. D u r i n g these operations theGreeks have occupied important points on the heights overlooking Tepelene from the North-East and inflicted severe losses on the enemy in men and material. Africa. Libya. 25. There have been several air r a i d s on Benghazi besides other towns in Libya, and one officer and one other rank have been killed. BeyOnd this there is little to report.

Sudan. . ' .. ,-. :.\;, .]'.::. 26. I n the Blue Nile sector units of the Sudan Defence Force have occupied Kurmuk and are operating across the frontier. The enemy has retired to Asosa. Meanwhile, patriot activities i n Abyssinia have increased, particularly in the loop of the Blue Nile south of Lake Tana and in the area east of the Lake. The Emperor is now in Abyssinia.
; :

East Africa. ;.. "' ; , ' 27. The I t a l i a n white troops and Eritreans have been fighting well. Our troops have advanced about 50-60 miles in Abyssinia and are now astride the Mega-Yavello road. A force under General Godwin Austen has occupied Kismayu.
;

Far East. Thailand-Indo-China dispute. 28. The Armistice which was signed between Thailand and Indo-China on the 31st J a n u a r y , and which was originally due to expire on the 11th February, has been extended until 1000 hours on the 25th February. Meanwhile, peace negotiations in Tokyo continue. There have been reports, however, that the Thais have violated the terms of the Armistice and have advanced into Indo-China in the direction of Luang Prabang. I t is possible that this may be an attempt on their p a r t to establish a stronger hold on the territories on the right bank of the river Mekong, which will probably form their minimum territorial demands at the peace conference how in progress. Convoys. Egypt. 29. The following arrived a t Suez on the 16th February : One Regiment " I " Tanks less one Squadron. - One Anti-tank Regiment. One Heavy and two L i g h t A.A. Regiments. One Searchlight Regiment. One New Zealand Field Regiment. One New Zealand Anti-tank Regiment, less two Batteries. Base and L. of C. Units. Drafts. Malaya. 30. 22nd Australian I n f a n t r y Brigade a n d attached troops have arrived in Singapore for service in Malaya.

AIK General Review.

SITUATION. .

31. Adverse weather continued, and Bomber Command operated on two nights only, oil and other plants in the R u h r being attacked. Sea mining by the enemy is increasing. Enemy aircraft again raided Malta, and mines were laid in the Suez Canal. Two squadrons have been sent from I n d i a to reinforce the a i r strength in Malaya. Operational aircraft battle casualties and extracts from recent R a i d Assessment Reports are given in Appendices V I and V I I . Germany and Occupied Territory. 32. Bomber Command flew 30 sorties by day and 283 by night (184 on the 15th/16th) and Coastal Command 6 by day and 33 by night. [22245] * * c

33. On the night of the 14th/15th oil plants at Horaburg and Gelsenkirchen were bombed together with the power station and inland port of Duisburg. On the following night the same targets were attacked in much better weather and also the oil plant a t Sterkrade Hoi ten.and many aerodromes in Holland. Thirtyseven aircraft also successfully attacked the docks at Boulogne. Coastal Command aircraft raided Dunkirk, St. Nazaire, Lorient and Brest during the week. 34. By day, Blenheims attacked Calais, Zeebrugge, den Helder, Oostvoorne and Ostend. Two attempts were made without success by aircraft of Coastal Command to locate and attack the enemy cruiser in Brest, and from one of these, three Beauforts failed to return. Fighter sweeps over northern France were maintained, but on a lighter scale than during last week. United Kingdom. 35. During daylight hostile activity was slight. Standing patrols in the Straits and English Channel were maintained on most days and the usual weather and reconnaissance nights were made. On four days, in cloudy weather, enemy aircraft penetrated East Anglia and along the East Coast there were a few attacks on shipping. Oil tanks at Invergordon were bombed. 36. Enemy activity by night consisted of widespread raids over East Anglia, with aerodromes apparently the principal objectives, and an attack by about 70 aircraft on the Swansea area on the night of the 19th/20th. On three nights light attacks were made on London. A total of 595 aircraft, including minelayers, was plotted at night during the week. 37. Minelaying, which was considerably increased, took place in Liverpool Bay, Bristol Channel, the Humber, the W a s h and Thames Estuary. 38. Fighter Command flew 549 patrols involving 1,595 sorties by day, and 179 patrols involving 225 sorties by night. Coastal Reconnaissance, Patrols and Minelaying. 39. The activities of Coastal Command were again curtailed by bad weather; 139 patrols involving 448 sorties were flown; these included 216 convoy escorts. 40. Sea mines were laid in the Gironde Estuary, Terschelling Gat, and at Haugesund and numerous photographic reconnaissances were carried out between Kiel and Bordeaux. Four attacks were made on enemy shipping with direct hits on a tanker off Bergen and a 3,000-ton merchant vessel near den Helder. During routine reconnaissances between Stavanger and Borkum our aircraft reported the sighting of merchant ships in conroy and two formations of E-boats. 41. Enemy long-range reconnaissance units were active off the West Coast of Spain and the Western Approaches where shipping was attacked. 220 aircraft were identified as laying mines, compared with 115 during last week. Greece and Albania, 42. Buildings were set alight at Durazzo and four enemy aircraft were burnt out at T i r a n a during an attack by Wellingtons when 4 tons of bombs were dropped. Blenheims, sometimes with an escort of Gladiators, have provided continuous support to the Greek land forces in the Tepelene area where camps, stores, supply depots, gun positions, transport and attacking troops were bombed. I n these operations two Blenheims were lost; four enemy aircraft were destroyed in combat. 43. No reports of major air operations by the enemy have been received d u r i n g the week. There have, however, recently been signs that German influence may have resulted in the adoption of a more vigorous and aggressive bombing policy against the Greeks. Instead of irregular sorties by small numbers of aircraft against scattered objectives, raids by strong formations a r e now followed up by further attacks on the same target; consequently, the I t a l i a n a i r effort in Albania and Greece is becoming more concentrated and effective than before.

Malta. 44. Our aircraft patrolled the Western Ionian Sea and made reconnaissances over Southern Sicily. 45. The enemy repeated his attacks on the Island. Strong forces of. his fighters appeared on four occasions with reconnaissance aircraft, and were driven off by our fighters. A n enemy bomber was damaged by A.A. fire and one Hurricane was shot down, the pilot being safe. Following a short raid on the night of the 13th when the Pimearfa Hospital was damaged, a series of raids were made on the night of the 14th over Valetta when land mines and bombs were dropped in the Grand Harbour, dockyard and town area. Casualties were not numerous although 55 houses were destroyed or partially demolished. Italy. 46. On the night of the 15th/16th the Sicilian aerodromes at Catania, Comiso and Gela were attacked by Wellingtons. They also machine-gunned the beacon station a t Cape Passero. Buildings and hangars were hit at Catania and aircraft on the ground were left burning. On the following night Wellingtons raided Brindisi aerodrome and hangars, and a seaplane were set alight. One Wellington is missing. Egypt and Libya. 47. Since the capture of Cyrenaica no offensive operations by our aircraft have been reported. 48. Benghazi was bombed by enemy aircraft on five occasions. On the 15th, 93 civilians were killed and many houses destroyed. On the two following nights efforts were made to drop mines in the harbour. Two daylight attempts were made on the 18th and Hurricanes of the R . A . F . shot down three enemy aircraft, and damaged a further four. Anti-aircraft defences also destroyed one J u 87. On the 19th five German bombers, escorted by seven German fighters, were intercepted by six Hurricanes over Benghazi and one enemy bomber was damaged. Later in the day Benghazi was again attacked by two enemy bombers, one of which was destroyed by A.A. fire. On the same day three Hurricanes engaged seven German fighters near Agheila and two of our aircraft were shot down, one pilot being safe. Bombs were also dropped a t M a r a u a (50 miles South-West of Apollonia) and at Soluch, Jedabya, and Agheila. Our fighters shot down three enemy aircraft. Dodecanese. . . -.

49. Midi Bay aerodrome on Scarpanto Island (60 miles North-East of Crete) was attacked by Wellingtons on two nights a n d on the night of the 13th/14th 3^ tons of bombs were dropped on K a t t a v i a and Caleto aerodromes (Rhodes) where buildings and aircraft on the ground were damaged. Lindos Harbour (Rhodes) and Rhodes Harbour were bombed on the two following nights and fires were started among the dockside buildings. Two Wellingtons.were lost in these operations. Italian East Africa. 50. Many operations were carried out in the Keren district in support of our land forces. The railway station at Keren and the tracks leading from it, with the bridge at Habi Plantel (8 miles to the S.E.) were repeatedly bombed with good effect. Our fighters attacked enemy troops and transport on the Keren-Asmara road, as well as at many other points. On the night of 14th/.15th Wellesleys released 3^ tons of bombs on the buildings of the Caproni works at Mai Adaga, and repeated the attack on the following day with 6^ tons. All the hangars were h i t and the adjacent buildings demolished by fires and. explosions. I n the above operations one enemy fighter was destroyed and four damaged without loss to ourselves.

51. I n Abyssinia numerous attacks were made by Blenheims from Aden. Bombs were dropped a t Assab, Dessie, Macalle, Hargueisa, and on the A d d i s - J i b o u t i railway at Diredawa and the bridge at Awash. I n Italian Somaliland aircraft of the South African A i r Force were active in support of the land forces along the line of the J u b a River from Kisimayo to Bardera. Bombs were dropped at Jelib a n d on the pontoon bridge at Gobwen (subsequently occupied). Our aircraft also bombed enemy positions in the Omo River Delta (North of Lake Rudolph). Air Intelligence. Mediterranean. 52. U p to 40 Me. 109 fighters are now probably operating in the Central Mediterranean. They have still not been in action. Greece. 53. The aircraft which have recently been reported as flying over Thrace and Eastern Macedonia have now been identified as wearing Bulgarian markings. Italy. 54. A German air mission, consisting of Air Ministry engineers, a n d representatives of the leading aircraft firms, arrived at T u r i n on the 11th February. I t is reported that Me. 109s are to be produced in Italy. Signor Oaproni is reported to have been invited to Berlin to discuss the future policy of the aircraft firms under his control. H i s anti-German views are well known. French North and West A frica. 55. Withdrawal of aircraft from West Africa to North Africa now appears to be in progress and the total of modern aircraft in West Africa has probably been reduced from 125 bombers and 110 fighters to 80-100 bombers and 50 fighters.

HOME SECURITY SITUATION. General. By Day. 56. Enemy activity has again been on a small scale this week. Some bombing has taken place in East A n g l i a and North-East Scotland. Reports of machine-gunning in both these areas have been received. By Night.

57. Bombing by night has been widespread and on a somewhat larger scale, but it has been singularly ineffective in affecting our war effort. The London area and the Home Counties were chiefly a,ffected, but w i t h the exception of Swansea, which was raided on the night 19th/20th, no concentrated attack on a selected target was made. Damage. London. 58. Eighteen key points were hit in London during raids on the nights of the 17th/18th and 19th/20th, each lasting for some four hours. Damage was slight, and no factory has reported a loss of production greater than four days. The chief cause of such loss was the interruption of night work through damage to roofs and windows. The key points affected were three in the London docks, thirteen factories, a gas works and the Royal Arsenal. A large number of incendiary bombs were dropped and many fires were started, all of which were quickly extinguished.

Swansea. 59. Damage was largely confined to private property, the dock area being little affected. Some temporary dislocation to communications was caused but casualties appear to be relatively slight. Elsewhere. 60. On the 13th direct hits were scored on the British Aluminium Company Works at Foyers, Inverness-shire, reducing production to some 20 per cent, of normal for some weeks. On the same day at Hendon 366 houses were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable and a further 400 suffered damage by a single large-calibre bomb. Seventy-five people were killed and 145 seriously injured. On the 17th/18th an archway shelter at London Bridge Station was hit. Rescue work is still in progress and final casualty figures may amount to some 90 persons killed. Casualties. 61. For the week ending 0600, 19th February, the estimated casualties are 231 people killed and 495 injured.

[22245]

A P P E N D I X I. Enemy Attack on Trade. Merchant Vessels (excluding Commissioned Merchant Vessels) of all tonnages reported (Note.-Tonnages are gross unless otherwise stated.) By Submarine.
Date. N a m e and Tonnage. Nationality. Cargo. FromToH o w sunk. I n Convoy or not.* Position. F a t e of Crew a n d o t h e r R e m a r k s .

lost by enemy action.

Feb. 6

Maple

Court

... British

( 3 , 3 8 8 tons)

Feb. 1 0 Feb. 1 3

Brandevburgh
( 1 , 4 7 3 tons)

..

British British

M/Y T a n k e r Arthur F. Convin

( 1 0 , 5 1 6 tons)

Halifax . General, ... P r e s t o n j steel, I wood p u l p . Copper Villa R e a l e j Oban ore Oil and Aruba ...J Clyde spirit

... Torpedo

Yes.

2 6 5 miles W e s t of Bloody F o r e l a n d

Not known.

Torpedo Torpedo

Yes. Not.

W e s t of Cape St. Some survivers landed Gibraltar. V i n c e n t , 3 6 0 miles 180 miles N . W . No survivors found. Rockall

Feb. 1 7

M/V

Siamese Prince

British

Special stores

New York ... Liverpool .

Torpedo

Not.

W.N.W. Butt of Lewis, 1 9 8 miles

Not y e t known.

( 8 , 4 5 6 tons)

By Mine. Feb. 1 6 Steam Trawler Thomas Deas ( 2 7 6 tons) Steam Trawler Ben Rein ( 1 5 6 tons) British Fishing W e s t of S p u r n P o i n t , 4 miles Off F a l m o u t h . No survivors.

Feb. 1 7

British

Fishing

5 Believed 2 missing.

rescued,

injured,

N O T E . T u g s Deanbrook ( 1 4 9 tons) and Lea ( 1 6 8 tons) s u n k by m i n e on N o v e m b e r 2, 1 9 4 0 , in Tilbury B a s i n h a v e been raised and h a v e therefore been r e m o v e d from list of vessels lost. This information is provisional and m a y be modified s u b s e q u e n t l y on receipt of C o m m o d o r e ' s report.

Date.

N a m e and Tonnage.

Nationality.

Cargo.

From-

To-

H o w Sunk.

I n Convoy or not.*

Position.

F a t e of Crew and other R e m a r k s .

F e b . 11

..

F e b . 11

..

F e b . 14

..

F e b . 16

..

British F i s h i n g ... Steam Trawler Eamont (227 tons) S t e a m Trawler British Fishing John Dunkin (202 tons) Steam Trawler B r i t i s h (ex- S c r a p i r o n St. J o h n s , Elizabeth Marie French) ; N.F. (616 tons) British Fishing ... S t e a m Trawler Naniwa (340 tons)
;

Bomb

2 miles off D u n b e a t h

All landed.

Bomb

13 miles Buckie Not. W.N.W. Bay

East

of

8 landed, 1 missing.

Glasgow

Bomb

Blacksod

25 landed Greenock, 1 injured.

Bomb

About 115 miles N.W. 4 killed, 1 1 injured. of B u l l Rock

drowned,

rest

landed,

By Surface Graft.
J a n . 14 .. Whale Factory Ole Wegger (12,201 tons) Oil Refinery Solglimt (12,246 tons) Mandasor (5,144 tons) Norwegian.

J a n . 14

..

Norwegian.

Calcutta ... D u r b a n

Raider

Not.

Antarctic Grounds

W h a l i n g Not known. T h e s e ships have now been a c c e p t e d as probably sunk or c a p t u r e d by Raider.

J a n . 24

..

British

Raider

Not.

Afric Star (11,900 tons) F e b . 12 .. Perseus ... (5,172 tons) F e b . 12 .. Warlaby (4,876 tons) F e b . 12 .. Shrewsbury (4,542 tons) J a n . 29 .. F e b . 12 ..

British Greek British British

Montevideo G e n e r a l . . . Alexandria Oil c a k e . . . Sierra Leone Sierra Wheat Leone and linseed Sierra Cotton Leone cake G e n e r a l . . . Sierra Leone

St. Vincent Belfast and Devonport U.K. UK.

Raider Raider Raider Raider

Not. Yes. Yes. Yes.

300 miles E. of Not known. Seychelles, I n d i a n Ocean 700 miles W . of F r e e - Not known. town approx. 200 miles E . of 21 landed Madeira. Azores.

F e b . 12 ..

British Westbury (4,712 tons) Oswestry Grange British (4,684 tons)

U.K. U.K.

Raider Raider

Yes. Yes.

J, 200 miles Azores.

E.

of These ships have not been included in Appendices I I and I I I this week.

* This information is provisional and m a y be modified s u b s e q u e n t l y on receipt of C o m m o d o r e ^ report.

Merchant Vessels (excluding Commissioned Merchant Vessels) of all tonnages REPORTED damaged by Enemy Action.
N a m e and Tonnage. Casualties to Crew. Other Remarks.

Date.

Nationality.

Cargo.

From

To-

Cause.

I n convoy or not.*

Position.

E x t e n t of D a m a g e .

Feb.

9 ... Varna ... (1,514 tons)

British

P i t w o o d . . . Leixoes

South Wales A/C

Yes

240 miles W . S . W . Shown last week as not Not known. Cape St. Vinknown. I t has since cent been reported ship is m a i n t a i n i n g her position in t h e convoy. Tobruk H a r b o u r Not known. Alexandria. Now at

Feb.

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

British

Mine

Feb. 9

... M/V Rodi (3,334 tons) ... Benmacdhui (6,869 tons) ... S/Trawler Aracari (245 tons) ... Volturno (3,424 tons)

British

Mine

Tobruk Harbour

Not known. Now at at Alexandria.

F e b . 10

... British

G e n e r a l . . . Almeria

Barrow

A/C

Yes

Off W i n t e r t o n ... Arrived Middlesborough F e b . 12. M a k i n g water. 25 miles S.W. of Fastnets Slight d a m a g e . Arrived 1 w o u n d e d . Kirkwall

F e b . 11

British

F i s h i n g ...

A/C

Feb. 12

British

West African produce Wheat ...

Lagos

Hull

Raider

Yes

200 miles E a s t of Azores

Slight d a m a g e . Arrived None. Funchal

F e b . 12

... Lornaston (4,934 tons) ... Derrynane (4,896 tons) ... Borgestad. (3,924 tons)

British

Sydney

Glasgow

... R a i d e r

Yes

200 miles E . of Azores 200 miles E. of Azores 200 miles E . of Azores

Extent not known. Arrived St. Michaels. Not y e t k n o w n . . . Not known.

F e b . 12

... B r i t i s h

Iron ore...

Lourenco Marques Port Sudan

Immingham

Raider

Yes

F e b . 12

British

Liverpool Raider via Cape

Yes

Not y e t k n o w n . . .

Not known.

* This information is provisional and m a y be modified s u b s e q u e n t l y on receipt of C o m m o d o r e ' s report.

Date.

N a m e and Tonnage.

Nationality.

Cargo.

From

To-

Cause.

I n Convoy or n o t . *

Position.

E x t e n t of D a m a g e .

J ;j j

Casualties t o Crew. Other Remarks.

F e b . 13

... Westcliffe Hall... B r i t i s h (1,900 tons)

B a l l a s t ... L o n d o n

Sunderland

A/C

Yes

OffWhitby

... Steering gear d a m a g e d . 2 unexploded b o m b s in hold. Arrived Tees F e b . 14 in tow. ... H i t by unexploded bomb. Mainmast fractured.

F e b . 13

... Welsh Rose (581 tons)

British

A/C.

...

At Aberdeen

F e b . 13

... Gape Rodney (4,512 tons)

... B r i t i s h

Hull

Freetown A/C and L a g o s

Yes

Off Girdleness ... After hold flooded b u t 5 injured. under control. Arrived L e i t h Off Banff M a k i n g w a t e r forward. None. Entered Buckle Harbour Not y e t known.

F e b . 14

... Moorlands (430 tons)

British

Stone and D u n d e e sand

Lyness

A/C

F e b . 18

... Black Osprey (5,589 tons)

... B r i t i s h

Steel and trucks W. A. produce

Baltimore... Barry Monrovia ... Liverpool :.. Curacao ... Avonmouth

S/M. T.

Nut

... 140 miles S. of Iceland

F e b . 18 ... M / V Seaforth (5,459 tons)

... B r i t i s h

S/M. T,

Not

380 miles N . W . Not yet k n o w n of t h e Bloody Foreland 270 miles W. of the Bloody Foreland

Not known.

F e b . 18

... M/V T a n k e r Tana (10,354 t o n s )

British

A/C

Not

Slight d a m a g e . Making Not known. w a t e r slowly. Proceeding own power with escort

gThis information is provisional and m a y be modified s u b s e q u e n t l y on receipt of C o m m o d o r e ' s report.

A P P E N D I X II. Merchant Ships (all sizes) other than Merchant Ships Commissioned for Naval Service, lost by Enemy Action up to Noon, Wednesday, 12th February, 1941:
British. B y No. Gross Tons. 1,700,000 440,000 386,000 366,000 64,000 No. Allied. Gross Tons. 366,000 96,000 114,000 208,000 38,000 No. Neutral. Gross Tons. 565,000 232,000 18,000 71,000 25,000 No. Together. Grose Tons. 2,631,000 768.000 518,000 645,000 127,000

Submarine M i n e .. . S u r f a c e Graft Graf t Aircraft O t h e r c a u s e s , or c a u s e unknown

308 171 71 132 31

76 33 18 48 8

174 79 6 26 8

558 283 95 206 47

822,000 i 2 9 3 911,000 1,189 1 4,689,000 183 713 j 2,956,000 N O T K . " A l l i e d " figures i n c l u d e P o l i s h ; all F r e n c h u p t o J u n e 25, 1 9 4 0 ; " F r e e " F r e n c h f r o m J u n e 2 5 , 1 9 4 0 ; N o r w e g i a n f r o m A p r i l 9, 1 9 4 0 ; D u t c h a n d B e l g i a n from M a y 10, 1 9 4 0 ; a n d G r e e k from O c t o b e r 2 8 , 1940. " N e u t r a l " figures i n c l u d e I t a l i a n u p t o J u n e 10, 1 9 4 0 ; and " V i c h y " F r e n c h f r o m J u n e 25, 1940.

APPENDIX

III.

(1) Additions to and deductions from British Sea-going Merchant Tonnage (ships of 500 gross tons and over), including Merchant Ships Commissioned for Naval Service from 2nd September, 1939, to 16th February, 1941.
Tankers. No. Gross Tons. 3,274,000 No. Others. Gross Tons. 15,392,000

B r i t i s h s h i p s o n S e p t e m b e r 2 , 193 9 Additions New ships E n e m y s h i p s c a p t u r e d ... .. . S h i p s t r a n s f e r r e d fro from m other Danish French R o u m a n i a n .. . Estonian Latvian Others O t h e r a d d i t i o n s ... .. . Total additions .. ... .

519

3,578

12 1 flags 6 10 2

97,000 6,000 48,000 57,000 11,000

185 53 113 79 1 21 3 119 91 665

1,005,000 275,000 302,000 369,000 4,000 35,000 6,000 623,000 183,000 2,802,000

12 11 54

83,000 16,000 318,000

Deductions Ships s u n k by t h e e n e m y (i) (i ) M e r c h a n t s h i p s c o m m i s s i o n e d Naval Service; (ii (ii) ) Others S h i p s c a p t u r e d b y t h e e n e m y ... .. . Other deductions (i (i) ) C o m m i s s i o n e d fo for r Naval Service (ii (ii) ) Others Total deductions

r for fo 2 63 1 13,000 481,000 6,000 24 523 5 2 146 700 35 3,543 212,000 2,417,000 16,000 12,000 485,000 3,142,000 340,000

9 75 21 498 -

27,000 527,000 209,000 3,065,000

N e t a d d i t i o n s ( - f ) o r d e d u c t i o n s ( - ) ... .. . B r i t i s h s h i p s o n F e b r u a r y 16 16, , 194 1

15,052,000*

* Of t h e t o t a l Non-Tanker t o n n a g e , v e s s e l s r e p r e s e n t i n g a b o u t 3,750 t h o u s a n d gross t o n s are e n g a g e d on N a v a l , M i l i t a r y or R . A . F . S e r v i c e s ( i n c l u d i n g s o m e c o m m i s s i o n e d for N a v a l S e r v i c e ) , s o m e of w h i c h b r i n g c a r g o e s t o t h e U n i t e d K i n g d o m o n t h e i r h o m e w a r d v o y a g e . After a l l o w i n g for v e s s e l s (1) t r a d i n g p e r m a n e n t l y a b r o a d , (2) d e t a i n e d i n F r e n c h p o r t s a n d (3) u n d e r going or a w a i t i n g r e p a i r , i n c l u d i n g t h e fitting of d e f e n s i v e p r o t e c t i o n , t h e b a l a n c e is a little u n d e r 1\ m i l l i o n g r o s s t o n s , s o m e p a r t of w h i c h is e n g a g e d in t h e c o a s t i n g t r a d e of t h e United Kingdom and Eire.
:

(2) Total losses of, and other deductions from, British Sea-going Merchant Ships of 500 gross tons and over, including Merchant Ships Commissioned for Naval Service, expressed as approximate annual rates of loss.
T o t a l l o s s e s s u n k or Approximate annual c a p t u r e d by t h e e n e m y , loss if c o l u m n (2) losses, a n d o t h e r d e d u c t i o n s in c o n t i n u e d for a y e a r . " t h e period. (2) Gross Tons. 1,099.000 (3) Gross Tons. 1,500,000' 3,900,000 4,000,000 ' 3,500,000 4,800,0003,500,000 2,300,000) 1,100,000) ;-;-!

Period.

(1)
F i r s t 9 m o n t h s of w a r : . i.e.., from S e p t e m b e r 3, 1939, t o M a y 3 1 , 1940 Following 3 months : i.e., from J u n e 1, 1940, t o A u g u s t 3 1 , 1940 M o n t h of S e p t e m b e r , 1940 O c t o b e r , 1940 ... ,, N o v e m b e r , 1940 ,, D e c e m b e r , 1940 ,, J a n u a r y , 1941 F e b r u a r y 1 to 16, 1941

978,000 332,000 321,000 392,000 297,000 (194,000* (49,000*

T h e s e figures r e l a t e to losses so far notified a n d m a y b e i n c r e a s e d b y l a t e notifications.:'

(3) Merchant Ships (all sizes) under Construction in British Yards in the United Kingdom and abroad in week ending ISth February, 1941. : i
No. 4 37 41 * I n c l u d i n g 4 v e s s e l s (26,000 g r o s s t o n s ) b u i l d i n g t o n s ) t a k e n over b y t h e N a v y d u r i n g c o n s t r u c t i o n a n d t y p e i n t e n d e d for N a v a l u s e . I n a d d i t i o n , t h e r e a r e 163 m e r c h a n t s h i p s t o t a l l i n g t o o r d e r in t h e U n i t e d K i n g d o m a n d a b r o a d ( i n c l u d i n g Tankers. Gross Tons. 3,000 307,000 310,000 Others. No. 40 128* 168 Gross Tons. 48,000 ' 813,000 861,000

Colliers a n d c o a s t i n g s h i p s O t h e r s h i p s ...

a b r o a d , 2 m e r c h a n t s h i p s (18,000 g r o s s 1 1 s h i p s (20,000 g r o s s t o n s ) of m e r c h a n t 1,003,000 g r o s s t o n s on o r d e r or p r o p o s e d 16 t a n k e r s of 88,000 g r o s s t o n s ) .

APPENDIX

IY.

Merchant Ships (all sizes) lost by the enemy up to 18th February, 1941.
German. Gross Tons. 269,000 421,000 Italian. Gross Tons. 179,000 138,000 Together. Gross Tons. 448,000 559,000

No.

No.

No.

C a p t u r e d o r seize seized d S c u t t l e d o r s u n k .. ... . Unidentified ships reported by S/M M, , A/C C, , &c, as sunk or d e s t r o y e d , ( t o n n a g e estimated)

60 77

38 21

98 98

129 266

645,000 1,335,000

63 122

315,000 632,000

192 388

960,000 1,967,000

I n a d d i t i o n , 34 s h i p s of 61,000 g r o s s t o n s u n d e r e n e m y c o n t r o l or u s e f u l t o t h e e n e m y h a v e been sunk.

[22245]

APPENDIX

Y.

Casualties to H.M. Auxiliary Vessels and to Naval Personnel. The following casualties to H.M. Auxiliary Vessels have been reported during the week under review :
Date. Vessel. Type. Damaged. Method.

1941. F e b . 11

Southern

Floe

F e b . 12 F e b . 13 F e b . 14 F e b . 15 F e b . 16 Feb.,16 F e b . 18
;

Eager...

Rubens M.T.B. 41 William Ormonde Souths Saronta ea H. ... Hastie

A / S T r a w l e r .. S u n k ... Presumed mined off ( S o u t h African Tobruk. Whaler) A / P D r i f t e r ... S l i g h t l y damaged. A/C T h a m e s E s t u a r y . F i g h t i n g efficiency believed unaffected A / S T r a w l e r .. R e p o r t e d s i n k i n g A i r a t t a c k 230 m i l e s S . W . of F a s t n e t . M.T.B. Sunk M i n e , off H a r w i c h . Examination Vessel M/S Trawler.. P a d d l e M / S .. A / P T r a w l e r .. Grounded (not t o t a l loss) Sunk yet Yinstay B a y (Shapinsay Sound). Cruden Scaurs. Mine, Tyne. A / C off L o w e s t o f t .

Damaged and beached Damaged

The following casualties have been reported to naval personnel :..' Officers : 20 killed or missing, 3 wounded. R a t i n g s : 201 killed or missing, 101 wounded.

A P P E N D I X YI. Operational Aircraft Battle Casualties. 0600 hrs., 13th February, 1941, to 0600 hrs., 20th February, 1941. Metropolitan Area. British.
Bombers Fighters Coastal Total In the 5 3 5 13 Destroyed. 7 1 4 Probably Destroyed. Air. On the Ground.

2 2 Damaged. 4 1 2

German.
Bombers Fighters Miscellaneous

1
1

Total 12 N o a c c o u n t is t a k e n of a i r c r a f t d e s t r o y e d o n t h e g r o u n d . Of t h e a b o v e t o t a l s , 4 a i r c r a f t w e r e d e s t r o y e d a n d 2 d a m a g e d b y A.A. fire.

Middle East. British.

Bombers... F i g h t e r s ... C o a s t a l ... In the 9 Air. On the Ground.

Total 10 ; Of t h e a b o v e t o t a l , 3 b o m b e r s w e r e lost in a c t i o n in G r e e c e .

Italian.
' Bombers Fighters Miscellaneous ...
1

...

...

Destroyed. ' 5,, 24 12 41*

Probably Destroyed. ^ 1 2 8 . 1 1

Damaged. "j 1 1

T o t a l , ..

.. : . ?

* I n c l u d i n g 30 a i r c r a f t c l a i m e d b y . t h e G r e e k s . Probably Destroyed. 1 y 3 4

German.
B o m b e r s ... Eighters ... Miscellaneous ... ... ... ... . . . . . . Total .

Destroyed. 2 1 3 6

Damaged.

4 4

Of t h e a b o v e t o t a l s , 3 w e r e d e s t r o y e d a n d 2 p r o b a b l y d e s t r o y e d by A.A. fire.

A P P E N D I X YII.

Air Attacks on Enemy Territory in Europe. Extracts from Recent Raid Assessment Reports. The following reports of damage have been received during the past week from air reconnaissance and Intelligence sources : Germany. Berlin.The following further information has been received concerning the raids in the third week of December : (1) All the front windows in the Imperial Palace were broken and also many windows in the Unter den Linden district. (2) The Woolworths Stores near the Alexanderplatz was burnt out. (3) A n electrical lamp factory near the Schlesicher Station was hit. (4) 5-sfcorey houses in the Eisenacher Strasse and the Ronne Strasse were completely destroyed. Information has come to hand of the destruction of that part of Siemens and Halske Works which specialise in Gyro compasses and other instruments for aviation. Some of these are now being manufactured at a factory outside P a r i s . Bremen.The damage has been described as enormous and is stated to be particularly noticeable around the Holzhafen. Straubing.A factory manufacturing light metals has been so seriously damaged that work cannot be continued. Krefeld.A firm manufacturing machinery has been severely damaged and is a t present unable to fulfil orders. Hanover.Personal observation has disclosed that the oil refinery has been severely damaged. Dusseldorf and Rheydt.On the night of the 22nd/23rd J a n u a r y considerable damage was caused in these towns. The main station a t Dusseldorf was hit and was closed for a period owing to the reported existence of a delay action bomb. 350,000 metres of artificial silk were destroyed in a fire caused, but it is not known in which town this fire was started. General.The fires caused in Bremen were such that the fire services had to be reinforced by a considerable p a r t of tlhe fire-fighting personnel from Hamburg.

Mining. On the 9th J a n u a r y a German cargo ship of 2,000 tons en route from Stettin to a Danish port was sunk. On the 15th/16th J a n u a r y 2 German merchant ships were sunk off the Western entrance to the Fehmarn Channel. The channel was closed for two days. The German steamer Euler, of 1,879 tons, which was for many months in a North Spanish port, recently escaped to Bordeaux. The ship did not succeed in reaching Germany for on its way it struck a mine off the French channel coast and sank. A report sent on the 6th February stated that the German Authorities in Oslo announced that the Kiel Canal was only open to ships not exceeding 4,000 tons. I t is understood that ice has hindered the clearing of the obstruction caused by the sinking of a ship in the canal as a result of a mine in December.