(c) crown copyright
Catalogue Reference:cab/66/16/40
Image Reference:0001
- T H I S D O C U M E N T I S T H E PROPERTY OF H I S B R I T A N N I C MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT
$
:
j
/
:
:
:
:
j
SECRET
I
W.P.. (41) 117
V
K
(Also Paper No. C.O.S. (41) 337)
May 29, 11)41
Copy No.
\
.
j
\
V
I
TO B E K E P T U N D E R L O C K A N D K E Y ?
It is requested that special care may be taken to
ensure the secrecy of this document.
WEEKLY RESUME (No. 91) of the NAVAL, MILITARY AND AIR SITUATION from 12 noon May 22nd, to 12 noon May 29th, 1941 [Circulated with the approval of
the Chiefs of Staff.]
The reports of operations in and around Crete are given on page 5.
NAVAL
SITUATION.
General Review.
The M e d i t e r r a n e a n Fleet continues to be engaged in t h e Cretan operations. The G e r m a n battleship Bismarck has been sunk i n the A t l a n t i c . S h i p p i n g losses have been light. Home Waters and North Atlantic.
2. Following r e p o r t s received from air reconnaissance, the G e r m a n battle­
ship Bismarck and cruiser Prinz Eugen were sighted by H . M . Ships Norfolk and
Suffolk late on the 23rd M a y i n -the D e n m a r k S t r a i t . They were shadowed
u n t i l early on the 24th, when they were engaged by H . M . Ships Hood and
Prince of Wales.
H . M . S . Hood w a s h i t and blew u p , a n d the chase continued
t h r o u g h o u t the 24th. Torpedo a i r c r a f t from H . M . S . Victorious obtained one hit
on Bismarck a t 1220, but touch was t h e n lost u n t i l 1030 on the 26th, when she
was a g a i n sighted by a C a t a l i n a a i r c r a f t , and later by H.M.S.
Sheffield.
Successful torpedo a t t a c k s were m a d e by torpedo-aircraft from H.M.S. Ark Royal
the same day a n d by H . M . Destroyers Cossack, Maori, Zulu a n d Sikh d u r i n g
the n i g h t . Bismarck
w a s engaged by H . M . Ships King George V (Flag of
Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet), Rodney a n d Norfolk early on the 27th, and
finally sunk a t 1100 by torpedoes from H . M . S . Dorsetshire
about 400 miles
W . S . W . of L a n d ' s E n d ; some h u n d r e d survivors were picked u p . Some damage
a n d casualties were suffered in H . M . Ships Prince of Wales, Cossack a n d Zidu.
W h i l e r e t u r n i n g from the action o u r ships were a t t a c k e d off the west coast of
Ireland, a n d H . M . Destroyer Mashona w a s h i t and later abandoned. N o report
of the movements of Prinz Eugen h a s been received since the evening of the 24th,
in spite of a search by 64 a i r c r a f t from Bomber Command.
3. H . M . S . Edinburgh
intercepted the G e r m a n s.s. Lech (3,290 tons)
400 miles n o r t h of theAzores on the 22nd. T h e ship scuttled herself by explosive
charges.
H . M . T r a w l e r Cape Portland
intercepted the F i n n i s h s.s.
Dagmar
(2,149 tons) 190 miles west of the F a r o e s a n d escorted h e r in.
The D u t c h Cruiser Van Kinsbergen
intercepted the F r e n c h s.s.
Winnipeg
east of M a r t i n i q u e on the 26th, a n d is t a k i n g her i n t o T r i n i d a d .
H . M . S . Registan
(Ocean B o a r d i n g Vessel) was bombed and set on fire off
L a n d ' s E n d on the 27th. She is being towed into p o r t .
The D u t c h minelayer Nautilus sank off the H u m b e r on the 22nd, as the result
of a collision.
F o u r ex-U.S. c o a s t g u a r d - c u t t e r s have arrived i n G r e a t B r i t a i n .
D u r i n g the period 6 French m e r c h a n t ships (22,000 tons) have passed
G i b r a l t a r westbound, a n d 6 ( u p w a r d s of 15,000 tons) eastbound. All were under
escort.
Mediterranean.
( N O T E . — O p e r a t i o n s in vicinity
" Military Situation.")
of
Crete have been
dealt
with
under
4 . H . M . S u b m a r i n e Upholder obtained a hit on a 4,000-ton laden tanker in
the southern e n t r a n c e to the S t r a i t s of Messina on the 20th, and torpedoed a
5,000-ton ship in the same vicinity on the 23rd. O n t h e 24th she sighted three
large liners escorted by destroyers, 30 miles south-east of A u g u s t a ; she hit
w i t h two torpedoes on one l a r g e ship which is t h o u g h t to have sunk.
H . M . Sloop Grimsby and the t a n k e r she was escorting were sunk by air
a t t a c k 40 miles north-east of Tobruk on the 25th.
.
H . M . S u b m a r i n e Usk is overdue a n d must be considered lost.
Anti-Submarine Operations.
5. Only two a t t a c k s on U-boats have been carried out d u r i n g the week; one
by a n a i r c r a f t off La^ Roehelle a n d another by gunfire from. ELM. Submarine
Pandora to the w e s t w a r d of Oporto, both without visible result. '
Enemy Intelligence.
German.
6. The battleship Tirpitz
together w i t h t h e Pocket-Battleship
Admiral
Scheer and the Cruiser Hipper were photographed a t Kiel on the 2.8th May.
Scharnhorst and Gneisenau remain a t Brest, but t h e former was observed a t 1930
on the 25th May to have moved one ship's length to the eastward. Unfortunately
the quality of the photographs a n d cloud prevent it being definitely known whether
a boom is in position round her or whether her camouflage has been removed.
The Pocket-Battleship Lutzow, together w i t h four destroyers a n d four torpedo
boats, may have been a t Swinemunde on the 12th May.
Italian.
7. No changes in the dispositions of I t a l i a n N a v a l forces have been received.
R e p a i r s to the battleship Liitorio were completed the 7th May a n d the Vittorio
feneto is probably now in the d r y dock at T a r a n t o .
V-boats.
8. T h e average number of enemy submarines which have been o p e r a t i n g in
the N o r t h - W e s t e r n Approaches d u r i n g the past week has been about eighteen or
nineteen, of which only three or four were I t a l i a n . No concerted a t t a c k has been
made since the 20th M a y by German submarines and they have not been much in
evidence, sightings having been very rare. T h e i r dispositions were probably
greatly affected by the adventures of the Bismarck and it is safe t o presume that
they were moved considerable distances in an a t t e m p t to provide assistance. T h e
present situation is accordingly obscure. F o u r German submarines have been
operating in the Freetown area.
Enemy Attack on Seaborne Trade.
9. S h i p p i n g losses d u r i n g the period have been exceptionally light.
A i r c r a f t have unsuccessfully attacked an E n g l i s h Channel convoy and have
inflicted some casualties on a Bristol Channel convoy and s h i p p i n g off Milford
Haven and off Sunderland.
k'
Protection of Seaborne Trade.
10. D u r i n g the week e n d i n g the 28th May, 948 ships, of which 155 were
Allied and 15 Neutral, were convoyed. One battleship, two cruisers, eleven armed
merchant cruisers, four submarines, 55 destroyers a n d 68 sloops a n d corvettes
have been employed on escort duties.
I m p o r t s into G r e a t B r i t a i n by ships in convoy d u r i n g the week ending the
24th M a y totalled 664,736 tons, compared with 1,062,626 tons d u r i n g the previous
week and an average of 575,940 tons for the past ten weeks. Oil imports in
14 tankers, amounted to 133,559 tons, compared w i t h 306,636 tons in 28 tankers
d u r i n g the week ending the 17th May. M i n e r a l imports were 223,492 tons, of
which 154,453 tons were steel, p i g iron, scrap iron a n d iron ore. Timber imports
were 39,443 tons, and cereal imports 149,305 tons, 19 ships being fully laden w i t h
grain. Other food imports were 56,686 tons, of which 20,188 tons were sugar,
5,319 tons were fresh, dried a n d tinned fruit (including a shipload of 1,139 tons
of oranges), 4,000 tons were cocoa, 4,745 tons were meat and 964 tons were tea.
There were 200 tons of r u m from D e m e r a r a and 334 tons of tobacco. The
Svend Foyn, 14,795 tons, brought 103,859 barrels of whale oil from South Georgia.
There were the usual imports of machinery, aircraft, ammunition and w a r stores.
[22565]
B 2
British Minelaying.
11. On the 21st M a y E M S . Rorqual laid 50 mines i n the Gulf of Salonika,
a n d on the same day H . M . S . Abdiel laid 154 mines off C a p e D a k a t o on t h e west
coast of Greece.
On the 22nd May, and a g a i n on the 27th, H . M . S . Teviot Bank laid 270 mines
in the E a s t Coast B a r r i e r .
Minelaying h a s been carried out by a i r c r a f t off the Channel and Bay of
Biscay p o r t s t h r o u g h o u t the week.
Enemy Minelaying, B r i t i s h Minesweeping.
12. Minelaying by enemy a i r c r a f t r o u n d the B r i t i s h Isles h a s been on a
considerably reduced scale a n d there has been only one s h i p d a m a g e d by mine
d u r i n g the week. Ten magnetic mines have been dealt w i t h in Home W a t e r s a n d
seventeen acoustic. N o contact mines have been swept. I n c l u d i n g a few belated
reports a n d mines dealt w i t h in Foreign W a t e r s , the totals now a r e : magnetic
1,166 (of which L L sweeps have accounted for 941), acoustic 627 a n d contact 872.
Suez
Canal.
Traffic was resumed on the 22nd May, but the C a n a l was r a i d e d by about
8 a i r c r a f t on the 24th, and the n o r t h e r n section was closed to navigation. Traffic
was again resumed on the 27th May, ships being swept t h r o u g h the dangerous
area. Five mines have been dealt w i t h in the Canal d u r i n g the week.
Enemy M e r c h a n t Shipping.
German.
13. I t is reported t h a t all German a n d I t a l i a n ships in refuge in J a p a n are
to be given covering J a p a n e s e n a t i o n a l i t y a n d used locally. The
Salzburg,
1,756 tons, passed I s t a n b u l on the 21st M a y for the ^Egean half-loaded. This
is t h e last of the e i g h t German ships which have been t r a d i n g in the Black Sea,
all of them being now in t h e ^Egean. There are, however, eighteen R o u m a n i a n
m e r c h a n t ships, totalling some 70,000 tens, in the Black Sea. The H u n g a r i a n
Kassa, 1,022 tons, has been reported to be m a k i n g for the ^Egean from the Black
Sea w i t h five G e r m a n officers on board a n d a cargo of searchlights, A / A guns,
machine guns and grenades. T h e H u n g a r i a n Tisza, 961 tons, is said to be loading
a similar cargo a t Constanza a n d was expected to pass I s t a n b u l for the i E g e a n
on the 28th May.
The Monserrate, 5,578 tons, which was set on fire by her crew a t Callao at
the beginning of A p r i l a n d was gutted, has now been b r o u g h t into dock.
On the 22nd May, the Windhuk,
16,662 tons, w h i c h is a t Santos, Brazil,
received 250 drums of oil fuel and the next day she was t a k i n g w a t e r on board.
Customs officials are said to have received permission from R i o de J a n e i r o to
g r a n t her a clearance p e r m i t if she asks for it. A t R i o de J a n e i r o the Hermes
(ex-Karnak),
7,209 tons, is loading rapidly a n d is reported to be likely to sail at
the end of the month.
The tanker Germania, 9,851 tons, w i t h 13,000 tons of petrol on board, left
L a s P a l m a s at 0300/27 and arrived a t Teneriffe at 0900/27. The Madrid,
8,777 tons, which left Las P a l m a s on the 11th December last, is reported to have
a r r i v e d . i n a German-occupied port.
Italian.
14. The t a n k e r Gianna M, 5,719 tons, which was intercepted after sailing
from t h e C a n a r y Islands by H.M.S. Hilary, arrived a t Belfast in p r i z e on the
20th May.
T h e Zeffiro, 5,165 tons, was reported on the 20th M a y to have been sunk near
C a p Bon probably by a mine. Of the five I t a l i a n m e r c h a n t ships a n d three
t a n k e r s which were, until recently, in the Black Sea, three ships, including one
tanker, have gone t h r o u g h the Bosphorus to the i E g e a n .
T h e t a n k e r s Todaro, 5,162 tons, and Arcola, 6,349 tons, a t Teneriffe, were
reported early i n t h e week ,to be loading, and the Todaro sailed a t 0200/27.
MILITARY SITUATION. Crete.
15. F i g h t i n g i n Crete has continued with intensity t h r o u g h o u t the week.
Once detected our positions have been relentlessly and continuously bombed by
day. I n spite of heavy losses, the enemy has succeeded i n reinforcing a n d in
m a i n t a i n i n g his concentrations by air. No major seaborne landings have been
reported. Various enemy convoys tried to reach the I s l a n d but were driven off
by ELM. Ships, several caiques full of German soldiers being sunk.
Maleme was bombarded by H.M. S h i p s on the 21st M a y and a g a i n on
the 23rd May. Enemy dive-bombers made repeated attacks on H.M. Ships,
causing severe casualties, as set out below. I n the Retimo and Heraklion
areas our troops have succeeded in denying t h e aerodromes to the enemy, but in
the S u d a area the enemy, having captured Maleme Aerodrome a n d the area west
of it, launched successive a i r and ground attacks on our positions covering Canea
and S u d a a n d eventually on the 28th M a y compelled our troops to fall back to the
east of S u d a Bay. H . M . S . Abdiel (Minelayer) and H . M . Destroyers Hero and
Nizam successfully t r a n s p o r t e d troops and stores to Suda B a y d u r i n g t h e night
of the 2 6 t h / 2 7 t h and r e t u r n e d with 700 personnel.
16. D u r i n g the week the Royal A i r Force, o p e r a t i n g from E g y p t i a n bases,
assisted the defence by m a k i n g repeated daylight attacks on Maleme Aerodrome
and enemy landing g r o u n d s . A t least thirty-eight enemy a i r c r a f t were destroyed
on the g r o u n d and m a n y others damaged. I n addition, our fighters shot down
at least eleven enemy aircraft, including five loaded troop-carriers. . The capacity
of these troop-carrying a i r c r a f t is estimated a t 10 men w i t h equipment. Gliders
were also used, and on the 23rd May one J u . 5 2 is reported to have been observed
towing six gliders. Wellingtons operating at n i g h t dropped stores and medical
supplies in the H e r a k l i o n and Retimo areas, and a t t a c k e d Maleme on four
occasions, causing fires on the aerodrome and beaches. Our losses d u r i n g the
week were six Wellingtons, eleven Blenheims and nine H u r r i c a n e s .
17. The total scale of the German effort to d a t e is difficult to estimate
accurately, b u t it is t h o u g h t t h a t at least 14,000 troops were landed' by a i r and
by p a r a c h u t e in the Maleme area alone, together w i t h mortars, i n f a n t r y guns,
field g u n s a n d motor cycles. The effort in the Retimo and H e r a k l i o n areas was
very much less, a n d it is probable t h a t the Germans, c a r r y i n g out their usual
policy of reinforcing success, diverted troops from these two objectives in order
to t h r o w them into the fight at Maleme and Canea.
18. T h e K i n g of the Hellenes a n d suite were taken off from the western end
of Crete on the n i g h t of t h e 22nd May by H . M . Destroyers Hero and Decoy.
Naval
Casualties.
19. D u r i n g t h e above operations the following casualties were inflicted by
enemy a i r c r a f t on H . M . Ships of the M e d i t e r r a n e a n Fleet due to insufficient
a i r c r a f t cover so close to enemy air bases and to the d e a r t h of a n t i - a i r c r a f t
ammunition :—
Sunk.—Cruisers,
Gloucester a n d Fiji; Destroyers, Greyhound,
Kelly
and
Kashmir.
Damaged.—Battleships,
War spite,
Valiant
and Bgrham;
AircraftC a r r i e r Formidable; Cruisers Naiad, Perth, A jaw and Dido; and Destroyers
Nubian and Hereward.
Cruiser York, damaged repeatedly in Suda Bay, is
now considered a t o t a l loss.
Egypt a n d Libya.
20. Since the 19th May there have been severe sand storms in the W e s t e r n
Desert and operations have been chiefly confined to patrol activity in the Tobruk
area a n d in the vicinity of Sollum a n d t h e E g y p t i a n frontier. The enemy seems
to be concentrating upon strengthening his defensive positions facing Tobruk.
His a i r c r a f t have carried out numerous bombing and machine-gun attacks,
but t h e damage done h a s been slight.
21. On the evening of the 25th M a y four enemy armoured cars and one
a i r c r a f t attacked the E g y p t i a n frontier post at B i r Shegga, driving in the
E g y p t i a n F r o n t i e r Force patrol and occupying their position. There has been no
further advance a n d the patrol is still in touch.
22. On the afternoon of the 26th M a y enemy forces, i n c l u d i n g tanks and
supported by artillery, attacked our troops in the H a l f a y a district,-and.we. were
obliged to w i t h d r a w . Two counter-attacks were unsuccessful, a n d 5 I n f a n t r y
t a n k s were reported out of action. South of the escarpment two enemy columns
of all a r m s engaged our forces, which were forced back, a n d a r e now covering
B i r H a b a t a , 50 miles south-east of H a l f a y a . L a t e s t reports state t h a t the enemy
force is halted in an area some. 30 miles from B i r H a b a t a .
23. I t is h a r d to assess the possible scope of these enemy operations, for
maintenance problems a r e still believed to be serious in Cyrenaica.
Supplies
appear, however, to be reaching Benghazi by sea, for a reconnaissance On the
23rd M a y revealed three ships of about 10,000, 5,000 and 1,000 tons respectively
in the harbour, which a day or two earlier h a d been empty. A s far as can be
judged from a i r reconnaissance, airborne supplies and reinforcements have been
on a small scale, and t h i s may be due either to the heavy demands on a i r c r a f t in
the operations in Crete, or possibly to insufficient fuel in L i b y a to provide for
the r e t u r n journey. I t is possible t h a t enemy pressure in Cyrenaica may have
been applied in order to coincide w i t h the operations in Crete.
Abyssinia.
24. W i t h the surrender of the Duke of A o s t a a n d the A m b a A l a g i garrison
on the 19th and 20th M a y the m a i n centres of enemy resistance remaining were
Gondar, Gimma and t h e Lakes lying to the south of A d d i s Ababa. The last of
these three has largely been disposed of d u r i n g the week, which has seen the
junction of our troops o p e r a t i n g southwards from A d a m a w i t h those coming­
n o r t h w a r d s from Neghelli a n d Yavello. These operations resulted in the capture
of several thousand enemy w i t h much equipment. H e a v y r a i n s are making
conditions very difficult, but operations continue.
25. I n the north-west the attack on Chelga, covering the western road into
Gondar, is being pushed home, and we have captured a strategic position on the
Chelga E i d g e .
26. T h e large force which escaped from Debra Marcos and which has since
been leading an uncomfortable existence in the mountainous districts of central
Abyssinia to the n o r t h of A d d i s Ababa, surrendered at A g i b a r on the 23rd May,
w i t h q u a n t i t i e s of equipment.
27. W o r k is proceeding on clearing u p demolitions a n d r e p a i r i n g the
damaged bridge on the S o d d u - G i m m a road, while our troops continue to round
u p the enemy i n L a k e M a r g h a r i t a district.
28. M o p p i n g - u p continues in the north-eastern corner of I t a l i a n Somaliland,
where practically no resistance is being experienced.
Iraq.
Basra, i
29. A s h a r a n d B a s r a remain quiet. T h e newly formed
council has issued a declaration asking for public support.
administrative
30. On the 2 1 s t / 2 2 n d M a y the enemy m a d e an attempt, f r u s t r a t e d by our
patrols, to breach the bunds protecting A s h a r a n d Shuaiba aerodrome. An
operation on the 25th M a y by one battalion w i t h Royal Navy a n d Royal A i r Force
co-operation against enemy troops 6 miles u p the T i g r i s from B a s r a was
successful.
Habbaniya.
31. The Regent a n d his p a r t y are in H a b b a n i y a , which h a s been raided by
German a i r c r a f t on several occasions.
234
4
32. T h e advance of our troops t o w a r d s B a g d a d was delayed by the enemy breaching the bund of t h e E u p h r a t e s , but K h a n Nuqta, 20 miles from Bagdad, was reached on the 28th M a y . 33. M a n y German " t o u r i s t s " are reported to have passed through I r a n
to I r a q a n d w a r materials are said to have been sent through Turkey, but the most
recent report says t h a t Germany h a s declared she can give the I r a q i s no more help
at present. There is little doubt t h a t the latter are disappointed w i t h the a m o u n t
of help given so far. 34. The Germans i n B a g d a d are reported to be leaving for Mosul, where they are b u i l d i n g u p an a i r base. Intelligence.
Invasion
of the United
Kingdom.
35. The movement of shipping, c a r r y i n g troops a n d stores from German Baltic ports n o r t h w a r d s up the Norwegian coast, continues, a n d i t must there­
fore be concluded t h a t the German forces in N o r t h e r n N o r w a y are still being­
reinforced. One unconfirmed report states t h a t the German authorities a r e also studying billeting facilities in South Norway. ' 36. A combined operations exercise on a considerable scale was recently
carried out on the I s l a n d of Rugen. T h i s confirms previous reports t h a t the
island is one of the m a i n centres for " invasion p r a c t i c e . " The building of small
craft w i t h special l a n d i n g contrivances is reported from the Rhine and R u h r
areas, where embarkation practices have also been t a k i n g place. 37. F u r t h e r reports have been received of ' ' special t r a i n i n g ' ' involving the use of B r i t i s h uniforms and the study of B r i t i s h methods. 38. W h i l e these reports show t h a t long-term invasion p r e p a r a t i o n s con­
tinue w i t h o u t cessation, there is little likelihood of any a t t e m p t being made u n t i l some of G e r m a n y ' s present commitments elsewhere have been liquidated. Spain
and
Portugal.
39. There is a report t h a t the Vichy authorities gave t h e Germans certain
supervisory r i g h t s over movements of troops a n d w a r m a t e r i a l by sea or a i r along
the M e d i t e r r a n e a n coast of F r a n c e from Marseilles to t h e Pyrenees as from t h e
end of A p r i l . This would seem.to i n d i c a t e t h a t such movements are contem­
plated, though their exact object is a t present obscure. I t is also reported t h a t
several G e r m a n commissions have been studying roads a n d billeting and supply
facilities in Spain. * I t a l i a n troops a r e said to be s t a n d i n g by to take over the
Bordeaux a r e a when the Germans advance southwards. 40. On the other hand, there a r e several suggestions t h a t the Germans will t a k e no action a g a i n s t S p a i n u n t i l J u l y ; a n d there a r e grounds for believing that H i t l e r wishes to be certain of S p a n i s h consent before entering Spain. Bulgaria.
41. On the 19th M a y the Danube was reported open to t r a n s p o r t between
Bulgaria a n d Budapest. The B u l g a r i a n Government reports t h a t the Danube is
open to freight boats from B u l g a r i a to the Black Sea. I t is likely, however, t h a t
considerable congestion at the Danube ports still makes traffic in either direction
difficult. T h e B u l g a r i a n road and railway services are being hampered by the
northward movement of G e r m a n troops a n d materials. Yugoslavia.
-
.
42. Considerable progress has been made in the reconstruction of r a i l w a y s
in Yugoslavia, but neither the B e l g r a d e - P a n c e v o (King Peter) B r i d g e . o v e r
the Danube nor the r a i l w a y bridge at Belgrade over the Save seems to have been
repaired. T h r o u g h railway traffic between northern a n d southern Yugoslavia
is hence probably still impeded.
,
French North A frica.
43. There are said to be at least 300 German ' ' tourists '' in French North
Africa, a n d one report states t h a t there h a s been an increase during M a y in the
movement of Germans of military age t h r o u g h S p a i n to Spanish Morocco and
thence to the French Zone, and another t h a t German A . A . officers are staying in
Mogador and have visited A g a d i r and I f n i .
Syria.
44. The Vichy French are reported to have evacuated the Aleppo district
a n d to have h a n d e d over the nearby Merab aerodrome to the Germans. Some
u n i t s of the French garrison have been moved southwards a n d there seems to be
something of a concentration near the southern frontier a n d in the neighbourhood
of S u n e i d a and K u n e i t r a .
India.
45. The situation in North W a z i r i s t a n is still unsatisfactory. A large
g a n g about 1,300 strong, reported between R a z m a k a n d D a t t a Khel, is said to be
p r e p a r i n g an attack. A i r reconnaissance has not, however, observed any abnormal
movement.
AIR SITUATION.
General Review.
46. Operations by Bomber Command were restricted by unsuitable weather
conditions, and enemy activity against this country was also on a reduced scale.
M a n y effective attacks were made on enemy s h i p p i n g both in Home W a t e r s and
in the Central Mediterranean.
Bombers and F i g h t e r s from E g y p t have supported our operations in Crete.
' Operational a i r c r a f t battle casualties and e x t r a c t s from recent R a i d
Assessment Reports are given in Appendices V I a n d V I I .
Germany and Occupied Territory
General.
47. Daylight operations by Bomber Command showed an increase over those
of the previous week, 191 sorties being flown. N i g h t operations, consisting of
148 sorties, showed a decrease, which was attributable to the unfavourable
weather.
Day.
48. On the 27th M a y Blenheims of Bomber Command made a surprise attack
on L a n n i o n Aerodrome near Brest, and registered direct h i t s on two h a n g a r s , one
of which was demolished. Seven Me. 109's were certainly h i t and it is possible
t h a t others were damaged. Two large explosions occurred and the whole area
w a s covered by a pall of srnoke. The reason for t h i s a t t a c k was t h a t it h a d been
previously reported t h a t forty to fifty long range bombers had moved to Lannion
early t h a t morning, possibly to s u p p o r t German naval operations.
"^"T^^T^C^ffehsive fighter sweeps, one of which comprised five squadrons, were
carried out each day over N o r t h - E a s t France. D u r i n g these operations we
destroyed, without loss to ourselves, two enemy aircraft a n d probably three more.
50. The remainder of our effort w a s entirely directed against s h i p p i n g and
i s reported under Coastal Operations.
Night.
i
51. The weather w a s again unfavourable for our n i g h t bombers. Projected
operations were cancelled on four nights a n d considerably curtailed d u r i n g the
rest of the week.
52. Cologne w a s attacked on two nights, d u r i n g which 105 tons of h i g h
explosive bombs a n d 16,000 incendiary bombs were dropped. On the first occasion
results in the m a i n were unobserved. On the second occasion, many b u r s t s were
seen in the t a r g e t area, and a p a r t i c u l a r l y large fire was started near the D e u t z
railway station. Other attacks were carried out a g a i n s t Boulogne, St. N a z a i r e
and an aerodrome near Caen. Bombers were despatched on two n i g h t s to a t t a c k
Kiel, but on both occasions bad weather prevented accurate attacks. From all
these operations one a i r c r a f t is missing.
United Kingdom.
53. F i g h t e r Command flew 1,038 patrols involving 2,511 sorties by day, and
180 patrols involving 334 sorties by night, a reduction in the scale of effort as
compared w i t h last week. G e r m a n A i r Force operations have also been on a
lighter scale both by day a n d night.
About 250 long-range bombers operated
at night, b u t only a negligible proportion of them was directed against l a n d
targets.
54. By day, enemy sea and weather reconnaissances were normal, except
on the 27th a n d 28th, when u p to 50 long-range bombers from the Brest Peninsula
operated over the A t l a n t i c . On the 28th, offensive reconnaissances were flown
over K e n t by a total of about 50 aircraft, but on other days enemy fighter activity
was limited to defensive p a t r o l s over the S t r a i t s and French coast. T h e routine
reconnaissance flights were made overland by single aircraft
55. D u r i n g daylight five enemy aircraft, including two bombers, were
destroyed d u r i n g the week by our fighters o p e r a t i n g over this country. N o
interceptions have been reported by our n i g h t fighters.
Coastal Operations.
56. Coastal Command flew 221 patrols and provided escorts for 82 convoys,
involving a total of 673 sorties. S h i p p i n g protection patrols carried out by
F i g h t e r Command totalled 605 and involved 1,268 sorties.
57. Daily searches for coastal s h i p p i n g were carried out off enemy occupied
t e r r i t o r y a n d a number of ships were bombed. Bomber Command claimed direct
hits on seven merchant vessels, totalling about 28,000 tons; on an 800-ton trawler
and a 50-ton motor boat. Six Blenheims were lost in the course of these
operations..
Coastal Command reported successful attacks on a n 8,000-ton
Altmark-class tanker, an 8,000-ton merchant vessel a n d two l,o00-ton coastal
steamers.
*
58. A i r operations in connection w i t h the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen
included in the Naval section headed " Home W a t e r s and N o r t h A t l a n t i c . "
are
59. One h u n d r e d a n d fifty minelaying sorties were flown by Bomber
Command a n d twenty-six by Coastal Command. Enemy minelayers were active
on two n i g h t s of the week, twenty a i r c r a f t being employed.
60. G e r m a n bomber reconnaissance a i r c r a f t operated from Norway towards
Iceland (C) and E a s t Scotland, a n d from France over coastal areas of E n g l a n d
from the north-east to the I r i s h Sea. A n t i - s h i p p i n g raids, though not numerous,
formed the g r e a t e r p a r t of the enemy's effort at night, and shipping attaeks were
also made i n daylight and a t dusk. A i r c r a f t of the Condor u n i t carried out
-attacks on naval u n i t s and merchant shipping d u r i n g the period under review.
61. On the 27th May, the d a t e on which the German battleship Bismarck
was sunk, fifty long-range bombers from the Brest area operated over the
A t l a n t i c in search of our naval forces. The following day about forty aircraft
attacked naval units, one of the attackers being shot down by our escorting
a i r c r a f t a n d others driven off after jettisoning their bombs.
[22565]
c
M e d i t e r r a n e a n and M a l t a .
62. Successful attacks have been made on enemy s h i p p i n g between Sicily
and the A f r i c a n coast, w i t h the following r e s u l t s : —
3,000-ton ship—4 direct hits. On fire and a p p a r e n t l y abandoned.
4/5,000-ton ship, escorted by a destroyer—two direct hits.
8/10,000-ton ship, in convoy, loaded w i t h M.T.—five direct hits.
8/10,000-ton ship, in the same convoy, left down by the stern after two
direct hits.
63. Two Blenheims, after failing to locate a damaged I t a l i a n M.V. off Sfax
H a r b o u r , attacked a similar M.V. (4/5,000 tons) in the H a r b o u r . E i g h t direct
hits were obtained, resulting in a tremendous explosion a n d a large column of
black smoke, from w h i c h i t w a s evident t h a t the ship was loaded w i t h
ammunition. No flag or m a r k i n g s were observed on the ship attacked, but our
a i r c r a f t were fired on by an I t a l i a n destroyer and M.Vs. in Sfax Road.
64. I n addition to the reconnaissance flights which led to the location of
these ships, the Sicilian and E a s t e r n T u n i s i a n coasts have been constantly
patrolled. Mines were laid d u r i n g one n i g h t off the island of Lampedusa, near
Malta.
65. Enemy activity against M a l t a was on a less intensive scale. Small
formations of fighters operated near the Island, possibly in order to screen
t r a n s p o r t a i r c r a f t i n . t r a n s i t from Sicily to Benghazi, and one machine-gun attack
was made on T a k a l i Aerodrome, d u r i n g which two H u r r i c a n e s were destroyed.
A n ineffective n i g h t a t t a c k was made by nine I t a l i a n aircraft, of which only two
succeeded in locating the I s l a n d a n d d r o p p i n g their bombs.
1
Egypt and Libya.
66. Day operations by our a i r c r a f t over Libya have not been heavy.
P e r s i s t e n t n i g h t attacks were made by Wellingtons on Benghazi. H i t s were made
on the C a t h e d r a l Mole and telephone exchange, and fires were s t a r t e d in railway
sidings and n e a r the wireless station. The enemy attacked Tobruk on several
occasions w i t h dive-bombers, two of which were shot down. On the n i g h t of the
2 3 r d / 2 4 t h M a y enemy a i r c r a f t dropped 14 mines and 9 bombs in the Suez
Canal area.
Iraq and Syria.
67. Operations have continued a g a i n s t enemy positions a n d aerodromes in
I r a q a n d a g a i n s t German a i r c r a f t on S y r i a n aerodromes.
68. A petrol dump near B a g h d a d , believed to contain a million gallons,
was completely demolished, and three enemy a i r c r a f t and a number of buildings
were destroyed a t B a q u b a and a t Mosul. On the 24th M a y bombing operations
were commenced against the enemy in the R a m a d i area, where leaflets were also
dropped. S t a n d i n g patrols were m a i n t a i n e d over the B a g h d a d a r e a and messages
were dropped on the Embassy.
69. I n S y r i a dispersed German a i r c r a f t a t P a l m y r a aerodrome were
attacked by two Blenheims, and d u r i n g a t t a c k s on Aleppo, h a n g a r s and at least
one enemy a i r c r a f t were destroyed. Leaflets were dropped over Damascus and
Syrian frontier posts.
70. The I r a q i A i r Force w a s little in evidence, and though H a b b a n i y a was
a t t a c k e d three times by German aircraft, no serious damage or casualties resulted.
One of our reconnaissance a i r c r a f t was forced to land by three I t a l i a n fighters,
one of which w a s shot down by Gladiators.
Abyssinia.
71. A i r c r a f t
French A i r Force
areas. A n a t t a c k
2 4 t h M a y resulted
of the South A f r i c a n A i r Force and Blenheims of the Free
have supported land operations in the Gimma and Gondar
on enenry positions near Soddu by t h i r t e e n a i r c r a f t on the
in direct hits on a ferry, camps and motor transport.
General Air Intelligence.
Iraq.
72. I t is estimated t h a t there are in I r a q about 40 German aircraft, mostly
based on Mosul.
They are reported to be ill-supplied a n d the G e r m a n s h a v e
informed R a s h i d Ali t h a t they cannot produce any appreciably greater air assist­
ance u n d e r two months.
Syria.
73. T h e French A i r Force are reported to have vacated Aleppo, and it is
probable t h a t this aerodrome and P a l m y r a have both been taken over by the A x i s
for their own exclusive use.
Reinforcements for the F r e n c h A i r Force are expected to arrive in the
country in the near future to increase French resistance against B r i t i s h
intervention.
HOME S E C U R I T Y S I T U A T I O N .
General.
74.
Only light bombing was experienced t h r o u g h o u t the week.
By
Day.
75. On the 24th May, houses were damaged at Y a r m o u t h and Eastbourne,
and a n oil t a n k was h i t at Lowestoft. On the 26th May, Lowestoft was attacked
a g a i n a n d 10 people killed.
On the 27th May, there was a single a t t a c k on
Montrose, causing a few casualties.
By
Night.
76. On the 2 3 r d / 2 4 t h May, aerodromes were ineffectively bombed in
Oxfordshire and Sussex, and bombs were dropped at Peterborough a n d B r i x h a m ;
on the 2 4 t h / 2 5 t h May and the 2 5 t h / 2 6 t h May, bombing w a s very l i g h t ; on the
2 6 t h / 2 7 t h bombing was r a t h e r more widespread in H a m p s h i r e , S u r r e y a n d K e n t ;
on the 2 7 t h / 2 8 t h in a slightly wider area from Cornwall to Essex, a n d on the
2 8 t h / 2 9 t h in S.E. England and Merseyside I n Folkestone, 11 people were killed,
including the Mayor a n d Mayoress, a n d there was superficial house d a m a g e over
a large a r e a of the town.
There was no damage d u r i n g the week of special importance.
Repairs.
77. London.—^Considerable
improvements were made on the L . P . T . railways
and on traffic routes through the City.
R a i l w a y termini are now nearly all
normal.
Casualties.
78. Casualties, for the week ending 0600 28th May, are estimated
26 killed and 42 seriously injured. There were no casualties in London.
[22565J at
APPENDICES
I,
II and
III
will be published monthly.
APPENDIX
IY.
Enemy Merchant Ship Losses up to Wednesday, 28th May, 1941.
German.
C a p t u r e d o r seize
seizedd
S c u t t l e d o r s u n k ..
....
Unidentifiedd s h i ppss r e p o r t eedd
Unidentifie
b y S/M
S/M,, A/C
A/C,, & cc,, a s sun
sunkk
o r d e s t r o y eedd
( t o n n a ggee
estimated)
Italian.
Together.
No.
Gross
Tons.
No.
Gross
Tons.
No.
61
105
274,000
597,000
40
85
189,000
428,000
101
190
463,000
1,025,000
187
935,000
113
565,000
300
1,500,000
353
1,806,000
238
1,182,000
591
2,988,000
Gross
Tons.
I n addition, 42 ships of 72,000 gross t o n s u n d e r e n e m y control or useful to t h e e n e m y h a v e
been s u n k .
Also s o m e 53 ships, totalling 320,000 gross tons, h a v e been placed u n d e r p r o t e c t i v e custody
in U n i t e d S t a t e s a n d South A m e r i c a n ports to p r e v e n t s a b o t a g e b y their crews.
A P P E N D I X Y.
Casualties to H.M. Auxiliary Vessels and to Naval Personnel.
T h e following casualties have occurred to ELM. A u x i l i a r y vessels d u r i n g
t h e period u n d e r review :—
May 27.—Auxiliary
Yarmouth.
P a t r o l Vessel Evesham
sunk by near-miss off
T h e following casualties to naval personnel have been r e p o r t e d :—
Officers : Killed 113, missing 19, wounded 7. R a t i n g s : Killed 297, missing 115, wounded 189. Operational Aircraft Battle Casualties.
0600 hours, Thursday, 22nd May, 1941, to 0600 hours, Thursday, 29th May, 1941.
Metropolitan Area.
British
In the Air.
9
Bombers
Fighters Coastal
On the
Ground.
4
Total
German.
13
Probably
Destroyed.
Destroyed.
5
4
Bombers
Fighters
Miscellaneous
Damaged.
6
2
1
2
1
Total
9
No a c c o u n t is t a k e n of aircraft destroyed on the ground.
Middle East.
British
In the Air.
14 10
2
Bombers.
Fighters .
Coastal .
Total
German.
Total
Ground.
3
26
Destroyed.
8
2
65
B o m b e r s ...
F i g h t e r s ...
Miscellaneous
On the
Probably
Destroyed.
1
1
6
Damaged.
2
75
Of t h e above totals, 17 miscellaneous aircraft were destroyed, and 1 fighter w a s probably
destroyed b y A.A. fire.
N O T E . — I n addition to t h e above t o t a l s , m a n y aircraft were destroyed on M a l e m e aerodrome
on M a y 27, 1941, The n u m b e r is u n k n o w n .
Italian Aircraft Losses: Nil.
A P P E N D I X VII.
Air Attacks on Enemy Territory in Europe.
Extracts from Recent Raid Assessment Reports.
T h e following reports of damage have been received d u r i n g the past week
from A i r Reconnaissance and Intelligence sources : —
Germany.
Hamburg^The,
N.D.L. Line motor vessel Ulm, of 3,071 tons, has been b u r n t
out in the harbour, and an informant present on the 1 0 t h / 1 1 t h May observed
four direct h i t s on Deutsche W e r f t a n d two further h i t s on cranes on the
N o r t h - E a s t side of the quay between Moldau a n d Segelschiff.
H e counted
15 different fires on the South, South-East and N o r t h of the harbour area.
P h o t o g r a p h s taken on the 21st M a y covered five major attacks m a d e since
t h e city was last reported on on the 30th A p r i l . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , only p a r t of
the city is covered, and some of the important dock areas have not been
photographed. I t is estimated t h a t little more t h a n half the town a n d dock area
is, included.
Ten days elapsed since the last heavy a t t a c k before it was possible to
p h o t o g r a p h ; consequently, it is to be expected that some of the d a m a g e will have
been repaired. On the other hand, areas where buildings have been demolished
after being damaged show u p more clearly. A brief summary of the damage is
a s follows :—
(a) L a r g e i n d u s t r i a l buildings a n d dockside warehouses com­
pletely g u t t e d by fire or otherwise destroyed, or seriously
damaged
...
...
.\.
...
...
...
...
S i m i l a r b u i l d i n g s less seriously d a m a g e d ...
...
...
M i n o r damage, including roof repairs, a n d items listed a s
' ' probable,'' but not including ' ' possible ' ' items ...
(b) Sites completely cleared, whether damage h a s been previously
reported or not ...
...
...
...
...
...
...
(c) Other buildings, the description of which is not known for certain— Completely g u t t e d by fire, or otherwise destroyed or seriously damaged
...
...
...
...
...
Less seriously damaged
...
...
...
...
...
M i n o r d a m a g e ...
...
...
...
...
...
...
(d) Other buildings (probably dwelling-houses, blocks of dwelling ­
. houses, or flats)—
Completely g u t t e d by fire, or otherwise destroyed or
seriously damaged
...
...
...
...
...
Less seriously damaged, including minor damage, a n d
roof r e p a i r s
...
...
...
...
...
...
(e) Miscellaneous i t e m s —
H i t s on railways
...
...
...
...
...
...
H i t s on railways (probable) ...
...
...
...
...
B a r r a c k buildings gutted
. . . . . .
...
...
...
B a r r a c k buildings (roof damage) ...
...
...
...
H o s p i t a l buildings damaged ...
...
...
...
...
M e r c h a n t vessel—probable hit
...
...
...
...
36
20
9
8
21
14
3
19
26
1
1
1
1
1
1
I n a d d i t i o n there a r e the following two items of major damage which are
considered to be the direct result of the 4,000-lb. bombs d r o p p e d in the area
covered by the p h o t o g r a p h s : —
(1) E a s t of Steinwerder Canal a n area which, entirely consisted of i n d u s t r i a l
buildings 450 x 380 ft. h a s been completely demolished a n d only p a r t s
of a few walls remain. The further effects of blast which caused this
destruction can be seen w i t h i n an a r e a which measures 900 x 750 ft.
The blast is clearly seen on the coal d u m p along the Reiherstieg and
buildings alongside the r a i l w a y line. T h e distance between the two
points being 1,107 ft.
(2) A warehouse on the Sudwest H a f e n measuring
approximately
3 6 0 x 2 2 0 ft. completely destroyed T h e end of a smaller warehouse
behind has been blown in or d r a w n o u t by blast, which would indicate
t h a t the destruction of the first warehouse was probably the result of
a 4,000-lb. bomb. A warehouse a d j o i n i n g has h a d one bay almost
entirely wrecked and its remaining two bays severely damaged.
Berlin.—In
the r a i d on the 9 t h / 10th A p r i l the L u f t h a n s a Offices in the
Eriedrichstrasse were fired. I t is reported t h a t , owing to R . A . F . r a i d s on the
capital, t h e D i p l o m a t i c Corps a r e becoming increasingly anxious a n d there is talk
of a n i m p e n d i n g move to Dresden.
Kiel.—Recent
r a i d s have been described in Berlin as most effective, and
U-boat construction h a s been greatly hampered. T h e G e r m a n i a works are now
concentrating their a t t e n t i o n to increasing their production at G d y n i a on account
of the severe d a m a g e they have suffered a t Kiel.
Mannheim.—Photographs
taken on the 17th May show the success, of the
attacks on the 2 9 t h / 3 0 t h A p r i l a n d the 5 t h / 6 t h , 9th./10th a n d 1 2 t h / 1 3 t h M a y ;
the damage is widespread a n d extensive and the p r i n c i p a l features a r e : —
(i) The destruction of the A u t o b a h n B r i d g e over the Rhine. The E a s t p a r t
has been completely destroyed and fallen into the river. Another p a r t
is out of alignment.
(No specific claim to have attacked this bridge has been received,
but on the n i g h t of the 5 t h / 6 t h a Wellington dropped a 4,000-lb. bomb
on w h a t was t h o u g h t to be a junction in the Autobahn. A blue light
was seen. The blue light may well have been caused by the disturbance
of the water consequent upon the collapse of the' bridge and the
destruction of possible electric cables thereon.)
(ii) The destruction of an area in the dock district comprising warehouses
a n d sheds on each side of the "Verbindungs-Kanal covering a combined
space of about 4-J acres.
(iii) H e a v y damage to domestic p r o p e r t y in another p a r t of the dock district
covering approximately 200 by 130 y a r d s (believed to have been caused
by one large bomb).
(iv) Considerable destruction of p r o p e r t y in the Schwetzinger Strasse, one
of the m a i n streets in the new town,
(v) A t r i a n g u l a r block of buildings about 160 by 140 by 120 yards to the
W e s t of the R h i n e B r i d g e has been completely demolished; and
(vi) T h e destruction of a l a r g e b u i l d i n g by fire in the Badische and A n i l i n
Works.
P e r s o n s connected w i t h railways have described recent r a i d s as " f r i g h t f u l . "
Direct hits were obtained on the lines to Weinheim, Heidelberg and Schwetzingen.
The r a i l w a y viaduct between L a d e n b u r g a n d Friedrichsfeld was hit and has
collapsed.
General.—That
recent heavy attacks have been successful can be gauged from
the fact t h a t d u r i n g the p a s t week General Milch addressed A . R . P . workers,
s t a t i n g : " W e cannot look on while g r e a t damage is done by fire to our factories.
I beg you to continue to work for the A . R . P . , " and t h a t an official reception was
given I n Berlin to A . R . P . workers from all districts in the Reich, at which
Goebbels himself made an address to encourage them.
France.
Brest.—Photographs
alongside the Scharnhorst
t a k e n on the 20th May show a floating crane to be still
a n d a salvage vessel is alongside the quay.