Evening star., 1942-02-13
Battle
Continued From First Page)

Continued From First Page)
Strait, the open water of the North
Sea and the safety of home port.
The first, preliminary Admiralty
Air Ministry communique said to-
day:
when last sighted the enemy had
become separated and were making
for ports in the Helgoland Blight.
Further reports from our sources
are awaited"
Evidently having waited cautiously
for day when snow and sleet
shrouded the strait, the Nazis were
ready yesterday to take their great
risk in daylight, giving their great
ships the protection also of naval
forces and air fighters supplied in
relays from the French coast.
From the time they were met by
British air and then naval units
until they scattered at the east end
of the Channel, a furious battle was
waged with everything on both sides
from little minesweepers to the great
batteries on opposite shores.
1t was a battle fought in misty
confusion. under leaden skies which
often blotted out the fierce duel of
big and little ships, wave-skimming
torpedo planes and wheeling, diving
bombers and fighters.
Although the shores of France are
xy;e,L ~,
English cliffs across the Dover Strait,
the joint communique said the
weather was so thick the enemy
ships were not once spotted from
this shore.
Hits on Ships Reported.
1t said the bomber command re-
ported hits on all three Of the fleeing
Nazi warships.
At least six torpedo hits were be-
neved to have been scored, but there
was no indication Of their effective
ness
One, air-launched, was credited
to a Swordfish plane-one Of an
armada Of torpedo planes Of which
six were lost-and three more to
Beaufort torpedo o-bombers. The
others were sent scudding through
the murk from torpedo tubes Of q
destroyer and a motor torpedo boat.
"At about II am. yesterday
CThursday), r. A. F. fighter air
craft reported an enemy squadron
consisting of the Scharnhorst, the
Gneisenau and the Prinz Eugen, ac-
companied by destroyers, torpedo
boats, E-boats and minesweepers,
was approaching the Dover Strait
from the west," said the British
sea and air commands in their first
account of the battle.
The enemy squadron also was
heavily escorted by fighter aircraft.
visibility at this time varied
from 3 to miles on receipt
of this report, coastal craft of the
Dover naval command Immediately
were sent out to attack, together
with Swordfish aircraft Of the fleet
air arm, strongly escorted by r. A. F..
fighters.
Attacks by both Swordfish and
coastal aircraft were pressed close
to home in the face of intense fire
from all vessels and opposition by
enemy fighters.
Hit. Scored by Swordfish.
reports indicate the Swordfish
scored at least one hit on one Of
the enemy heavy ships and one Of
the motor torpedo boats also
claimed a possible hit, but owing to
the intense barrage and the heavy
smoke screen put up by the enemy
it was impossible to see the re-
suits Six Swordflsh aircraft
are missing
During this time the Dover de-
fenses opened fire at extreme range,
which was replied to by enemy
shore batteries :"
r. A. F. planes made repeated
attacks, the communique went on,
and, although low clouds obscured
the results, preliminary coastal
command reports credit three tor
pedo hits to BeaufortS and the
bomber command said that each
of the main enemy units was hit
by bombs.
1.-The attacks were pressed home
with the greatest determination in
the face OF heavy anti-aircraft fire
and strong fighter opposition, which
resulted in the loss of 20 Of our
bombers and 16 fighters.
Fifteen enemy fighters were de-
stroyed by our fighter escort and at
least three more by the bombers
themselves ."
Quarry Sighted.
At 3:34 pm.-when the nautical
hare-and-hound chase had been
thrashing through the Channel for
more than four r-and-one-haH hours
British destroyers sighted the
quarry and, the communique said,
went into the attack in the face Of
very heavy bombing - and also
heavy gunfire from all the enemy's
surface ships -
"Our destroyers took advantage
of a rain squall to press the attacks
home /" there Is reason to be-
lieve that at least one torpedo hit
was obtained. Casualties In our
destroyers were not heavy"
One question Britons were sure to
ask their war leaders was how the
Scharnnorst, Gneisenau and Prinz
Eugen could put to sea in trim for
a perilcus challenge to Britain's sea
might after having sat through
more than 100 air attacks on Brest
Of which they presumably were the
specific targets Of 66. The last was
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