Show British Air Raiders Bomb German Fleet at t Base case ase ENGLISH CLAIM WARSHIPS HIT HiTt t ATTACK i Churchill Makes First M Major Maior Offensive Move LONDON April 5 INS INS INS- In Britain's first major offen- offen i e stroke since Winston Churchill was made dictator i pier a streamlined war council coun- coun cil cd royal air force planes at- at a at attacked tacked t- t tacked and probably damaged five fire life German warships near the reich's hs h's big Wilhel Wilhelmshaven m s h a v e n base the air ministry an an- an no an-no need Friday In large formation the bOmbers winged across the Northill North T sea to the bight and andade J Jade ade de estuary only one on one day after I th acting swift IB swift acting first lord of the took up the job of intensifying int in- in t the struggle Ships St aming Out Unofficial reports stated that th the air squadrons caught the erman ships steaming out of the ade ide in formation formati n presumably e ded fort for forthe the Noru Norwegian to i nazi ore ore carri carriers rs threatened threat threat- I ened ed by the intensified d allied d block- block d df de Another kother theory was that they ere ere fe heading south through the theo orth o th sea m in an effort to join bat- bat with British warships guarding he English channel However the made no menion menion menio men- men io ion of these points lIt It was believed that as a result British air attack the nazi fleet was forced to put back to its base baie use at Wilhelmshaven g Defenses IB I The The air ministry's bulletin anI announced an an- I flounced Royal air force forc planes I of the bomber command Thursday V tn Germanys Germany's defenses and andI I reconnoitered the naval base atI at I mAn An An enemy warship which was observed near the base was attacked attacked attacked at at- tacked with bombs and four enI enemy enemy en en- emy y destroyers also aiso were attacked I farther south dam dam- damage It It is believed that some damage dam dam- J age was done to them All the Brit- Brit I Ish aircraft returned to their bases Without da damage age or casualties O rIh The did not s specify I the s sl size e of the first warship attacked at- at tacked lacked near en but itI itI it as assumed from the wording warding of I Continued on Page Three rt I Column Three ENGLISH RAID GERMAN FLEET Continued From Page One the bulletin that the boat was larger than a destroyer The raid epitomized Britain's Intensification intensification in intensification In- In of the war with Increased Ini increased in In- i creased efforts in both military and diplomatic spheres Mass I Production Ships At I the same time the government government govern govern- ment launched a gigantic program aimed at the maintenance of its sea-borne sea commerce commerce It was was' announced announced announced an an- that Britain will begin producing cargo vessels on a mass production basis with each shipyard shipyard shipyard ship ship- yard constructing only one type of vessel An official announcement said the ships will be turned out at at a speed never known before Widening of the war effort in inthe inthe inthe the Balkans also was seen in announcement announcement announcement an an- by Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir John Simon of creation creation cre cre- of Balkan a trading company to fight Germany on the southeastern southeastern south south- eastern economic front The Th company will seek to push British Britis trade with Rumania Hungary Hungary Hun Hun- gary Turkey Bulgaria and Greece Greece |