28.12.41 No, 1. Air Ministry No, 5962 AIR MINISTRY AND MINISTRY OP HOME SECURITY COMMUNIQUE There was slight coastal activity by the enemy during the early part of last night. Bombs, which were dropped at one point on the North-East coast of England, caused but little damage and no one was seriously injured. 28/12/41 - No, 7 FAR EAST WAR COMMUNIQUE Singapore. December 2.8. 1941 On the Perak front our forces are in contact with the enemy. There has been patrol activity around Blanja, In the Chemor area an enemy attack was i_>aten off with severe losses. Our artillery has been-harassing the enemy’s lines of communications and interfering with his efforts to cross the Perak river, In N.E* Halaya our artillery knocked out two of five enemy lorries proceeding along the coast between Kemanan and Kuantan. Some armed Japanese dressed an Malays were captured yesterday. During the night our aircraft carried out a very successful bombing attack on Sungei Paadi aerodrome* At least ten aircraft were completely destroyed on the ground and a number of others damaged, some buildings were destroyed and many fires were started* A. heavy explosion occurred and the resultant fire could be'seen by the of the returning aircraft at distance of crews a fifty miles. All our aircraft returned safely. 28/12/41 - No, 9. Air Ministry No. 5963 AIR MINISTRY COMMUNIQUE Last night a powerful force of Bomber Command aircraft attacked targets in Western Germany. At Dusseldorf, the main objective, industrial districts were heavily bombed and many fires were left burning. The aerodrome at Soesterberg in Holland was,attacked while enemy aircraft were landing, and bombs were seen to burst on the runways. Other forces attacked the naval base at Brest and the docks at Boulogne. Mines were laid in enemy waters. Hudson aircraft of Coastal Command last night bombed the aerodrome at Sola in Norway. Seven aircraft of Bomber Command are missing from these operations. 28.12.41. No.l0 NOT FOR PUBLICATION, BROADCAST, OR USE ON CLUB TAPES BEFORE 0030 B.S.T. (i.e. FOR MORNING PAPERS) ON MONDAY, 29.12.41. THIS EMBARGO SHOULD BE RESPECTED OVERSEAS BY PREFACING ANY MESSAGES FILED WITH THE EMBARGO. EXPORT LICENSING COTTON MANUFACTURES, Under a Board of Trade Order (I.R. <£s 0. 1941 N0.2095 * price which comes into force on 13th January, 1942, export control is extended to cover a number of additional cotton manufactures, including knitted, netted and crocheted goods (hosiery). Licences will, in future, be required to export the following classes of goods to all destinations, but applications for licences will not, normally, be entertained:- Cotton and cotton manufactures, the following Knitted, netted or crocheted goods, wholly or mainly of cotton, the following Articles of apparel (other than stockings and socks), complete or incomplete, and shaped material for making into apparel. Piece goods of any width or length* It is made clear that the prohibition in respect of woven piece goods wholly or mainly of cotton or of cotton and artificial silk exceeding 18 inches in width is not confined to those exceeding 5 yards in length, but includes all such piece goods irrespective of length. Copies of the Order mil he available from His Majesty’s Stationery Office and through booksellers shortly. BOARD OP TRADE. 28/12/41 - No. 11 MEDDLE EAST WAR COMMUNIQUE Cairo December 28 Yesterday our forces intensified their pressure on the enemy in the Jedabya area. The area between Benghazi and Jedabya is now almost clear of enemy forces and such small parties as remain there are steadily being mopped up. Still more enemy motor transport and petrol tank wagons were destroyed by oar air forces yesterday at and south-west of Jedabya. WAR OFFICE 28.12.41 - No, 12 NOT FOR PUBLICATION OR USE ON CLUB TAPES BEFORE MIDNIGHT (8.5.T.) ON DECEMBER 28/29, 1941. NOT TO BE CABLED ABROAD OR BROADCAST BEFORE MIDNIGHT ON THAT DATE ANGLO-SOVIET COMMUNIQUE ON THE TALKS OP Mil. STALIN AND MOLOTOV WITH MR. EDEN IN MOSCOW In the second half of December, 1941 there took place in Moscow , between the President of the Council the People’s Commissars, I.V. Stalin, and the People’s Commissar'for Foreign Affairs, V.M. Molotov, on the one hand and the British Secretary of State for Foreign "'fairs, Anthony Eden, on the other, an exhaustive exchange of views on .ostions relating to the conduct of the war and to post-war orgmisation of peace and security in Europe. The Soviet Ambassador in Great Brit' in, I«M, -Maisky, and His Majesty’s Ambassador in the U.S.S.R,, Sir S, Cripps, were present at these conversations. Further, some of the meetings were attended by the British Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs ; Sir Cadogan, and by the Vice-Chief of the British Imperial General Staff, Lieutenant-General Nye, The conversations, which took place in a friendly atmosphere showed 3 identity of views of both parties on all questions relating to the conduct of the war and especially with regard to the necessity for the utter defeat of Hitlerite Germany and the adoption thereafter of measures to render completely impossible any repetition of German aggression in future. Exchange of views on questions relating to post-war organisation of peace and security provided much important and useful material which will facilite a. future elaboration of concrete proposals on this subject. Both parties are convinced that the Moscow conversations constitute a new important forward step towards closer collaboration between the U.S.S.R. and Great Britain. FOREIGN OFFICE 28,12,41. - No. 15 _ Air Ministry No, 5964 MIDDLE EAST COMMUNIQUE Headquarters, R.A.F., Middle East, Sunday, 28th December, 1941 A strong force of Ro yal Air Force and Free French bomber aircraft attacked objectives within the Bardia perimeter yesterday, (27th December), Hits were scored on pill boxes and gunnery defence positions, as well as on motor transport vehicles and barrack buildings, and fires broke out. During Friday night (26th/27th December) bomber aircraft raided two merchant ships in the harbour at Zuara on the coast of Tripolitania, A hit was obtained on one of the ships, which blew up -with a violent explosion. Store dumps in the town were also bombed* The harbour at Tripoli was again attacked, bombs falling on ships in the port and a large fire being started near the Spanish Fort, Aircraft also machine-gunned enemy transport moving from Tripoli towards Homs, Further details are now available of the raid carried out on Tripoli during Wednesday night (24th/25th December) A number of violent explosions took place on the Spanish Quay, while motor transport, military huts and shipping were machine-gunned. Bombs were also dropped on a group of enemy naval units to the north-west of the town, the results being unobserved. Enemy aiscraft were active over the approaches to Malta yesterday (27th December), hut were intercepted hy our fighters which shot down one Juu 88, Prom these and other operations one of our aircraft is missing, hut the pilot is safe. 28/12/41 - Ho. 14 OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE Am enemy bomber was destroyed last night by the gunfire of one of our convoys* No casualty or damage was suffered either by the ships in the convoy or their escorts. There were no survivors from the enemy aircraft. ADMIRALTY 28.12.41 No. 15. OFFICIAL ADMIRALTY COMMUNIQUE On Saturday the 27th December a small-scale raid mainly against enemy shipping, was carried out on the Norwegian coast by a combined force of the Royal Navy, the Army, and the Royal Air Force', The operation was entirely successful in all respects and all our ships returned fit for immediate service. A further communique will be issued as soon as details are available * ADMIRALTY 28.12.41. ~ N0.17 BRITISH PRISONERS IN ENEMY HANDS Next of kin, if able to identify the men from the information published are requested to advise the Casualty Branches of the Services concerned forwarding Regimental or any other details. The following is the latest list of British prisoners of war as received from enemy sources IN GERMAN HANDS Henry EVANS. N0.701639 64, Marion Street, Clydach Vale, Rhondda, Glam# Leading Aircraftsmen lan Donald MC QUARRY N0.753627 Lyndhurst, 15, St. James Road, Sutton, Surrey. Corporal Ronald Thomas JONES N0*532179 266, Newport Road, Cardiff. Leading Aircraftsman Frederick Ernest BLUNDWELL N0 *653937 9, Northbrook Road, Lewisham, London. Aircraftsman 1, Alfred Edward CLARK N0*1171683 1, Oxford Road, Hit chan, near Burnham Bucks. MINISTRY OP INFORMATION 28/12/41 - No. 18. OFFICIAL ADMIRATLY COMMUNIQUE The-Board of Admiralty regrets to announce that the auxiliary vessel H.M.S. CHAKDINA(Lieutenant Commander H.R, Hickey, R.N.R. and H.H. Yacht ROSABELLE (Lieutenant H.S, Findlay R.N.R.) have been sunk. The next of kin of casualties have been informed. ADMIRALTY 28/12/41 - No. 19 Air Ministry News Service Air Ministry Bulletin N 0.5966 TRIPOLI RAID A merchant vessel was blown up when Royal Air Force bombers carried out a raid on the small North African harbour of Zuara on the night of 26/27 December. Heavy bombers also attacked the harbour of Tripoli - the fourth raid in the last six nights* A sergeant pilot of the Blenheim bomber whioh destroyed the ship at Zuara dived to two hundred feet above masts for his observer to release his bombs. •••... "There wras a terrific explosion by the red glow of "which we could see wreckage being thrown high into the air," said the pilot. Pilots of the "bombers that raided. Tripoli also claim to have scored two hits and a near miss on merchant vessels lying "by the Spanish Fort* One "bomb hit the fonward part of a large ship, causing a heavy explosion* Buildings were seen to he gutted by fire. Before he went home, one sergeant pilot dived to within five hundred feet of the Tripoli coast road and machine~gunned a column of .transport which extended more than twenty miles.