The 13 Beaufighters from No. 30 Squadron RAAF approached the convoy at low level to give the impression they were Beauforts making a torpedo attack. The ships turned to face them, the standard procedure to present a smaller target to torpedo bombers, allowing the Beaufighters to maximise the damage they inflicted on the ships' anti-aircraft guns, bridges and crews in strafing runs with their four nose cannons and six wing-mounted machine guns. On board one of the Beaufighters was cameraman Damien Parer, who shot dramatic footage of the battle; it was later published in "The Bismarck Convoy Smashed". Immediately afterward, seven B-25s of the 38th Bombardment Group's 71st Bombardment Squadron bombed from about , while six from the 405th Bombardment Squadron attacked at mast height.