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THE CHINA MAIL, APRIL 27, 1989,
MEMEL TERRITORY AS BIG GERMAN NAVAL BASE Fortification Work Already Started By Nazis
Yugoslav Minister And Axis
Baltic Domination Aimed At
Germany's intention of making Memel a heavi-
NEW 14-INCH SHELL'S RANGE
The effective range of the new
This statement was made by Major
the annual meeting of Hadfields Ltd. at Sheffield.
ly armed fortress and a naval base for the domina-British 14in armour-piercing shell, as measured by the perforation of Berlin, To-day.
tion of the Baltic Sea is revealed in a report in the any given thickness of armour, ma- HITLER yesterday re- "Danziger Vorposten," the Danzig Nazi organ, terially exceeds that of the 15in shell. ceived the Yugo- which is permitted more freedom in its messages A. B. Clerk, managing director, at Slav Foreign Minis-than are the newspapers published in the Reich. ter, M. Markovitch, with The paper's correspondent reports a speech whom he had a long con-made at a reception given by Dr. Neumann, the Memel German leader, to German naval men by versation.
The Nazi Foreign Minister Capt. Fleischer, of the Reich Navy. Herr von Ribbentrop and the Yugo-Slav Minister in Berlin, Dr. Andric, were also present.
Referring to profits on armaments, Major Clerke said the rate was fixed
by agreement, so that all savings on
costs passed automatically to the. Government departments concerned
by corresponding reduction in
Herr Hitler, stated Capt. Fleischer, had resolv- ed that Memel was to be a naval base and a fortress, price. of which the speaker was to be the first command-
In a statement to the press later, M. Markovitch said: "The good re-ant.
Germany and
lations
between
Yugo-Slavia, which promise to de- in full con- velop still further fidence, are based on good neigh- bourship and mutual respect, as well as the interest of both coun- tries.
CONFIDENCE AND TRUST
"No problem exists which cannot be dealt with in a spirit of con- fidence and trust by the natione.
two
"The Yugo-Slav Government puts the greatest store by these rela- tions and will continue to devote the fullest aftention to them." Trana-Ocean.
A MAD, BURNING
BEAUTIFUL STORY
OF UNFORGETTABLY HUMAN HEARTS !
Lightly they most-Deeply they love-Nobly they part-in the screen's great new dramatic triumph1,..
IRENE DUNNE CHARLES BOYER Love Affair
MARIA OUSPENSKAYA
LEE BOWMAN • ASTEID ALLWYN MAURICE MOSCOVICH
Produced and
Directed by
LEO MCCAREY
Ko RADIO [Picture
SATURDAY
At The
QUEEN'S
PALHAMPRA
STRATEGIC POSITION
According to the Danzig report, the Memel harbour is now occupied by the U-boat flotilla Weddingen, which consists of 12 vessels when at full strength, the U-boat
tender
USEFUL SOVIET
DISCUSSION
Donau, 3,950 tons, and torpedo-boat IN BULGARIA
destroyer T 23. Further warships Memel are expected to arrive in shortly.
The extension of Memel to be one of the strongest fortresses in the Baltic is already in progress," the report concludes.
In spite of many increases in cost of materials and labour, no price of any one of the standard products had ever been increased, and in nearly every case they had been subject to a steady and continuous reduction On hardened shells and bombs alone Government the saving to the amounted to over £300,000.
NEW STATUS OF ALBANIA
SOFIA, TO-DAY. THE SOVIET UNDER-SECRE- TARY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS;
London, To-day. A TALK M. POTEMKIN, HAD
The Under-Secretary of State for HERE YESTERDAY WITH THE BULGARIAN PREMIER, WHICH Foreign Affairs, Mr. R. A. Butler, ΤΟ HAVE stated in answer to a question re- BEEN OF THE GREATEST IM-garding recognition of the
IS
UNDERSTOOD
PORTANCE.
་
The harbour of Memel, which lies in a highly important strategic position in the very centre of the Baltic, commanding the sea-going
On his return journey, M. Potem approaches and exits of Leningrad, kin intends to spend three or four Kronstadt, Helsingfors, Stockholm, Riga, Libau and Reval, is at the days in Soffia after visiting Buchar- moment of insufficient depth to al-est, the Rumanian capital. low of its safe use by the largest classes of warships.
DREDGING POSSIBLE
The maximum depth is between 18 and 20ft. but this depth is in- constant and only preserved along a small channel. There seems no reason, however, why the harbour should not be dredged and deepen- ed for naval purposes.
Memel commands the entrance to Kurisches Haff, an inland sen, which is separated from the Baltic by the Kurische Nehrung, a narrow
neck of land nearly 60 miles in
length.
Although the Press department of the Reich Navy declined to give any details about the future of
Memel as a naval base, it seems
most likely that it will be used largely as a submarine and destroy- er base.
In the event of hostilities involv. ing Germany and Russia, Memel could be used as a base for U-boats, which could prey, nót only upon Russian war vessels cruising in the Baltic, but also upon any convovod merchant vessels proceeding to or from Russian, Swedish, Estonian and Latvian ports.
He was very satisfied with his reception in Bulgaria.-Reuter.
now
status of Albania, that no decision had been taken in the matter.
Decision could only be
after the future of
reached the relations
between Italy and Albania as well as the internal situation in Albania had been clarified.--Trans-Ocean:"
CHINESE CLAIM DRAMATIC NANCHANG SUCCESS
Kaoan, To-day.
Utter confusion reigns in Nanchang as the Chinese have smashed into the city and are engaging in street fighting with the Japanese, according to field dispatches.
The streets are strewn with fallen soldiers while
huge fires are reducing the city to ruins. Chinese units forced their way to the Japanese aero- drome in the eastern suburb of Nanchang and are engaging the Japanese troops there.
To the northwest of Nanchang, Lientang, key point nine miles) south of Nanchang, has been aban- the Chinese havo tightened their doned by the Japanese who have hold on Wuning, Fighting continues been recalled to Nanchang as rein- in the suburban hills.
News. forcements.
Central.
STILL IN CITY
Shanghaf, To-day. Vernacular reports state that Chinese forces entered Nanthang at noon yesterday and were locked
ith the in street fighting
In the event of Danzig changing The Japanese unit at Hsiehfow- its status, Libau, Riga and Reval shih has been annihilated. Seven- soldiers might be important ports for was teen Japanese officers tern ocean-borns traffic with Poland were taken prisoner, and eight Ja- A semi-oficial German message panese machine-guns were captur- from Memel denies reports, attri- ed. A Japanese captain committed buted to the Polish Press, that suicide when surrounded.
Kaoyubhih, between Kaoan and "thousands of arrests" had been made in Memel and that concentra- Nanchang, has also been regained" "panese for several hours, tion camps had been erected there. by the Chinese.
Since the German seizure of The Chinese column counter-at-
Last night, the reporte added, the Chinese were still in the city "and"
west it is stated, 188 persons tacking at Fenghsin, 23 miles hom- are of Nanchang, is pounding at
the furious street-fighting continued.
ga
→
Our Own Correspondent,