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THE CHINA MAIL, DECEMBER 31, 1940.
Stan Laurel and Oliver Herdy go down to the sea for a vacation, but they take a boat that's not seaworthy, which causes a riot of laughs in "Saps At Sea," at the King's Theatre.
BRITAIN MAY HAVE TO USE HER BATTLESHIPS
THE GERMAN sea blockade may soon force the British government to alter a fundamental policy of the Royal Navy and throw battleships of the line into the risky business of convoying merchant ships. The British almost came to that pass in the world war when, as the American Admiral Sims put it, submarine warfare had starved the British to within six weeks of surrender.
But the convoy system answer-I ed the U-boat. At first destroyers were assigned to escort vital sup- plies. Battleships stood by for later use. The destroyers did so well, the battleships never were used.
And so the battleships remained the backbone of the grand fleet, carried out time-honoured British policy to remain intact, wait for
of life the supreme moment death for the empire. •
This time it is different.
Threat Is, Greater
or
The submarine - raider - 'plane menace is a German triple threat greater to-day than in 1917, al- though the British public isn't aware of it yet. Here are eight reasons why:
1. The Germans have the wes- tern tip of France, saving their subs and surface raiders and 'planes hundreds of miles of risky ocean travel from home bases to convoy lanes and back,
2. The Germans its ever are perfect co-ordinators They have blended the attack of their subs and pocket battleships and planes and they are working them all from the same base-L'Orient, i
France.
3. The British gave up hy their treaty with Ireland In 1938, naval bases at Lough Swilly, Berehaven and Cobh. That makes their flotillas do 200 miles to 400 miles farther for refueling and repair.
Scandinavia 7. Nearby
and France supplied many vital war supplies and much food to Britain To-day during the world war. the British must bring in their supplies from far-flung posts of empire, South America and United States.
the
8. The British had well over 18,000,000 tons of long-range mer- chant shipping at the start of the world
had only war. They
this 13,000,000 tons when
war started. Recently they've been Jos- ing 100,000 tons a week. Even with the neutral shipping they've acquired, the best estimates indi- cate they have only 12,000,000 tona to-day
of Two Immediate solutions the problem are possible. The first is to get the Irish bases for they need so desperately aeroplane observation. But that might mean bloodshed, wince Eamon do Valera will never consent to abandon neutrality.
is The other way to convoy merchant ships with battleships.
Battleships or battle cruisers can outrun and outrange Ger- many's pocket battleships. Battle- ships, or battle cruisers can with- stand the withering attack of dive hombers. With destroyer screens, they have better than an chance to escape the submarines.
even
Risk Still Heavy But there's still a heavy risk, for the Germans have co-ordinated their altack. It's like this: all
An ob-
4. In the world war, the British three weapons are used for both had the help of the French, Ita- observation and attack, lian, Japanese, and later theservation 'plane sights. British Américan fleets for blockade, pa- | merchant vessels gathering for. trol, and convoy." To-day they Convoy 700 miles out. It reports face the task of blockading | back to L'Orient by radio Europe, fighting in the Mediter L'Orient sends out subs and sur- ranean, and patrolling far eastern face ralders and a bombing squa- waters all alone.
dron of 'planes. The surface raid- ers hang far out to sea, risking no trap. But their guns can outrange a destroyer convoy.
5. At the start of the world war, the British had more than 500 destroyers. Counting the 50 aldi ships we sent them recently, they have no more than 200 des- troyers to-day.
Only One Lane
Bo, the question now up in the British high command is whe “ther to risk battleships ŝingly to
protect vital war supplies. *The British had fifteen battle- ships when the war started. They 6. Ireland's stubborn neutrality lost the Royal Oak to submarine.. and the German conquest of Three battle cruisers, the Renown, France forced the British to for- the Repulse and the Hood, can also sake two of their: convoy lanes cope with planes, subs and suT. through the English channel to face raiders. That makes 17. But London, and through St. George's five battleships at least are in the channel to the Irish sea and L- Mediterranean. One or two more, verpool. That leaves one lane perhaps, in the Far East. around the northern tip of Ireland, Aces in the hole are the Ave, on which the Germans can: con--80-knot. Battleships, started in 1937 They are either ready for
NAZI KULTUR IN FRANCE
Systematic attempts are being made by the Ger- man authorities in Paris | to stamp out French cul- ture, according to visitors now in the United States from Switzerland and quoted by Edgar Mowrer, Washington correspon- dent of the Chicago! "Daily News."
Three Gormans; Kruess, director of the Berlin Stale Library, Beek- er and Fuchs, also librarians, he says, constitute a commission in Paris under whose orders all books felt to be contrary to the Nazi spirit are removed from public and private libraries and from bookstalls. At the sime time, booksellers have been forced to display Gemman propaganda works.
Catholic documents have also been seized, and according to Mowrer's thformant the "Ger- mans tried with physical violence to wrest Vatican correspondence from the hands of Cardinal Lien- art, Archbishop of Lille."
action, or are even now with th grand fleet somewhere off north- ern England.
The German triple threat is balt for these battleships. But the en- pire lifeline's in danger. The Bri- tish may have to throw 'em in- and hope for the best.
For--
Page
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