Thursday,
HONGKONG TELEGRAPH
March 6, 1941.
REVIEW OF ALLIED FIGHTING AND
MERCANTILE
FLEETS
LONDON, Mar. 5 (Reuter).The Herculean task of the British Fleet in modern conditions-performing the task of the five flects in the last war-was outlined by the First Lord of the Admiralty, Mr A. V. Alexander, in the House of Commons to-day.
The House was debating the token estimate for the Fleet, but Mr Alexander- declared: "The British Fleet itself is no token fleet nor are our ships phantom ships, though they may be a nightmare to our enemies."
Hence said Mr Alexander, he had | questions concerning her where Italian prisoners and even pumping no hesitation in asking for "many abouts, proved that the great body water ashore to the thirsty troops. more aliips, very good ships, greater of the Fleet of August, 1930, re-
Shipping Lossca numbers of men, very fine men,mained_intrët. and great quantities of stores of the most substantial kind."
The funk of the Fleet had been magnified by the collapse of France which had altered the whole fabric of British strategy. The collapse of France gave the Germans now a naval Ally In Italy numerically stronger at the Germans themselves. усп than It did more than turn Mussolini into an accomplice to a pirate-It gave the pirate himzeit to sally forth.
new laira whence
Mr Alexander would say
Up to May, 1940, losses of British, Lo the Allied and neutral ships from enemy German Navy: "We are quite pre-netion averaged 10,000 tons n' week. pared to take you on with only the ships which you profess to have
unik,"
Coming Into Service The number of ships in most classes, especially the destroyer.class, now at sea or instantly ready for the sun is greater than at any time since the war began,
to
The next seven months remained ab- stimately at an average just under 00,000 tons. During the last 11 weeks, Insses averaged about 51,000 tons."
The First Lord did not attribute the diminution entirely to the im- proved thought that they were justified in
measures of
but protection
as at least one certain counting them The ships coming into service this reason among other possibilities, year will of themselves make up a
"We must expect the When the threat Brat jammed up, formidabic force, judged by almost make heavy attacks and we may re-
enemy the Nuvy had just completed a vastuny other navat Power's standards. celve grievous blows. The enemy series of operations from the mist Even in the face of enemy bombing, has used every conceivable means to shrouded cliffs of Narvik to the sun- the efforts of the workers in ship-attack us in this vital spot-lurking: bathed beaches of St Jean de Luz, | yards and the
untiring persistence mines. powerful riders, aircraft, of which history han probably never and skill of the managements have stealthy E-boats and submarines. seet a parallel,
maintained navol production in Dunkirk Losses
Our Defences Growing remarkable manner. Qu long-term Counter-measures The Navy bore ita part with the programmes
to long-range of construction are aircraft attacks are being developed, Merchant Navy and civilian volun-maturing and a high output of short-said Mr Alexander, though he would feers in extricating hundreds of thou-term construction has been reached. not reveal their nature. santis of our troops from Norway and I may not be appreciated how France. It was not a task for which frequently, our ships, though not raider's opportunities become fewer. As our resources grow, so will the our ships were designed. Consider-designed for the role of hombing artil-As for U-boat attacks, expansion of able losses were expected and cry, have carried the war into enemy aerial reconnaissance will cepted, especially in damage to de-ports as well as carrying out inces-progressively more difcuit for the stroyers. By skin, seamanship
and sant bombardments in support of the enemy to avoid while the R.A.F. will devotion to duty, the Navy deprived Army in Libya.
continue to dislocate the organisation the enemy of mything like the toll that he had confidently anticipated,
of U-boat pairols by uttacks upon but the Navy was seriously depleted
their buses. at the very moment when the whole problem had become more complex with the exit of France and the entry
of Italy.
four
Fleet Air Arm
other naval vessels and 15 Meantime improved our supply ships in addition to damaging tosses upon the
By swinging strides, however, we have immeasurably position.
become
of
The Fleet Air Arm has also be come a notable weapon of offence, escorts will enable
At sea an increased number in the present war, it has destroyed sort
us to provide one enemy battleship, one cruiser, will be added im-
greater
protection for convoys and to three destroyers, four submarines, provements in anti-submarine tacties. we continue to inflict with forces infiintly mucis at least two battleships, two cruisers, flotillas. To give the German Naval enemy submarine inferior, Admiral Sig Andrew Cun- four destroyers, four miscellaneous Staff their due, they shane U-boat ningham and Vice-Admiral Sir James craft and 20 transport or supply tactics when they become too costly Somerville not only kept the faltan ships. fleet cooped in the Afedjierranean but neutralised it even in waters which Italy specialty claimed as hers, In every encounter, our crew had shown such superiority that units of the Italian Navy senrcely venture to dispute even the waters around their
bases,
Winter Gales
During winter gales, British convoy escort forceu paid the price of all navies whose tradition is to keep the seas regardless of weather if there was duty to be done.
addition lo disturbing the our own measures which take time to and new tactics demand changes in enemy's possession of his own coastal routes, British submarines have des-
perfect. troyed something like 100 enemy Armed Merchantmen warchips and supply ships.
The defensive arming of merchant After a
Iribute to the Navy's alps has been justified by the time- assiduous and successful clearings of ly use of guns, which have enable: are constantly being merchant scamen to preserve them- sown in many waters, Mr Alexander selves and turn the tables, on resource were exemplified by Admir said that the Navy's qualities of enemy: al Cunningham's recent operations
ainst the Italians,
nines which
the
muniques about merchant tonnage The claims of enemy unint com-
| sunk amount to double our actunl losses, though some of these losses cannot be known to the Germinas.
IN
COMMONS
FLY WITH THE RE
Novel are the methods which have been evolved to board up shop windows which have been blown in by bombs in London and other cities. Perhaps one of the most strik ing efforts is the one illustrated here in which an attractive appeal for R.A.F. volunteers fills what was window.
a glass
Goebbels Must Have Told A Fib!
Athenia Sinking Cat
Out Of Bag
LONDON, Mur. (Router)The correspondent of the Swiss
once
British Note To Bulgaria
Active Co-Operation With
Nazis Alleged
LONDON,- Mar 5 (Heuter).—The
British Government has come to the
conclusion that the Bulgarian Govern- nient, so far from desiring to main- tain neutrality in the present conflict, now prepared actively to co- operate with Gormony, states the note
Enemy communique claims would seem to show that we had lost roughly twice the number of capital sbips, aircraft carriers and cruisers with which we entered the war and more than all the submarines (Laughter).
In fact the daily work of the Fleet a veritable world transport agency of chartering ships of states overreaction in the United States to this what steps Bulgaria may think t and such outstanding achievements as those of the Ark Royal, which had
the Germon many times answered
now in our service has replaced more was German submarine which sank falta the volume of captured enemy ships the unexpected announcement that it Bulgaria in regard to the presence of
and har hand.
·Government
to
ΩΡ
In Mediterranean- With limited forces, Admiral Cun- ningham's stuff had to provide move- British yards plus those abraad, and "Gazette de Lousame" to-day makes presented by the British Minister to
New ships are delivered from Berlin ment of supplies to Greece, and the main bases In Egypt. In addition, they had to dovetail into than two-thirds of the their offensive operations against the British ships lost by enemy action. war. When the Athenia was sunit in the indifference to the British
tonnage of the Athenia at the beginning of the German troops in Bulgaria.
The note adds that it is a matter of enemy flank in Libyn the business of
In addition we have the advantage neighbourhood of the British Isles, the whats in carrying troops and stores to run by the enemy.
for the take. newly-conquered beaches
other event was awafted with some ner-
protection of the On the
country against external donger, real bours, transporting great crowds of 2,000,000 tons sunk, captured or German submarine and was one
the enemy has lost
vousness. Nothing happened. over The torpedoing was the work of Imaginary, but
is at war with
and the presence, in scuttled and over 1,000,000 tons are those clumsy nety which the Third ever-increasing force, lying useless in neutral harbours.
ever-Germany Bra
of German Million Tons Salvaged
Reich has been careful to avoid ever bined with the growing subservience troops on Bulgarian territory, 'com- Thanks to Admiralty. salvage ur-
of the Bulgarian Government to ganisation, the total tonnage_rescued. and saved up to the end of last year to be understood that the sole respon with the maintenance
the British Government Incompatible. German policy is in the opinion-of-
was over 1,000,000 tons.
sibility for the catastrophe was Mr diplomatic representation in Bul- British Of the 50 destroyers which the Churchill. United States transferred to us, some,
goria," The reason was that Germany was have already
dy delivered attacks on not then disposed to amass declara- enemy submarines and others, in the tions of war as was the case in the course of their escort duties, have last war, and though well aware of statement, the note says that the
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Mr Churchill Blamed Germin-propaganda then caused
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False Reason Alluding to the Bulgarian Premler's
shared in
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"The
The peoples of the British Com-States, the Germans were not anxious has ever been threatened or disturbed monwealth have given unstinted sup-to fan the flame. port in the war at sea. Canadhin destroyers have taken a share of the destroyers task of protecting sea- burne trade across the Atlantic.
Australian cruisers and destroyers; and New Zealand cruisers have participated with great distinction and success in the
operations In the:
Mediterranean and the Middle East]
voys.
King Orders Prayers
March 23 Set Aside
any Power which is not a party; the Tripartite Pact and they consider, The
• pretext advanced by the German Government a specious one designed, In accordance with the usual Germani practice, to mask an ulterior agitres- sive alm.
From the nature of the German military movements in the Balkans,
and the protection of important conthe desire of the King, Sunday, to menace and, if necessary, attack
South Africa naval units are also national day of prayer "for strength
March 23, will be observed us Britain's Ally, Greece. making a very welcome contribution
LONDON, Mar. 5 (Reuter)-At it is clear that Germany's intention is
in the Mediterranean and the small and guidance in days to come and
thanksgiving for
but highly eflcient Royal Indian rad
for the blessings al- Navy is doing valuable work in they received," said a Buckingham Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean, Palace announcement.
The Archbishop of Canterbury writes: We cannot but be thankul
Allied Navics
Mr Alexander did not betray the when we think of the wonderful way strengths of the naval contingents of in which we have escaped the dan Free France, Poland, Holland and gers which surrounded us last sum- Norway but they are most useful re-mer and autumn: of the most Inforcements and are steadily ex-heartening successes of the Fleet, panding. he snld.
The Belgiann, having no vessels of rancan and North
Army and Air Force In the Mediter their
Africa; of the own, have come forward to help continued unity of our own people. man the other ships and he was glad "Although we dare not indulge in
say that there is now a Belgian any boastful or easy self-confidence,
section of the Royal Navy,
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in conclusion,
for all these happenings we may
Mr Alexander well thank God and take courage."
specially paid tribute to the gallant fight of the. stnall but heroid eficient Greek Navy."
and
Saratholic Injunction
same
Hinsley has 'called' alt
the to prayer on date, writing: "The times are criti- cal, as perhaps never before in the history of the Church, and the post- tion of our Holy Father is delicate or perhaps dangerous. Our petitions for him should be frequent and heartfell. The Lord preserve him LONDON, Mar 5 (Router).and give him Hfe and suffer him not Stoting
to fall into the hands of his enemies."
Execution Of Hardy Nords
#revolting
that The
sentences are And enn only evoke
feelings of disgust and aversion, the Japanese Shipping
Swedish newspaper "Socialde Mokralen" reports, according to the Norwegian telegraph
agency the
execution at the beginning of Febru
Losses In War
CHUNGKING, Mar. 6 (Reuter).
ary of three Norwegians, condemned Naval Headquarters of the Chinero to death by the German military National Military Council yesterday court at Bergen for espionage. The announced that 192 Japanese ships charge was one of maintaining a had been sunk and 198 damaged by secret wireless. transmitter and Chinese shore batteries and river sending information about German mines up to the end of 1040 milltary dispositions.
The vesidis sunk Include
It is feared. thot
27
I similar fate medium-sized warships and 20 trans- awalls ten Norwegians who were re-ports.
cently sentenced on a similar charge
The damage done to Jajunteze ship-
at Haugesund where a further 18 or Is eitante at nearly $200,000,-
14 Norwegians are awaiting trial. 1000.
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