1939-12-20 — Page 5

THE CHINA MAIL, DECEMBER 20, 1939.

GERMANY PUTTING BEST FACE ON GRAF SPEE LOSS

Stockholm, To-day.

THE FATE OF THE Admiral Graf Spee is a severe blow for Germany, says the Berlin correspondent of the "Dagbladet.

"

The correspondent declares that official quarters in Berlin are very bitter regarding the refusal of the Uruguayan Government to allow the battleship extension of time in order to enable the neces- sary repairs to be made.

The Nazis accuse Uruguay of a

flagrant breach of international law, NOT IN PORT

and declare the matter will not be for- gotten by Germany.

They allege that Uruguay submitted to British pressure, and therefore their action in sending Graf Spee out of

FOR FOUR

Montevideo "in a state of disrepair" MONTHS

was not In conformity with neutrality.

"CONSOLATION"

strict

The correspondent adds, however that there is sull the consolation in Germany that the Deutschland and Admiral Scheer can still harass British shipping, and British warships will still be obliged to operate far away from their home bases.

The Berlin representative of the "Tidningen" says that mourning for Graf Spea is combined with gratification that the battleship did not fall into British hands.

NAZI HONOUR

(SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL")

Buenos Aires, To-day. The Argentinian Navy Minister, Rear-Admiral L. Scasso, yesterday visited members of the crew of the Admiral Graf Spee at the hotel where they are being kept under guard.

The Argentine Government is pay- ing the salaries of the 1,039 German The British counted on a cheap vic-omcers and sailors, while deducting a tory, says the German press, but Hit- ler fooled them by his order to blow up the vessel!

The Nazi newspapers unite in de- claring that the end of Graf Spee was an honourable one and was in con- formity with the traditions of the German navy.-Reuter.

GERMANY DUPED BY BRITISH "REPORTS"

(SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL") LONDON, TO-DAY. WELL-INFORMED CIRCLES STATED TO-DAY THAT THE GER- MAN HIGH COMMAND WAS COM- PLETELY DUPED BY BRITISH REPORTS ON THE CONCENTRA- TION OF ALLIED SHIPS WAITING OUTSIDE MONTEVIDEO HARBOUR

BATTLESHIP

SPEE.

ADMIRAL GRAF

certain amount for their upkeep.

The Graf 8pee's sailors declar- ed that they had not entered any port for the last four months. They added that nine days after the war broke out the Graf Spee left Wilhelmshaven for the South Atlantic, with the aim of sinking Allied mer- chantmen.

Most of the sailors are men without previous war periance.

young

*x-

Captain Langsdorf announced yes- terday that he is remaining in the Ar- gentine as long as the Argentinian Government wishes.-Havas.

WELDING

A WEAKNESS

NOT ASSET

(SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL")

London, To-day.

FOR THE GERMAN POCKET Naval experts state that the welding system employ- Far from having a formidable fleeted by the German dockyards of British and French warships, only in the construction of war- the original warships which battled with the Graf Spee, H.M.S. Ajax and H.M.S. Achilles, minus H.M.S. Exeter but plus H.M.S. Cumberland, actual- ly waited for the pocket battleship.

Both the light cruisers had their ammunition supplies practically ex- hausted so that the Graf. Spee, paired and freshened, could have been a match for them-Havas.

1939

re-

ships makes their hulls more vulnerable than if ordinary rivetted plates were used.

This is shown both in the sinking of a German cruiser of the Koeln class by a single torpedo and in the damage caused to the Admiral Graf Spee by the six-inch shells of H.M.S. Ajax.

By discarding rivets, the Germans made their 10,000-ton pocket-battle ships lighter by nine hundred tons. | The same type of warship, built by the

tons.-Havas.

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Montevideo, To-day. The master of the German steamer „Tacoma: ig to

before 1" the Urukusyan authorities who are in... vestigating the scuttlingt of the Graf Spee in`a main fairway.

He villl be saked to explain why his ship left harbour and returned without authorisation during the „Grad Spea's self-destruction. --Router.

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