1940-04-12 — Page 6

THE CHINA MAIL, APRIL 12, 1940.

In Important Respects, Says Mr. Churchill

NAZI FLEET IS CRIPPLED

HITLER CASTING THE DIE

The very

recklessneas with which Hitler and his advisers have cast the fate of the Ger- man Navy upon the wild waters. may be only the prelude of far larger events which Impend on land. We have probably arrived at the first crunch of the war." -Mr. Churchill.

MILITARY ATTACHE TOOK OVER!

(SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL")

LONDON, TO-DAY. “THE GERMAN FLEET, IN IMPORTANT PARTICU- LARS, IS CRIPPLED,” DECLARED MR. WINS- TON CHURCHILL, FIRST LORD OF THE AD- MIRALTY, -AMID CHEERS, DURING HIS SPEECH IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS YES- TERDAY ON THE NAVAL BATTLES OFF THE NORWEGIAN COAST.

SURVIVORS OF "GHURKA" IN SCOTLAND

London, To-day. Survivors of the destroyer Ghurka, sunk in the Nazi air at- tack on the Fleet off Norway, landed at a Scottish town yester- day and were entertained by the Inhabitants.

They stated they kept firing the guns until the water was lovel with the deck.

Seventy German prisoners were also landed under guard.—Reu- tor.

Mr. Churchill, referring to the Narvik attack, de- REPRESSIVE clared: 'From all we had heard late on Tuesday MEASURES

night at the Admiralty we thought the operations

so hazardous that at one in the morning we told IN DENMARK the commander of the destroyer flotilla he must be the sole judge whether to attack or not, and we would support him whatever he did and what-dicate that the unhappy po- ever happened. (Cheers).

pulation is being subjected

London, To-day. Reports from Denmark in-

sures by the Nazis.

"He entered the fjord with five destroyers and at-to further repressive mea-

tacked six enemy destroyers and such guns as they could have landed on the shore in the inter- val.

"His report at the beginning only told I let it go out us what they had lost. because I do not think we want to be mealy-mouthed on these matters. Having embarked on this war we ex- pect to take our blows.

Stockholm, To-day. The German military at- tache in Oslo took command of German mechanised units

"As soon as the report was received which left Oslo in an attempt |

at about 1 o'clock, I prepared it for to take Elverum and seize by the Prime Minister, who immediately surprise the Government and gave it to the House of Commons and to the country and the press at the Parliament, declared an im-

same time. portant personality who has

-The Best Propaganda just arrived in Sweden after witnessing events in Norway. "The moment we get any news, He added the Norwegian reserve good or bad, once we can rely on it troops were not yet organised but we shall present it to Parliament and units of the small standing army had to the Prime Minister and the press.

"I am put-up organised resistance and spon-

all: for... propaganda and taneous partial mobilisation had been publicity but the best propaganda is organised by military: cadets

results, and I must

think Bay 1 these are coming to hand in no un- Setting an ambush at a strategic satisfactory manner. (Cheers).. point in difficult terrain, the Nor- "We were told that on their way wegians stopped the German advance back our destroyers met the Nazi ship after 30-minutes

filled with of fighting, during Ravenfeld,

reserve am- which the German commander was munition, with which I suppose the killed and the Nazl troops sustained enemy had intended to turn Narvik very heavy losses. Norwegian casual-into á kind of Sebastopol or Gibraltar. ties were very light. Havas.

"This ship was blown up and we must regard that as simplifying the task which lies ahead.

workers' organisations.

•

and

SHELL RIGHT

THROUGH “RENOWN"

London, To-day.

in

Thanks To R.A.F.

"On Wednesday a very determined attack was made by two waves of the Royal Air Force, whose flying in every

reconnaissance, direction for attack and protection of the Navy has been unceasing, and to whom, on be- half of their naval comrades, I tender my most sincere expression of re-

Mr. Winston Churchill revealed the House of Commons yesterday that during the action between H.M.S. Recognition. nown and the 28,000-ton German bat- tle-cruiser Scharnhorst, an unexplod- ed shell passed right through H.M.S. Renown at about the water level.

The Scharnhorst broke off the ac- tion and escaped with her greater speed after she had been twice hit by salvoes. British Wireless.

SHANGHAI OPTIMISTIC

(8PECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL") Shanghai, To-day.

.:

"Two waves of the R.A.F., of 12 planes each, attacked two German

crulsors: In Bergen Fjord which were covering German troops that had been landed there. One of the cruisers was hit and we have seen nothing of her since.

"At dusk on Wednesday evening the Fleet Air Arm flew from the Orkneys and attacked the remaining cruiser in Bergen, securing three hits with their 900-lb. bombs.

to

The Danish people are not allowed

buy more than four days' supply

of food. All private cars must be off the road by 7 p.m. Oil-burning "We had hoped to capture a Hippertrains have been put out of service. class cruiser which was reported to All Danish newspapers have. ceased

publication. be there but she had left in the night and all we got was a destroyer, which was hit by a torpedo."

I

Mr. Qhurchill sald that, in very. much smaller forces, the German navy had already sustained most grievous losses.

The Norwegian batteries had also taken toll.

'He considered. Hitler had commit- ted a strategic error in extending the war so far north and forcing the Scandinavian peoples out of their at titude of neutrality.

Some 8,000 A.R.P. ^wardens have been mobilised to enforce the black- out.

The restrictions on private cars and the stopping of the oll-burn- ing trains cannot improva Gør- many's all position, because Den- mark has to Import so much oli to keep things going; last year, she used 700,000 tons of oli. The Allied blockade will, of course, stop all further shipments, so that whatever, oil Denmark now gets will have to come from Germany. Ger- Four German cruisers nearly many has, therefore, actually weak- half their total pre-war strengthened her oil position by invading and more than their exlating Denmark and Norway.-Reuter. in cruisers had been sunk, and a number of German destroyers and soveral more U-boats had been destroyed, all since Sunday. British submarines had taken heavy toll of German transport and store ships.

All Ships Will Be Sunk

AS IN. REICH (SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL")

· Amsterdam, To-day, Truly German conditions have been with the imposition in Denmark of imposed upon the Danish populations

restrictions which already prevall in the Reich.

Danes are prohibited from using motorcare for private purposes and

⚫ "All German ships in the Skager-purchases of foodstuffs are limited to

rak and the Kattegat will be sunk, and by night all ships will be sunk as opportunity' occurs.

the

"We are not going to allow enemy to supply their armies across these waters with impunity.

"Hitherto nearly a dozen ships, been some of large tonnage, have aunk or captured, alther In the the Kattegat or other parts of North Bez, and in attempting to bring supplies to the force landed at Narvik,

"I must consider the German fleet crippled in Important respects.”

Mr. Churchill felt the audacious and costly operations of the German navy might be only the prelude to far larger events which impend on land, "but we feel ready to encoun- ter the utmost malice of the enemy and devote all our life strength to achieving victory which is In world cause.”

Faroe Occupled

the

one's

"amounts sufficient to cover needs," according to the official Ger-

man news agency,.-

Havas.

SWEDEN MINESC

WEST COAST

ON

Stockholm, To-day. The Swedish Admiralty announce that mines have been laid in Swedish territorial waters on the west coast- Reuter,

man would be allowed to set -foot there with impunity-Reuter,

Wild Gamble

Mr. Churchill put first among the advantages Hitler's wild gamble has bestowed on the Allies the fact that "this accursed corridor is now closed for ever."

In this way, Hitler had doubled the efficiency of the Allled blockade. Further he had made a whole series of commitments upon the Norwegian Trondheim Attack

Coast for which he wou have

to

· Mr. Churchill added that Britain fight, if necessary, during the whole "Of 16 planes, 18 returned and, a An optimistic trend prevails in little later, when a reconnaissance had occupied the Faroe Islands, which summer, for by violating the in the Allied community here despite was sent over, no cruiser was seen was a strategle point of high Im-dependence and soll of Norway the absence of precise, news from where this one was lying but only a portance, and where the population had enllated against him Europe.

long streak of oll about a mile long had shown every disposition to re-ple capable of ma wild mountainosis positions where

More significant than reticent po-, on the surface of the harbour-PARA LA SAVE them with high regardi

litical, statements is the fact that the Pound-U.S. Dollar crossrate went up, sending the Chinese dollar up as A result-Haves.

ter and French ald,

“To-day at daybreak torpedo.... The Islands would be handed back oarrying aircraft of the Flest Air to Denmark at the end of the war. Arm, 18 In number, attacked enemy The question of Iceland needed "ships in the harbour at Trondheim, I further" consideration but no Ger-British Wirel