1941-03-06 — Page 13

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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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.

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operations In the:

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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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