SUB. WARFARE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 15, 18 January 1940, Page 8

SUB. WARFARE.

108 MEN MISSING.

STRIKING CONTRAST. Nazi Losses 12 Times As Great As British. UNEXPECTED CONFIRMATION. United Prpiw Association.—Copyright. (Received noon.) KUOBY, January 17.

Till 'oe British submarines which, as the Admiralty announced yesterday, must now be regarded as having been lost, are the first submarine losses by enemy action in 18 weeks of warfare, and it is noted that the Germans are only aware of their success against two Of them—the Starfish and the Undine.

The losses contrast remarkably with German submarine losses, which nrj conservatively wtimated at about 12 times this number.

This relative immunity from loss i« not due to any |>olicy of holding back the British submarines. The officii I announcement of the lo*s refers to the particularly hazardous service on which these vessels have been engaged. The nature of these hazards may be ganged from a graphic account of the experiences of an unnamed British submarine, which struggled home after being temporarily disabled by heavy enemv attack in German waters.

More recently the Ursula, eister sh*ip of the Undine, and the Salmon, sister ship of the Starfish, on similar patrols, achieved successes in attacks on German warships, which must be set against these losses.

All of the three lost craft were of a small type, euited for operations in narrow and shallow waters.

Meanwhile, the extent of the German submarine losses has been confirmed J from an unexpected source—a German propaganda broadcast from Frankfurt. The commentor. referring to these losses, said: "We need not pay any attention to Mr. Churchill's tall stone*. We have plenty of submarines still, to «say nothing of those being turned out in . tlws dockyards. The wish of the English is father to the thought. They say they have mink 70. If they had said &» it would be a bit nearer the truth." Conservative Estimate. In fact, the Allies haVc never claimed to have sunk 70. The only ajzgrcgate claims made were stated last Saturday by M. Campinch;, French Minister of Marino, who estimated ,that altogether .10 German submarines had been sunk. So far from throwing doubt on the Allied statement* l , the broadcast has served'to confirm their moderation and accuracy. The "Manchester Guard'.an" comments: "At a moderate estimate, fully half of the U-boats with which Germany began the war have been destroyed by the British and Frehch Navies. The submarine threat has been brought under control, and it is in the light of that predominant fact that present losses in an exceptionally risky enterprise must be viewed. "They are, moreover, handsomely offset by figure* now available of the success of the convoy system; namely, that the number of ships safely escorted totals 03fi3, while the number lost is 12. If the mass of the people here and in neutral countries could fully envisage the courage, skill and unceasing vigilance and hardship endured to make this achievement possible, there would be le«s foolish talk."

BRITISH SUBMARINE CREWS. (IlitolvtKl 10 LONDON", January 17. TTie Admiralty lias issm-d lists of the names of 14 oflieers and 04 ratings who manned the missinjr snhmarinea -Seahorse, L'ndine and Starfish.