NAZI AIR RAID ON WARSHIPS

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 4, 29 September 1939, Page 9

NAZI AIR RAID ON WARSHIPS

Battle In North Sea

COMPLETE FAILURE OF ATTACK

German Planes Down; No

British Losses

By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright. LONDON, September 27. The First Lord of the Admiralty, Mr. Churchill, stated that 20 German aircraft attacked a British naval squadron in the middle of the North Sea. No British ship was hit and there were no British casualties. One German flyingboat was shot down and another was damaged. A third flying-boat was captured after making a forced landing. Mr. Churchill’s statement was in reply to a question, and the facts quoted were from a report as received by wireless from the Com-mander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet. The British squadron comprised capital ships, an aircraft-earner, cruisers, and destroyers. It was officially stated in Berlin that German planes attacked the British Fleet in the North Sea and destroyed an aircraft-carrier and damaged one battleship. The German High Command later explained that an aircraft-car-rier was hit by a heavy bomb, but added that that did not mean that the vessel was sunk.

The British Admiralty denies the claim that an aeroplane-carrier was sunk and a battleship damaged. In a supplementary answer in the House of Commons on the German air attack, Mr. Churchill described the capture of the German aircraft which came down in the North Sea. He said: “We sent out a destroyer to collect her, and her crew of four have been brought in as prisoners.” PULL CONFIRMATION OF VIEW Failure Of First Mass Air Attack Au official statement in London says that Mr. Winston Churchill's statement in the House of Commons about the North Sea engagement was literally and absolutely correct, and that there is no truth whatever in the German statement that an aircraftcarrier was destroyed and a battleship damaged, and that the German planes suffered no loss. This first mass attack by German aircraft on units of the British Fleet was a complete failure.

An aeronautic correspondent states that the fact that there were no British casualties indicates that the capital ship is not the easy target supposed, and that ships are not vulnerable to air attack as claimed. It confirms the Navy’s long-held view that well-armed ships can repel bombing attacks from the air with comparative ease.—By radio.

WELL-LAID PLANS

British War Machinery (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, September 27. Replying in the House of Lords to criticism of the new Ministry of Supply, Lord Chatfield, Minister for Coordination of Defence, affirmed the belief that “we can claim perfectly fairly—and it will be shown —that we have never gone into war when our preparations have been so carefully laid or so far advanced in peacetime. We have our programme, and we have prepared for a war to last at least three years. Not only have we a programme but we have been working on It for a number of years." The machinery they had set up, he said, could be expanded to any extent, wherever it was required. QUEBEC ELECTION Objection To Censorship Restriction (Received September 28,11.15 p.m.) NEW YORK, September 28. The Ottawa correspondent of the “New York Times” says the Quebec election resulting from the provincial Government’s attitude to the federal war legislation is being subjected to a censorship for the first time in Canada’s history. Under such restrictions the broadcasting of speeches at political meetings is banned. Only studio broadcasts. the texts of which must be submitted in advance to the censor, will be permitted.

The censors point out that the rule was promulgated before the announcement that an election would be field, and therefore has not any special application to it. The Premier of Quebec, Mr. Duplessis, is irked, however, and asserted that the restrictions prevent free discussion on questions vitally important to the electors.

“I as Premier will not submit texts to the Canadian Broadcasting Commission,” he added, “1 contend that I have a right to express my view and the province's view without the Federal Government passing judgment on it.”. Some newspapers reported that it was expected the election censorship would be extended to newspaper reports of meetings, but a member of the Censorship Board denied this.

RATIONING IN DENMARK AND SWITZERLAND

LONDON. September 27. Switzerland -will ration sugar, wheat, rice, and fat from November 1. Sugar will be rationed in Denmark as from October 9.