WAR ON U-BOATS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 104, 30 October 1939, Page 7

WAR ON U-BOATS

FRENCH ACTIVITY

SEVERAL, DIRECT ATTACKS

A NAZI ESTIMATE

(By Tc-lcsrapb—Press . Association —Copyright.)

LONDON, October 29.

The Paris correspondent of Lhe British United. Press , .reports' that French destroyers and seaplanes carried out several direct attacks on U-boats and that at least one submarine was sunk, being torn apart by a depth bomb. .The bodies of a number of members of the crew were recovered by fishing boats or washed ashore. ■ . The French Navy announced that this U-boat was sunk in undisclosed waters on Friday. • It is reported from Berlin that a German official communique for the first time mentions submarine losses. / "So far three U-boats are overdue, and must be presumed to have been lost," it states. "Our economic warfare in the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, and the Atlantic continues to he successful. Our naval units confirm the sinking since October 13 of 22 ships, of a total tonnage of 109,370. The foreign Press reports further three sinkings of a total tonnage of 12,606. "The total enemy losses during the war are 115 ships, of a gross tonnage of 475,321. Because unconfirmed reports are disregarded, it must be presumed that the real number is considerably higher. Despite our

successes in the trade war, our own losses have been very small."

A message from The Hague states that Germany has given a warning that neutrals sailing in ships belong-

ing to the* A Hies expose themselves

to the risk of attack

The latest indication of the British success in the war at.sea is the landing of 80 German seamen at a Scottish p;ort by a British' armed merchant cruiser. The prisoners . were taken to an internment camp.

Britain commenced the war, with" reserve officers and men trained-to the highest1 degree in mine-sweeping;-" and it is significant that so far, although mine-sweepers have been at-

tacked from the air many times, not a single one has been lost.,