NOTES ON THE WAR NEWS

Franklin Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 22, 26 February 1940, Page 5

NOTES ON THE WAR NEWS

U-BOAT AND BUILDER RACE BETWEEN THEM BRITAIN’S NEW FREIGHTERS Reduced to the barest terms, the object of the attempted Üboat blockade of Britain is to sink more ships than can be nuilt to replace them. If the Nazis can do that they will strike the United Kingdom at its most vulnerable point. There is a race between tne U-boat and the builder.

In the World War, al the peak of the submarine campaign, 1 Ito Germans were sinking up lo 852.000 lons of shipping a month. In April, 191.7, ihe worst month, Britain lost 522,000 lons and oilier countries 330,000 tons. On April .19, Ihe worst day if the worst month,” I I British merchantmen and eight fishing vessels were s'.nk, and one ship in four Ilia! lalj British' ports that month did not return. The Minimum Needed. In that war il was calculated that to reach success the Germans needed to destroy <‘>oo,ooo lons of shipping per month more than the replacement rate. Today the British merchant Peel is not as large as in 1918, and the figure would not he so high. But what lias been the Nazi experience so far? Up lo February 18 they had destroyed 1,059,000 tons of shipping. Early last year merchant ships totalling only 71,000 lons were building because freights were low, foreign competition (much of it Government subsidised) was keen, and shipowners were reluctant to place orders. Then Mr Oliver Stanley invited ship-owners lo build cargo ships, offering them Government grants and loans. The response was instantaneous. In a few weeks Ihe shipyards were echoing with activity and today every yard in Britain is said to tie operating al high pressure. Building Programme. In October, the Ministry of Shipping inherited a building programme of 1.000,000 tons of shipping a year. This covered 200 cargo-carrying vessels. Since ihen the programme has been expanded to unknown dimensions,, hut according to Sir Archibald Hurd, managing editor of “The Shipp’ng World,” it cannot he less than 2,000,000 lons a year. II is reported that the outlay, now that Sir Amos Gyre, naval architect and shipbuilder, has been placed in charge of the work, will he about, £300,000,000. Moreover, it must he remembered that neutral nations now own much more tonnage than they did in the. World war. Even small countries, like Holland, have Heels twice the size. Not Ended Yet.

The Nazi policy being Ihe typical one of hitting Ihe lillle fellow, hut leaving (he big man alone, there has been no repetition of the Atlienia case, and United States and Italian ships have been free from much interference.

The American Neutrality Act is partly responsible for this, hut a major factor is also the instruction sent out to U-boat commanders not lo make trouble.

Nevertheless, the last has not been hoard of the Athenia case. Last, month the Germans, with wasted industry, produced a pamphlet to show that Mr Winston Churchill plotted the sinking and was the murderer of 112 people. The comment on the booklet hv Nazi official was amusing in its mildness. It was said that the action of the United States Minister in Ireland and the American naval attache in London was “premature,” when they attributed the responsibility for the sinking to Germany.

Americans Working. “All circumstances,” the Nazis say, “point to Mr Winston Churchill as the man who, as First Lord of the Admiralty, brought about all the happenings on the Athenia until her sinking by British destroyers, and who, therefore, stands responsible before world public opinion.” At the same time the American State Department has been continuously working on the case, interviewing all

Wooden Ships Built available witnesses, a process which takes time, in order to have all the pertinent facts at hand before reaching a decision about the matter. That decision is going to be of some moment. For if ji is determined that Ihc Atlienia was sunk by German ac--1 ion there will be a claim for damages Pled with the Reich on behalf of : Americans injured or lost in Ihe disiasler. If that claim is filed the Geri mans will nol only he stamped, once (again, as liars, they will have the ' mortification of paying heavily for their tactics. I Little publicised here is important : work which is proceeding in I lie Unit led Slides developing a new and more i powerful, and yet cheaper sea mine. ■ The American Navy, which was using I mines in the Givi] War, is hack at • work endeavouring to better anyi ihing ye I in use. | The effect of mines is probably much more appreciated loday than it was a lew months ago. In recent weeks it is said that mines have given Hie British Navy more trouble Ilian all Hie U-boals and that is possible. Ger-

mans have been boasting that Britain has been forced to build wooden ships which will he immune to Ihe magnetic mine. ,

This, Hie Nazis say, is proof that an efficient counter to the magnetic mine has not been found. They hope to increase their mine-laying activities as they build more submarines able lo do the work, and recall the fact that in the World War they laid 50,000 mines. It is also claimed in Berlin that 25 pei cent of the warships lost while in Allied service during Ihe World War struck mines. For U-boats the figure was even higher, the Germans say. This gives particular point to the American work now in hand. The Mine Barrier.

It may nol he remembered that wc were unable to create the famous mine harrier across the North Sea 22 years ago until we had an American Uiine with which to do it. Once United States factories had produced a cheap and effective mine we set about building this great triple barrage which was just completed at Ihe Armistice and which remains a matter ol speculation. Often it is said that the Üboats were trapped in the World War and that is probably true, though no one can say sow strong was the trap. With Hie background of war experience, however, we now know that, if used on a big scale, mining warfare can he very effective against submarines. And as Hie only really efficient way of laying mines for the Germans is by U-boat it would appear that the submarine crews are offering had risks to such German life insurance companies as are willing (and able) to cover them.