WAR DIARY

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

WAR DIARY

FROM DAY TO DAY OVERSEAS INCIDENTS HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE GABLES Following is a summary of day to day incidents overseas, culled from the cable news:— February 23: Turks ready for action if any country in the Balkans is attacked. H is staled that 800,000 Turkish soldiers are already on the TurkishSoviet frontier. Political cirles in Berlin admit they are alarmed by Turkey’s decision to apply the emergency defence law. The Rumanian oil ban may cripple the German Air Force.

A Bucharest correspondent says Rumania and Egypt have reached an agreement providing for the barter of Rumanian oil for Egyptian cotton. Soviet Russia purchases oil drilling units from America for use it is believed in the Crimea where there are shallow oil pools. A Paris message reports that 310 Cc mmunist councillors in Paris and suburbs have been ejected from office. Blade Friday for Dutch shipping—four vessels sunk —14,300 tons lost. •Britain loses, one tanker. German freighter Wolfsburg, 6201 tons, scuttled immediately she sighted a British warship. The German tanker, Baldur, 5805 tons, which scuttled herself at the time of the Altmarck incident, was acting as decoy steamer. The Baldur and Altmarck had a number of similar features.

Switzerland prepares—£ 13,000,000 spent in military defences. German aeroplanes attack trawlers in the North Sea and wound several men. During the war Sweden lias lost 32 cargo vessels —64,000 tons —while 228 seamen have perished, 15 are missing. Norway has. lost five ships —75,000 tons—and 350 seamen have lost their lives. In the last 22 days 19 Norwegian ships have been sunk. A second division of Canadian troops to join those already in England —85,000 Canadians now under arms. New Zealand troops in Egypt fulfil an ambition when they stormed the Great Pyramid from all angles.

Arrival of Anzacs in Middle East strongly impresses international opinion. An average of two U-boats being sunk each week. .Home radio, reports that four German cruisers, each 7200 tons, are to Rebuilt in 1940. Their speed will be \2 knots. Soviet aircraft bombs a town in Sweden —no deaths and no one injured. Further fall of snow in Finland welcomed by the army. Halts Russian offensive. Britain helping Finns with volunteers and arms. Revolt at Lwow, Southern Poland, against Soviet. French Army abolishes puttees. H.M.S. Achilles, Ajax and Exeter arrive at their home ports. Crews accorded memorable welcomes in appreciation of their victory over the Graf Spee in the Battle of the River Plate.

February 24: New Zealanders in the crew of H.M.S. Achilles awarded honours for gallantry in the Battle of the River Plate. ■»

War in the Middle East feared. Rumania manning her frontiers, because Germany challenges the oil ban reported yesterday. Enemy raid east of the Moselle on the Western Front driven back. Two German N.C.O.’s made prisoner. Artillery action on both sides west of the Saar and east of Blies. Both air forces between the Moselle and the Rhine and over Alsace.

German air officers interned by Dutch. New Zealanders, Flying Officers E. .T. Kain (Wellington) and A. V. Hunter (Auckland) mentioned in despatches, the former for his part in bringing down two of the 47 German bombers brought down since the war began. . , B.A.F. flies over Austria ana Bohernia. Germans raid North East England. Two intruders crash, making a total of 50 having been shot down since war began. German aircraft sinks naval trawler Fifeshire, with loss of 21 lives. Britain presses Argentina to speed the internment of 500 of the Graf Spee’s crew. Australians on leave in Jerusalem spend freely and are nicknamgd “millionaire soldiers” by Arabs and Jews. Gallant Finns still stoutly resist Russian onslaughts.

Italy and Japan co-operating in the Anti-Communist agreement. Russia sends supplies of oil to Germany. Further quantities expected shortly. Many deaths in England as a result of influenza epidemic. Total since January 1 is 1309. Another disastrous earthquake in Istanbul. Ten thousand cattle perish ar»d 120 humans dead.