The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES” GISBORNE, TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 1941. BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20631, 12 August 1941, Page 4

The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES” GISBORNE, TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 1941. BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC

With attention more and more concentrated on operations in other theatres of war, less has been heard lately of the progress of the still vital Battle of the Atlantic. Mr. Churchill has always warned the people of the importance of this grim and relentless struggle and it is surprising, in some ways, that it has not attracted more notice. On the other hand, of course, there has been a deliberate withholding of information, and it is only occasionally that the public is permitted glimpses of the sea epics which are being enacted day after day and month after month. They know in c vague sort of way that every ship that reaches or leaves Britain has to run the gauntlet of enemy submarines or bombing planes, they realise, even more vaguely perhaps, that their existence and the maintenance of the British war effort depend upon the keeping open of the sea-lanes, and they appreciate, in some measure at least, the great debt they owe to the merchant seamen. The real story of the Battle of the Atlantic, however, has still to be toicl. In the meantime, the public is left much in the dark as to how it is progressing. It is not now even ' given the monthly figures of shipping losses, since these would be of value to the enemy, and it must, perforce, from the limited news available endeavour to appraise the situation for itself.

There are some indications that Britain is gradually gaining the upper hand. For a long time, of course, she was at a grave iclisad vantage because of the new air and sea bases open to the enemy and because of the inadequacy of her defensive weapons. These handicaps were reflected in the heavy increase in sinkings towards the end of last year and in the early months of 1941. To-day, the position appears to be much improved. The last figures issued by the Admiralty, for instance, showed that in June, despite the advantage to the enemy of longer daylight hours, there were 25 fewer ships and 158,000 less tonnage sunk than in May. This represented a substantial improvement, but it was still a long

way from being satisfactory. No figures for July have been, or will be issued, but it is of the utmost significance ' that the claims made by Germany for that month represent a reduction of 50 per cent on the claims made for June. The actual British losses in June were 52 ships of a total tonnage of 329,296 tons. If this figure has been eu! in half—which would be 'n line with the German claims—then, although the position would still be sufficiently serious, it could be said to have been brought within manageable ore-portions ancl to indicate a vast im-v-nvement in the situation. After all. this is only to be expected, and were it not the case there would be ground for serious concern. Shipping is open to three principal methods of attack, apart from the laying of mines. Firstly, there are the operations of submarines, secondly, there are surface raiders, and, thirdly, attacks from the air. The enemy’s submarine losses are known to be heavy, possibly a good deal heavier than is generally realised, and the reduction of striking power, plus improved defences, must have reduced the risk from this source. In the air, the strength of the Royal Air Force has been immeasurably improved, and it is reasonable to assume that shipping to-day is a good deal less vulnerable to German planes. The third menace, that of surface raiders, has probably been more effectively dealt with than any of the others. German battleships had taken a heavy toll in the Atlantic, but it is doubtful whether there are now any at large. The Scharnhorst and the Gneisenau have been under constant attack at their bases since the end of March and have been unable to put to sea. Early in June the Bismarck was sunk., and the Prinz Eugen was forced to seek shelter and has since shared the attacks of the Royal Air Force. It is clear, therefore, that ■ Germany’s striking power is much less effective than it was. On top of these things, there is another all-important consideration and that is the measure of assistance being received from the United States. British and American warships have for some time been jointly patrolling the Atlantic, guarding what has rightly been described as the world's life-line. The American occupation of Iceland provided the United States with ample excuse for keeping open the sea-lanes between her own shores and those of "celand, thus greatly reducing the area which it was necessary for the British navy to patrol. It is possible that American aid in guarding the Atlantic has gone a good deal further, but whether this is the case or not she has certainly made available to Britain a considerable number of destroyers and other craft suitable for convoy purposes. In addition, there is a constant flight of American aircraft across the Atlantic to give aid, among •other things, in the watch on shipping. The menace is thus being approached from two angles. Firstly, there is the continuous attack on the enemy’s striking forces, and, secondly, there is sn increased measure of protection. Operations have not reached the stage where it can be claimed that the Battle of the Atlantic has been won or that shipping is safe from attack, but every known factor suggests that the tide has turned against the enemy.