GERMAN CLAIMS

Hokitika Guardian, 30 April 1940, Page 5

GERMAN CLAIMS

PROPAGANDA

ABOUT BRITISH CRUISERS.

(United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright).

RUGBY, April 28

The German wireless broadcast to Germany on April 2b a story of the sinking of the British steamer Armanistaji by a U-boat during a cruise from which the submarine had “just returned.” The Armanistan Was sunk on February 2, and her crew were rescued by the Spanish ship Monte D’Abril. The loss of the Armanistan'~was announced by the Admiralty on February 6. It will be seen that this story, although misleading, was founded ou something which really happened. To-day’s most spectacular German announcement has not even that merit.

According to the Rome radio a message from Berlin states that the Supreme Commander of the Norwegian forces and the commander of the Allied forces in Norway were both captured yesterday, and the members of the two staffs were being taken to Berlin by air. This statement is quite untrue. Both commanders were in ordinary routine communication with London this afternoon.

Similarly, to follow the adventures of the three British \battlc-cruisers through the maze of German propaganda is a bewildering task. The Repulse first received Dx. Goebbels’ attention last October, when he claimed that she had been “torpedoed and almost certainly sunk” at Scapa Flow, at the same time as the Royal Oak wasi tsunk. In February, however, the Repulse steamed into a British port to give her crew leave after weathering the winter gales.

Dr. Goebbels then stated that the Repulse had “come in for repairs,” and bad a large hole below the waterline. Thinking, perhaps, that be bad paid too great a tribute to British seamanship arid shipbuilding, which * enabled a seriously damaged ship with a large hole below the waterline to keep the seas through the winter months, Dr. Goebbels then decided toJdrop this subject. About a month later—on March .16 —came the Nazi raid on Scapa Flow. 'There was no ship sunk and n> capital ship damaged, so German propaganda was forced to manufacture some sort of success. Consequently the German radio announced on ; March 17, that three British battleships and one cruiser had been seriously damaged, and the next morning the Zeesen radio informed America that the Hood, Renown, and Repulse were the ships concerned. Dr. Goebbels had paid another tr'bute to British craftsmanship. According to his own story “the enormous hole below the waterline” in the Repulse had been successfully repaired in a month and the ship was back at Scapa Flow ready to receive the attention of the German bombers, which not only damaged her again hut the Hood and Renown as well, thus putting out of action all three battle-cruisers.

Unfortunately 7 for Dr. Goebbels the Scharnhorst encountered a British battle-cruiser 24 days later, and felt the weight of her guns. The Germans again claimed to have damaged the Renown and, for once, with justification. As announced by the Admiralty she received unimportant damage in the action with the Scharnhorst. A few days later —on April 27—the Hamburg station told English listeners that “off Andalsnes a British battle-cruiser received several hits oi various calibres and was put out of action.” This was a little too much, even for Dr. Goebbels, and an boui later the Bremen ra>cijo rectified the error and announced that it was a “British anti-aircraft cruiser” which had been hit. Creating an entirely new type of warship and sinking it at the same moment is but a minor achievement for the German Propaganda Minister. Meanwhile the Hood, Renown, and Repulse are available for other purposes than to be sunk by him.