LOSSES AT SEA

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 95, 20 March 1940, Page 9

LOSSES AT SEA

FANTASTIC CLAIMS. ENEMY IMAGINATION. RETORT BY ADMIRALTY. f (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. ) (British Official Wireless.) Received March 20, 9.15 a.m. RUGBY, March 19. The German claims about the British losses at sea are the subject of the following Admiralty statement: — “Fantastic and untrue statements of the British losses at sea are constantly being made by the enemy, very often m order to obtain information. A statement containing a full list of all British, Allied and neutral mercantile marine losses due to enemy action is issued weekly by the Admiralty and this statement is the British answer to all such German claims. It is also the policy ol’ the Admiralty to publish the loss of His Majesty’s ships as soon as soon as the next-of-kin of the casualties have been informed.”

The measure of German anxiety to discover with certainty aud i.n detail the results of the Orkney raid may be gauged by the extravagance of the Nazi claims, obviously made in the hope of provoking the admiralty into detailed denials from which reliable information can be deduced.

The Times points out that when, as on that occasion, the attack is made at dusk in order presumably to minimise casualties to the attackers it is difficult, if not impossible, lor airmen to observe or photograph either the fall of their bombs or the identity of their targets. The German Command must, therefore, rely for its knowledge upon such information as Britain can be induced to vouchsafe in its public announcement.

“Those therefore who hear that the Hood, Repulse, Renown and other ships cited in German communiques have been hit by bombs will reoc,*.iise the motive with which the claims are made,” adds the paper.

“DAMAGED” BATTLESHIPS. Interest caused by the German High •Command’s claims to successes in Saturday evening s Scapa I'iow raid is deepening into amusement after a reported broadcast by the commander ol the Nazi raiders, Major Albert Doensch, who is said to have claimed that his force made “direct hits with larger bombs on the Hood, Repulse and Renown,” stated an earlier report. Though this is the first time the Germans have claimed to have damaged the Renown, the Jloud .according to their Jurmcr claims, must have been too much damaged by previous successful Nazi assaults to be seaworthy yet, while the Repulse lias been almost perpetually included as “severely damaged” wbcuever Nazi propagandists considered the time ripe lor a little heartening news. The wide divergence of the German claims from the actual facts is thought to lend colour to a suggestion from neutral countries that the raid was specially ordered hv Hitler in an en deavour to impress Signor Mussolini with the superiority of the German air force.

LATEST LIST. The Admiralty has announced thaL for the week ended March 17 three British ships with a total of 5499 tons, two trench of 3172, and lour neutral of 15,321 tons were lost as a result of enemy action, states a Press Association report. None were being convoyed. The majority of the vessels were sunk owing to illegal mines; only four ships have been sunk by U-boats since February 24. Those U-boats which escaped destruction have presumably been withdrawn in order that the crews may rest and recover from their shattered nerves. Of 12,810 British, Allied and neutral ships convoyed to March 13 only 28 were lost. The French Navy has convoyed over 2000 vessels of which only four have been lost.