45 Danish Warships Have Been Scuttled

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 206, 31 August 1943, Page 5

45 Danish Warships Have Been Scuttled

Military Stores and Depots Blown Up Received Monday, 8.30 p.m. LONDON, Aug. 29. It is estimated that 45 Danisn warships have been scuttled. The GerieanE are hunting seamen and saboteurs in the dock and industrial areas but the Hostility of the people makes the task almost impossible, says the Daily Mail's Stockholm correspondent. The Swedish radio says a German cruiser and six smaller warships and their crews arriving in Sweden have been “taken in hand" by the Swedish military authorities. Several sailing vessels carrying refugees have arrived in Sweden. Reuter s Stockholm correspondent says all Danish newspapermen are reported to have decided to resign. Danish newspapermen in Stockholm have already organised the distribution of Danish news.

The German plenipotentiary in Denmark (Werner Best) told the Danish Prime Minister, Mr. Scavenius, on Friday morning: “I am a dead man because my conciliatory policy failed,’’ says Reuter’s Stockholm correspondent. Best's fate is unknown. On Friday he uanded to Mr. Scavenius the German ultimatum and a private letter. The fact that the martial law proclamation was signed by the German commander-in-chief in Denmark Von nanneken alone is interpreted to mean that Best has been completely set aside and is at least politically “dead." The Danes have blown up all the military stores and depots and de molished all the fortifications except tfie middle part of the fortress outside Copenhagen, reports the British Unitea Press’s Stockholm correspondence.

Fighting in the area of the Danish Royal Guards’ barracks at Rosenborg near Copenhagen and at Amalienborg ended after King Christian from his summer residence at Sorgenfri ordered the cease fire. Several men were killed on both sides.

An authentic report states that 20 Danish warships were scuttled in the Copenhagen naval docks including the defence ship Peder Skram of 3500 tons with a main armament of two 9.4 guns and four 5.9 guns, nine submarines, two new coastal destroyers and two torpedoboats.

German bombers are reported to have sunk the Danish coast defence ship Niels luel of 3800 tons wnen she tried to escape from Ise Fiord. The crow reached the shore and are confined to a castle. All Danish warships on patrol duty escaped to Sweden.