Britain "Maritime Robber” Germans Declare

Northern Advocate, 19 February 1940, Page 5

Britain " Maritime Robber” Germans Declare

The Berlin correspondent of the British United Press says the captain of the Altmarck reported by telephone that the Cossack sent him a radio message: “Stop immediately, or we open fire/’ He tried to ram the Cossack, but failed because his ship’s bow was held by the ice. The Cossack came alongside and her crew'boarded the Altmarck with revolvers and other weapons, and made their way to the bridge, blindly shooting at the Altmarck’s crew, four of whom were killed and others wounded. Official circles in Berlin describe the seizure of the ship as “one of " the most swinish and dastardly actions in all history The Nazi newspapers are violently indignant at what is described as a British attempt to capture the Altmarck in Norwegian waters. Hitler’s paper, the “Volkischer Beobachter,” waxes hysterical: “It is a typical demonstration of the fact that Britain is resorting to the methods of a maritime robber to retain her reputation for ruling the seas.” Say Altmarck Unarmed, The German radio, without mentioning that the Altmarck carried prisoners, declared the ship and crew were unarmed. It further stated that six of the Altmarck's crew were kill-

LONDON, February 17. ed and six wounded, including three seriously wounded. The dead are to be buried in Norway. The Berlin radio announced on Friday that the Altmarck had just wirelessed that the British destroyer Intrepid had tried to go alongside and capture her inside Norwegian territorial waters, only 200 yards from the coast. Only clever manoeuvring by the German captain and firm intervention by two Norwegian torpedo boats enabled the Altmarck to escape. The Intrepid, the message added, was still lying in wait for her. The Altmarck was described as a new type of auxiliary warship, being a combination of a raider, supply ship and floating prison. She had a speed of 25 knots and a great moving range. Official Protest. The German Minister at Oslo has delivered a written protest to Norway, stating: “This situation is most serious and may have the gravest consequences. Germany enters the sharpest possible protest against a violation of international law that is unique in world history, and against the insufficiency of Norway’s protection for our ship.” The Note demanded the restoration of the status on board the Altmarck, compensation for the damage and strong action against Britain.