GERMAN MORALE LOWER

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLXII, Issue 15467, 30 September 1943, Page 3

GERMAN MORALE LOWER

U-BOAT SERVICE COMPULSOK*. United Press Assn —By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. AVASHINGTON, Sept. 29. The German Navy is nearing demoralisation similar tc 1917 and has already been forced to draft U-boat crews, which previously were only volunteers, said Rear-Admiral Low, Chief of Naval Operations, in a broadcast. He asserted that tli e Germans had failed once and for all to break the Allied lifeline across the Atlantic. He added that in the period of May to August more than 4000 Allied ships had crossed th© Atlantic with a loss of less than a half per cent. Moreover, the U-boat fleet was unable to stand the present rate of sinkings, which was hastening the same kind of demoralisation that broke U-boat warfare in the last war. Admiral Low said the most effective Allied weapon is the escort carrier, of which 36 were built month alone. Before the end of the year 260 will be completed It is announced ir. Washington that three U-boats were sunk in the Atlantic recently by a single aircraft flying front an escort carrier on convoy duty. A fourth submarine is reported to have been damaged. Sixtyfive survivors were picked up by a destroyer. Long range Liberators operating from a base on the Canadian east coast carried out six separate attains against a U-boat wolf pack in a recent two-day running battle in midAtlantic Th e Royal Canadian Air Force announced that the attacks were made while Liberators were guarding a convoy. So fast did the encounters occu* that, when a bomber having used all ■ts depth charges radioed another, the latter replied; “Have our own sub on our hands.” All of the s x submarines attacked remained on th<surface sending up a fierce curtain of fiak. One plane was severely damaged. The R.C.A.F. made no speomc claim of destruction, or damage to* the U-boats, but at least one submarine was caught surprised and perfectly attacked.