NAVAL FORCES COMPARED

Southland Times, Issue 23793, 15 April 1939, Page 7

NAVAL FORCES COMPARED

DEMOCRACIES AND DICTATOR POWERS GERMAN SHIPS GOING TO SPAIN BRITISH TALKS WITH GREEKS (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received April 15, 12.25 a.m.) LONDON, April 14. An Independent Cable Service message says that the comparative naval strengths in the Mediterranean are estimated as follows:— BRITAIN AND FRANCE Four battleships, averaging 30,000 tons. Two battleships, averaging 22,000 tons. Two aircraft carriers. Ten heavy cruisers. Nine light cruisers. 64 destroyers. Eight torpedo boats. 48 submarines. Six motor torpedo boats. ITALY AND GERMANY (Including those going -to Spain with the German squadron) Two battleships, averaging 23,600 tons. Three pocket battleships, averaging 10,000 tons. Seven heavy cruisers. Eighteen lighter cruisers. 59 destroyers. 70 torpedo boats. 120 submarines.

50 motor torpedo boats. The naval writer of The Daily Express points out that Germany made free use of the Basque ports during the Spanish war and established a U-boat base at Pasaies son after the outbreak. Parallel with this anouncement a Warsaw report stated that Russia planned the biggest naval demonstration in Russian history for Herr Hitler’s birthday. The entire Baltic fleet, including aircraft carriers and submarines, will exercise in the Baltic. A message from Moscow states that it is semi-officially denied that the Russian warships which passed through the Bosphorus are bound for Greece. The German Government has informed Britain and France that the customary spring exercises of the German Fleet will take place this year off the coast of Spain and will last about a month. The units concerned will leave the home ports on April 18. They will consist of three Deutschland class battleships, three cruisers, and a flotilla of destroyers, submarines and auxiliary vessels.

The Salonika correspondent of The Daily Express reports that 50 British war aeroplanes are being unloaded at Piraeus. The three major air bases, Athens, Larissa and Salonika, will immediately be strengthened. It is understood that staff talks between Britain and Greek naval officers will begin shortly preparatory to Britain being granted free entry to the Aegean Islands. It is estimated that Greece has at present 1,000,000 troops on a war-time footing. The continual arrival of Spanish troops, field guns and machine-guns at the frontier of Gibraltar is causing alarm, states a message from Gibraltar. The Royal Engineers are barricading the road on Gibraltar’s north front and motor-cars are not permitted to enter or leave after sunset. It is believed that the barricade is a precautionary measure after the troop movements near La Linea.

HUNGARIAN MINORITY IN RUMANIA

BUDAPEST, April 13. The Minister of Foreign Affairs (Count Stephen Csaky) addressing the Foreign Affairs Committee, said: — “Rumania is doing everything to make the world believe that Hungary is hostile to Rumania, although she knows Hungary will respect her frontiers. I can assure Rumania that Hungary will show the greatest consideration for her sensitiveness while Rumania respects the interests of the Hungarian minority.” He added that Hungary was still willing to negotiate a minorities treaty with Rumania.

Count Csaky told the Foreign Relations Committee that Hungary left the League of Nations of its own volition. The object was not to assume new responsibilities, he added. The League served the gospel of the status quo and carried on a one-sided propaganda against the fascist and Nazi ideologies.