BIG AXIS SHIPPING LOSSES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 43, 20 February 1941, Page 6

BIG AXIS SHIPPING LOSSES

TWO MILLION TONS BRITISH LOSSES LAST WEEK BELOW AVERAGE ' LONDON, Feb. 18. Germany and Italy in the four weeks to February 7, lost 267,000 tons of shipping, by sinking, seizures, and scuttling. Germany lost 32,000 tons, Italy 170,000 tons, and losses of other shipping under Axis control made up the rest. Since the war began Axis shipping losses have totalled more than 2,000,000 tons. British and Allied shipping losses tn the week ended February 9 were 26,500 tons, made up of nine British ships totalling 19,000 tons and four Allied ships, totalling 7500 tons. This is half the weekly average loss of the war. 11 Destroyers in Narvik V enture. t British Official Wireless. J RUGBY (Tuesday).—lt is revealed in London that the German destroyers Bruno Heinemann and George Thiele were sunk in the battles of Narvik last April, bringing the total of German destroyers lost in these operations to 11. Supply Ships Sunk and Damaged. An Admiralty communique states chat a German merchant vessel of about 4000 tons, which was being used by the Italians as a supply ship, has been sunk by naval aircraft in the central Mediterranean. An Italian supply ship, of about 6000 tons, has also been successfully attacked by naval aircraft. When last seen the crew was abandoning the ship in lifeboats. Another Kalian supply ship, of about 4000 tons, and an Italian auxiliary warship, have been damaged during attacks by naval aircraft. All the British aircraft returned safely from the attacks.

MAILS OFF AUSTRALIAN SHIP l ALL OPENED BY ENEMY BAGS HASHED UP ON SHORE. SYDNEY, Feb. 19. Bags of Australian mail which have been opened and examined for information have been washed up on an island in the Pacific Ocean. This was revealed by an Army spokesman who said the mails were from one of the ships sunk when an enemy raider was operating recently in the Pacific. Every letter recovered had been opened. The spokesman said it was obvious that the mails were searched by intelligence officers in Ihe raider, who were seeking information about Australian shipping or military movements. SENDING OF DUPLICATE LETTERS A NEW ZEALAND SCHEME ISE or TWO MAILS [ Per Pre*Ls Association. J WELLINGTON. Feb. 19. A scheme has been formulated by the Post and Telegraph Department whereby senders of letters to overseas destinations can be assured that duplicate copies of such letters will not go forward by the same mail as lhe originals, according to an announcement by the Postmaster-Gen-eral, Hon. P. C. Webb. The sender must post the original and duplicate copies of the letter in separate envelopes, which must be I endorsed “original” and “duplicate” • respectively. The two letters must be sent by registered post and be posted | at the‘same time, so that they go to a I final dispatching point together. Mr. Webb added that present ship- | ping difficulties and the inability of i the department to advertise dispatch I of overseas mail caused some mconvenience, but he felt sure Ihe introduction of this scheme would be apI predated.