The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Sun. SATURDAY, JULY 18, 1942. SHIPPING LOSSES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 168, 18 July 1942, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Sun. SATURDAY, JULY 18, 1942. SHIPPING LOSSES

"JTIE most critical months of the last war were those months early in 1017 when the German U-boats temporarily held the upper hand in the Atlantic. The sinkings of merchantmen were at such a rate as to threaten Britain's essential supplies of food and of materials for munitions and so make It impossible for her to carfy on the war. The threat was removed then, but recent reports suggest strongly that it has arisen again, though whether It Is as great as in 1917 can only be guessed. However, the United States Navy Secretary, Colonel Knox, has said that tho toll taken by U-boats is still greater than actual launchings, and other statements are that in the first six months of this year 386 ships were sunk off the Atlantic coast, and that the rate has been increasing. Washington announces the sinkings, while London adheres to the policy of secrecy decided upon a year ago. The result of this difference of policy Is partly to nullify British secrecy, but in spite of this the British Government decided that the special debate on shipping should be held Jn secret session, and that no announcement should be made after it. This decision is regrettable, for the people are left at the mercy of German claims. Not knowing how far these are from the truth, they either reject them entirely and continue to think better of the situation than the facts warrant, or they tend to accept them at their full value iinrl bccomo unduly despondent. The situation, especially in view of the American practice of publishing losses, seems to be one in which the advantages of publicity would outweigh the disadvantages.

The Importance given the submarine campaign by the Germans is loss fully appreciated than it should be. The eyes of the world are fixed on the land campaigns in Russia and Egypt, but this other campaign, of which so little is allowed to be known, is for Britain more Important than either. Mr. Churchill once revealed that in the various remarks which Rudolf Hess had let fall from time to time while a prisoner nothing had been more clear than that Hitler relied upon the ''starvation attack" more than upon invasion to bring Britain to her knees. On that occasion Mr. Churchill was able to say that, so far as 1941 was concerned, HUler's hopes had been dashed to the ground.

Fortunately the situation, whether bad or less had, is far from being beyond hope of improvement. The great increase in sinkings has occurred on the Atlantic coast, where it is attributable partly to inexperience in foreseeing, evading and combating U-boat attacks and partly to insufficient convoy protection, or the total lack of it. These factors will not endure, and the heavy onslaught of the submarine packs has already stimulated many kinds of action to give the merchant ships greater security. Secondly, there is the tremendous and increasing speed of American shipbuilding, which the Minister of Production, Mr. Lyttelton after his recent visit to the United States, described as "a fascinating almost fantastic industrial achievement." It has been officially estimated that the United States alone will produce at least 70 ships this month, 80 in August and 90 in September. These figures are heartening, but tnelr importance should not be exaggerated. For, even when, by better defence of ships and faster replacement of those that are sunk the present threat is reduced or removed, that will not be sufficient. Because m i Biographical situation the United Nations need not merely a sufficiency of ships, but a surplus. The greater the scale and number of the offensive operations for which they prepare, the greater will be the number of ships required. In the United States it is being said that the battle of arms production has been won, but those arms, made for use against the enemy, cannot all be so used if the ships are not available to transport them as required.