NAVY’S GREAT WORK

Evening Star, Issue 24291, 4 September 1942, Page 3

NAVY’S GREAT WORK

INCREASED U-BOAT SINKINGS NEW METHODS OF ATTACK (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 10 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 3. The First Lord of the Admiralty (Mr A. V. Alexander), speaking in London, said that July and August had been the most successful months in the war for the number of U-boats destroyed. In addition, a large number had been damaged or put out of action. U-boats had now been turned back to their more usual haunts. “If U-boats found this attack dangerous last year they would find it doubly dangerous now. New methods had been developed and new devices were in action. When the changes in German tactics occurred, it was because new methods and devices forced them on the U-boats. LOCATION OF NAZI SHIPS. The majority of the main German warships remained throughout the year in Norwegian waters. The Tirpitz had been there since January, accompanied at times by the Seheer, the Lutzow, and the Hipper. The Scharnhorst had completed her repairs, and was expected shortly to return to service after being out of action for over 16 months. The Gueisena.u was damaged by a mine or a torpedo during the Channel action, and again by air in Kiel, and she now lay dismantled at Gdynia. The Prinz Eugen, which was torpedoed at Trondheim, was completing repairs in Germany. The three latter ships were less a menace in German waters than when lying in Brest. ■ Running the Russian convoys had been achieved only under growing difficulties. The situation was probably

at its worst in mid-summer before the ice receded northwards, and the convoys were forced to* proceed in continuous daylight. With the recession of the ice and some periods of darkness the difficulties would tend to decrease a little, but the dangers would remain great. MALTA CONVOYS. During the year four convoys had been passed into Malta. A regular series of operations also took place in which fighters were flown from carriers for Malta, In just over a year 35 operations of this type had taken place, and 815 fighters had been flown into Malta. Never once had the Italian battle fleet dartkl to proceed west of Sardinia or, since the battle of Matapan, to the east of that cape. Although the Italian battle fleet had escaped total destruction, several ships had spent long periods in dock as result of damage, and the wearing down of the cruiser force continued. Of the seven eight-inch gun cruisers with which Italy started the war, two and possibly three, remained, and of 12 six-inch gun cruisers seven remained. The Italians had in service little more than half the submarines with which they started. ’ ' NAVAL REPLACEMENTS. In spite of the losses in the Far East we had built up a powerful fleet in the Indian Ocean. 'British minesweepers had mastered the serious mine-laying operations, and it was only occasionally now that a ship was sunk or damaged by mines. British merchant shipbuilding far outstripped the production in the first three years of last war, while the very heavy naval losses wore being made good. There was also a new fleet of corvettes and a very largo number of motor launches, motor torpedo boats, motor gunboats, and landing craft of all kinds. NAZIS IN ARGENTINA SUBVERSIVE INFLUENCES BUENOS AIRES, September 2. The Congressional Committee which is investigating subversive influences reported that it had found German schools in Argentina operating under the direction of the Nazi Government. The schools were under the control of diplomatic representatives from Berlin accredited to the Argentine Government. The supervising and teaching staffs wore selected in Germany, and the text books were edited in Germany. The committee declared that the character of the teaching in the schools was contrary to Argentine laws. It recommended that attention should also be given to Italian schools. JAPAN'S INTENTIONS MOVE AGAINST SIBERIA WASHINGTON, September 2. The New Zealand Prime Minister, Mr Peter Fraser, attended a meeting of the Pacific War Council at which special attention centred on the possibility of Japan attacking Siberia. The Chinese Foreign Minister, Dr T. V. Soong, told the Press that it was purely a matter of time until the .lapanese hurled their armies against the Russians.