FIGHT EVADED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20125, 20 December 1939, Page 7

FIGHT EVADED

GERMAN WAY OUT CHURCHILL SURVEY BRITISH NAVAL WATCH LIGHT CRUISERS WAIT DAMAGE REVEALED (Elec. Tel. Copyright —United Press Assn.) CRecd. Dec. 19, 2.50 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 18. In a broadcast speech to-day the First Lord of the Admiralty, Mr. Winston Churchill, referred scornfully to the disregard shown by the German pocket battleship Graf von Spee of the honourable course o£ fighting to the death. He revealed that the only ships awaiting her were the cruisers H.M.S. Ajax, H.M.S. Achilles and H.M.S. Cumberland. The last named which replaced H.M.S. Exeter, mounted Bin. guns. The Ajax had twb of her four turrets knocked out. The Graf Spee knew that H.M.S. Renown and the Ark Royal were 1000 miles away when the Graf Spee sailed from Montevideo. Up to Fifty Hits There was no harm now, said Mr. Churchill, in admitting that the Exeter bore up against 40 to 50 direct hits, many of which were from shells three times the weight of those which she could fire. Three of her Bin. guns were smashed' and she sustained nearly Tt)o casualties, mostly killed. Nevertheless she remained guarding Montevideo until the Cumberlano arrived. , . .., Mr. Churchill characteristically swept the seas in a confident survey, in which he revealed that a considerable proportion of Germany s naval strength had been put out of action in the past week. , . He said that despite the mines surrounding Britain, the First Division of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, escorted by the main fleet, smoothly sailed into one of our harbours yesterday. His broadcast coincided with the almost hysterical outburst of unjustifiable claims by Germany that the Nazi air force was supreme in largescale attacks on British naval patrols in the Worth Sea and the major air battle over the Heligoland Bight.