LOSING HEART.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 June 1918, Page 3

LOSING HEART.

U-BOAT’S WORK. | [PER PRESS ASSOCIATION. —COPYRIGHT.]

| 1 LONDON TIMES SERVICE—COPYRIGHT] 1 .

•Received, This Dav at 8.50. a.m.) LONDON, June 23. A striking accumulation of evidence shows in the grim prolonged submarine warfare, the Allies tenacity and multiform methods of destruction is definitely winning. Official information from neutral sources in Scandanavia state every week recently U-boats have failed to return to their bases. A largo number were lost one month and six others stagger- [ ecf homeward badly damaged. The i dockyards are no longer able to fully , accommodate the submarines. The authorities are obliged to establish i ’ go new repair depots which employed a large amount of civilian labour; also war prisoners and skilled engineering. : The German authorities have become i anxious concerning the physical and

mental overstrain of returned crows,

is a result of largo submergence, sleeplessness and interminable dodging of air craft, destroyers, motor boats and trawlers. , Commander Rose, a well-known LBoat commander speaking recently, confessed to the shattering of tho morale as the effect of depth bombs, particularly an inexperienced crews, owing to the hellish din of their explosion. This is the first admission that inexperienced crews are used in submarines and adds significance to another Geiman commanders’ later statement, that a large proportion of the losses are due to the crews not being trained. Some are sent out within sTx weeks of enlistment. Every precaution is talc- ; on to prevent E-boats crews talking of their experiences, hut stories of the effects of bombing continually leak out. The. men admit their losses of U-boats and submersible mine layers are very great. Increasing British convoying has so improved that shelling is only undertaken with extreme care, and submarines now confine their operations mainly to torpedoe attack. German patrols ore sharing in the heavy losses, resulting from increased [Allied defence. Tho dangers of the U-boats service are causing numerous desertions.