AUDACIOUS FEAT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 116, 15 April 1940, Page 7

AUDACIOUS FEAT

GERMAN COAST MINED DENMARK TO LITHUANIA LOSS OF SWEDISH IRON ORE (United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph —Copyright.) Received ApriLls, 10.15 a.m. LONDON, April 14. The laying of a new minefield on the north coast of Germany and in the Kattegat was completed in the early hours of this morning. It is regarded as a singularly audacious feat. The belt in the Baltic Sea hems in Germany’s northern coast and the other barrage cuts off German shipping from the Kattegat. The biggest minefield stretches 240 miles from the bottom edge of Swedish waters in the west, eastward to the German coast and terminating at the frontier with Lithuania at North. Rossitten. The second field extends from the Danish east coast near.Liim l’iord eastwards to the edge of Swedish waters. All expert says the minefield bottles up the entire Baltic coast of Germany, covering as it does, except for Swedish waters, the southern part of the Baltic and extending northwards to a point about twelve miles south of Memel. It joins the minefield already laid in the Skagerrak and Kattegat and extends through the two Danish belts and sweeps round to the Baltic proper. British ships have laid minefields which now cover the entire coast of Germany and German occupied Denmark. The mining of the Baltic blocks the Nazis’ iron ore route from Lulea in the extreme north of Sweden at the time when they were expecting to benefit from this summer as an alternative to Narvik.

GERMANY’S NEW LIABILITY. The extension of hostilities to Scandinavia will have an enormously widespread and important effect on world trade. Apart from the field of economic warfare, there are numerous industries which must be seriously readjusted to meet both the closing of the old and established markets and the stoppage of sources of supply. Denmark per head of population is easily Britain's best foreign customer, but it would be blind pessimism to assume that Germany is less affected than the Allies. The Economist reveals the extent of Hitler’s gamble and says Germany will get the whole of Denmark’s export instead of part for the next few months, but when the existing grass fails and no more grain can be imported Denmark will be a liability instead of an asset to the Nazis. Britain secured one-quarter of her imported butter from Denmark, but traders say that with exceptionally good seasons both iu Australia and New Zealand, also with the large supplies coming from the Continent in the past, few months, Britain’s stocks of blitter must be very good indeed. However, she will be more dependent on Australian and New Zealand supplies. Holland is the only Continental exporter likely to maintain useful quantities. The stoppage of the Scandinavian iron ore supplies, which may bo only temporary, will seriously affect the British iron and steel'industry, but Britain is free to draw upon many British and French sources. On the other hand, Germany is cut off from all sources, except Luxembourg.