GERMAN LOSSES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 117, 16 April 1940, Page 7

GERMAN LOSSES.

FLEET STRENGTH IMPAIRED. SURVEY OF SURVIVALS. (British Official AVireless.) Received April 16, 11.50 a.m. RUGBY, April 15. Now that more detailed reports are available of the naval action in Norwegian waters, it is possible to give a fair estimate of wliat of the German ilect as it existed at the beginning of the war is now left capable of action. Authoritative London naval circles express the opinion that the effective strength of the German fleet consists of one battle cruiser, possibly one “pocket” battleship, one fight cruiser, eleven destroyers, and half that number of U-boats. Of her two battle cruisers the Gneisenau has been claimed as sunk by the Norwegians and the Scharnhorst seriously damaged by the Renown. With the Graf Spec scuttled and the Admiral Sclieer torpedoed there is only tho Deutschland left of the “pocket” battleships, and she lias suddenly become the Lutzow, leaving her former name to be given to one of the new battleships recently launched. At the time of tlie announcement the German practice of handing on the names of sunken ships to new vessels was recalled. Of the two heavy cruisers one later announced bv the German Command as the Bluchor has been sunk, but it is thought this announcement was probably made to cover the loss of the Gneisenau and that the Bluchor or some other Ripper class vessel has been sunk as well. CRUISER LOSSES. One light cruiser was sunk by the submarine Ursula in December; one was hit by a torpedo from the submarine Salmon the same month in circumstances which raise the strong 1 presumption that she sank; one was - sunk by a submarine on April 9; one . was hit by one bomb off Bergen on I April U; the Karlsruhe was sunk on f April 10; and one was hit by three i bombs on April 10, leaving probably i one of this typo still serviceable. ( Germany liad 22 destroyers, of which ] eleven have definitely been sunk, with the strong probability of two or three ( more. v . In the week April 8 to 14 nineteen j German transport supply ships were .j destroyed and one ol 8514 tons and ( three trawlers have been captured. \ Other transports have been bombed ‘ and at least two convoys torpedoed, but the precise details are as yet lack- J ing. . . I it is probable that certain xvazi 1 ships which were building at the * beginning of the war are now i in commission, blit such naval strength J as Germany bad is gravely impaired. 1 The British losses since the new ( phase of the war began have already i been announced. They consist of four j destroyers only, one of which, the Gurkha, was sunk by a bombing attack. ] ■ The battleship Rooney was hit by ( a bomb, but, sustaining no substantial | damage, remained at tier station. ] i