PIRATE METHODS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24226, 19 February 1940, Page 7

PIRATE METHODS

NAZI WARFARE AT SEA INDISCRIMINATE SINKINGS "NOTHING SHORT OF MURDER” t British Official Wireless) (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegrahp—Copyright) RUGBY, Feb. 17. (Received Feb. 18, at 8 p.m.) Lord Chatfield (Admiral of the Fleet) in a speech at Cardiff, reviewed the war effort at sea, in the air and on land.

“ Let us remember,” he said, “ that the British Empire was built up by sea power, and as long as we keep command of the sea we shall hold the Empire. Germany also realises the importance of our sea power, so she is endeavouring to destroy us at sea. Unable to challenge us with surface ships, she has tried, and is still trying to destroy our commerce, and that of neutral countries, by an illegal use of the torpedo, the mine and the bomb. When Germany decides on a course of action which she thinks will give her an advantage, no sense of law or humanity is allowed one minute’s consideration.

In the last war, he said, it took two years for her rulers to decide on what was called unrestricted warfare against unarmed merchant ships. This time they had started immediately. They knew they were able to sink many ships before they became defensively armed or before convoys were organised, so in a carefully calculated way they tore up the treaties they had signed since the last war. To do so meant nothing to their present rulers, who, it could not be doubted, would equally tear up any other treaties that anyone might be unwise enough to sign with them in the future, if to do so would give them a needed advantage or surprise their victims. “ This practice of murder on the high seas,” he said, “is a typical German invention, never heard of. except by pirates and buccanneers, before Germany had a navy. Then there is the indiscriminate sinking of neutral merchant ships, 119 having been sunk, totalling nearly 350,000 tons, of which nearly half have been deliberately torpedoed. Fortunately, our navy is well prepared for this treachery. It has sunk German surface ships that have ventured to sea, and her submarine fleet is reduced by one half, and will, I believe, continue to be destroyed at a greater rate than she can add to it. We shall equally liquidate or, shall we say, purge the sea of her minefields. But she is a crafty and vicious foe, and we shall have many losses as well. We must not let them dismay us, however.” Referring to the war in the air, Lord Chatfield said: “I am convinced that our air policy has been correct and wise. We gained valuable time to build up our own strength for attack, and for the defence of these islands, and we shall bring our great ever-growing air strength into play at the right instant. Meanwhile the army is preparing to play the great part that

undoubtedly awaits it. To-day we have under training alone well over 1,000,000 men.

After referring to the generous share contributed by the dominions, the colonies and India to the British effort, Lord Chatfield spoke of the progress of the gigantic task of providing powerful arms and munitions to all these forces. He mentioned in particular the important contribution made in this regard by Wales. “Let us make no mistake,” he said, “ about the task. We have to defeat the enemy that for many years has spent her whole effort on preparing for war; the enemy that is highly efficient and cunning and has forcibly unified his people in support of his evil intentions. It is difficult to continue the fight with our natural spirit of chivalry against the enemy who acts with the mentality of a tiger.”