DEUTSCHLAND AT LARGE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 October 1939, Page 7

DEUTSCHLAND AT LARGE

GERMAN POCKET BATTLESHIP RAIDING IN ATLANTIC Mr Chamberlain Confirms Reports SINKING OF STONEGATE AND CAPTURE OF CITY OF FLINT STORY TOLD BY ESCAPED PRISONER (By Telegraph',.—Press Association, —Copyright.) LONDON, October 27. Confirmation of reports that the German pocket-battleship Deutschland is engaged in raiding in the Atlantic and was responsible for the sinking of the British steamer Stonegate was given by the Prime Minister, Mr Chamberlain, speaking in the House of Commons. The “Daily Mail” publishes a world copyright story ol the Deutschland’s capture of the City of Flint, given by an eye-witness, James 0. McConnochie, Glasgow, radio operator aboard the vessel, who escaped his captors and arrived at Bergen in Norway. He said: “Six days out from New York we fell in with the Devitchland. At first we thought she was a British warship; then we saw the German (lag. All the guns were trained on ns. She signalled us to stop and ordered us to shut down our radio. , ■ “A, number of German officers and sailors, armed with revolvers and hand-grenades, came aboard and discovered that we carried large quantities of oil. “The crew were lined up and told that a prize crew was coming aboard to take us to Germany. “An officer said that the Deutschland had already sunk the Stonegate and intended to put 38 of her crew aboard us. “Thereupon the Deutschland departed, leaving the prize crew in command. The City of Flint’s funnels were repainted. The ship’s name and the United States flag were painted out and a false name substituted. “We arrived at .Tromso at 5 p.m. on October 20. Customs officers came aboard and discovered our true nationality. The ■ Norwegians would not permit us to depart til] the American flag had been repainted. Norwegian destroyers stood by. “The Germans landed the Stonegate’s crew.” In Berlin it is learned that the ■wireless operator of the City of Flint managed to slip ashore when the ship called at Tromso last Saturday.' , , TWO RAIDERS? Deutschland and Admiral Von Scheer LATTER MAY BE IN PACIFIC OR INDIAN OCEAN BOTH SHIPS OF EXTENDED CRUISING RANGE (Received This Day. 10.5 a.m.) LONDON, October 27. A high authority states that it is most likely that two raiders are at sea, namely the pocket battleships Admiral Von Scheer and Deutschland, both of which have great endurance and are capable of twenty thousand miles’ range at low speed, even without supply ships. For these reasons it is possible that the Admiral Von Scheer may be in the Pacific or the Indian Ocean, though no reports have been received. It is most probable that the Admiral Von Scheer sank the British steamer Clement. It is unlikely that the cruiser Emden is at large. The raiders, it is observed, “are really doing us ' very little harm,” considering the time in which they have been operating on busy sea routes.