NAZI LIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 December 1939, Page 5

NAZI LIES

ATTACKS ON UNARMED SHIPS ADMIRALTY GIVES FACTS. “SENSELESS INHUMANITY.” (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, December 21. In response to n German Higli Command communique which reports attacks by aircraft against British naval objectives, mentioning the destruction of light naval craff, and “outpost units,” the British Admiralty in a Dress notice gives the actual facts regarding the vessels named in the communique. The German statement was: "The German air force carried out a reconnaissance and attacks against naval objectives in the North Sea under most difficult conditions. It is ascertained so far that four ships of the British light naval force were destroyed by bomb hits. “Within the last three days the German air force has destroyed 23 ships of British outpost units, among others the Pearl, Serenity, New Choice, Ilkway, Evelyn, Sedgefly and Trinity.” The British Admiralty gives the facts as follows: — The Pearl —a fishing trawler attacked on December 17 by aircraft. Three of the crew were injured. The Serenity—an unarmed coasting steamer machine-gunned from the air and sunk by bombs on December 17. The New Choice —a fishing trawler attacked by aircraft without damage or casualties on December 18. No such vessel as the Ilkway exists.

The fishing trawlers Evelyn and Sedgefly, overdue some time ago, are presumed lost. The Trinity—a fishing trawler sunk by aircraft on December 18. In the last three days, 35 vessels ,of which two were neutrals, have been attacked by German aircraft. Only three of the vessels attacked were naval units and all three of these attacks were unsuccessful. One coasting vessel and six fishing trawlers were sunk. . The Admiralty statement thus exposes the misrepresentations by German propagandists who disguise attacks against neutral and unarmed vessels which the admiralty statement characterises as marked by “senseless inhumanity.”

SKIPPER’S STORY TACTICS OF THE NAZIS. RUTHLESS & COLD-BLOODED MURDER. “If that is modern warfare, then I call it ruthless, cold-blooded murder,” said the skipper of an English trawler recently attacked by German planes in the North Sea in a talk broadcast by Daventry last night. No warning of the attack was received and the deck was swept by ma-chine-gun bullets. Not far away was another traivler which was similarly attacked. In addition to machine-gun-ning, bombs were dropped by the planes. Fifteen were dropped before a. direct hit was recorded on his trawler. A zig-zag course was steered', and the skipper believed that this saved his vessel from total destruction. When his vessel was hit he ordered the lowering of the boats, and signalled thcenemy planes, but they replied by ma-chine-gunning the crew as they endeavoured to escape in the boats. His vessel was not seriously damaged, said the skipper, and it was later towed to port by two other trawlers.

STILL AT IT ANOTHER BRITISH TRAWLER SUNK. OSLO, December 22. Two Nazi planes bombed and sunk the British trawler River Annaji, which was carrying the crew of the Danish ship, Brogo which had been mined. Britons and Danes drifted together for 36 hours in a lifeboat in a rough sea. They were almost frozen when rescued by the Norwegian ship, Rogaland. The Britons declared that the planes also machine-gunned the trawler, but nobody was hurt.