U-BOAT LOSSES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 March 1940, Page 6

U-BOAT LOSSES

PRISONERS IN GREAT BRITAIN

NAZIS' BUILDING PROGRAMME.

It has been announced that the destruction of U-boats averaged between two and four a week, when Üboat activity was on the scale of the first two months of the war. This is likely to be an under-statement. The British Admiralty do not admit that a U-boat lias been sunk unless definite evidence, in the form of prisoners. bodies, or wreckage, is secured. The rate of U-boat destruction is-nat-urally in direct proportion to U-boat activity and the number of U-boats operating. This showed a considerable, though probably temporary, decline towards the end of 1939. An indication of the rate of destruction of U-boats is provided by the fact that at. Ihe end of the first week in December there were in Great Britain 144 German prisoners of war taken from U-boats. At. the end of 1916 there were 180 German U-boat prisoners in Great Britain, and examination of the German records after the war showed that 46 U-boats had been destroyed up 10 that. date. If the ratio of prisoners taken to U-boats destroyed is the same in this war as it was in the last war. the number of U-boats destroyed up to tin? end of the first week of December would be 35. This applies only to U-boats destroyed by British forces. The French have also had successes against U-boats. There appeal' lo bo fewer U-boats operating than jus! after lhe outbreak of war. U-BOAT OUTPUT. Tn 1917. when Germany decided to sl.'ilu? everything on submarine warfare and abandoned work on capital ship building in, order to put the whole effort of her shipyards on lo submarine construction, the rate of commissioning of new U-boats was: —January (i. February 4, March I. April 5. Ivl.'.y 5. Juno 8. July 11. August 12. September 8. October 13, November 5. December (1. Total. 87 in 12 months. In 1918 Germany laid plans which. 11 was claimed, would (’liable her to commission new U-boats at lhe rate of one a day in July. August and September. 1'919. but this programme never got beyond lhe paper stage. Today Gorinany is short of many essential materials and the production of substitutes absorbs a great deal of labour which would otherwise be available . for direct production of armaments. All iudications point to Ilio fuel that Germany will find il extremely diiTieult even lo equal lhe U-boat oulpul of 1917.

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