MORE GERMAN LIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 March 1940, Page 5

MORE GERMAN LIES

REFUTED IN BRITAIN ALLEGED DESTRUCTION OF SHIPS. LARGELY IMAGINATIVE. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, March 12. Naval circles point out that a German broadcast claimed that in the German raids on the nights of March 6 and 7 “11 merchant ships sailing in British convoy or with dimmed lights, with a total tonnage of about 30,000, were sunk on heavily damaged.” The facts are that 15 small ships, mostly fishing vessels, were attacked, of which the only one to be seriously damaged was the Italian vessel Amelia Lauro, which was proceeding independently and was brilliantly illuminated, with her name and the Italian flag painted on her sides. Attacks were also made on three convoys but all were driven off and not one ship was sunk, heavily damaged, or even damaged at all. It is noted, however, that the German broadcast seems to have felt uneasiness regarding the bombing and machine-gunning of the Amelia Lauro, for a Zeesen broadcast in German to the Far East on March 9 stated that the “British" steamer Amelia Lauro was set on fire as the result of a North Sea air attack. A BELL MISUSED. The bell of one of the most famous German liners which is being used to announce over Zeesen wireless the destruction by German action of enemy vessels and which had the unfortunate initiation of tolling the sinking of the British freighter San Florentino though the vessel was not even attacked and now, after unloading its cargo at a British port, is in process of another voyage, has continued to toll the destruction of a number of British ships that are still peacefully carrying out their duties. The bell tolled six times yesterday, and the loss of six ships in "consequence of German counter-measures was announced to listeners in the Fai East. However, in only one of these six cases did the bell herald the loss of the ship in "consequence of German counter-measures,” this being the Dutch vessel Amor, which was bound from a neutral port to a neutral port. The only other ship damaged by naval action was the Greek steamer Niiitos. also a neutral vessel bound for a neutral port from a neutral port. The bell tolled again last night to announce: “The armed British patrol boat Halifax has gone down.’’ In point of fact the Halifax was a fishing trawler which, as already reported, caught a mine in its net. She was damaged by the explosion but was taken in tow for two hours before sinking. The only casualty was a minor injury to one man.

Recent comment by Daventry radio suggested that the bell was that of the German Atlantic liner Bremen, which, after its refuging in Murmansk, is now lying idle in a German port.