NAZI RAIDERS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 January 1941, Page 5

NAZI RAIDERS

SEVERAL AT WORK

IN PACIFIC

STORIES TOLD BY BRITISH SURVIVORS.

FATE OF THE RANGITANE.

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright SYDNEY’, January 2. Describing the sinking of the Rangitane. a survivor said that suspicious vessels were sighted on the night of November 26. Almost as soon as the wireless operator had been ordered to semi a message io this effect, two of the raiders opened fire.

With more than 100 passengers? aboard, the Rangitane, with enemy searchlights-playing on her. was severely shelled. There were casualties, but no panic among the passengers. Fires were started.

"We were taking water pretty fast.” he said, "and 12 boats were lowered. Two had been damaged. Eventually the prisoners were taken aboard each of the raiders. The Rangitane resisted the shelling and heeled over only after time-bombs had been placed aboard.” One captain kept a dairy of his stay on the prison ship. He said that one German ship carried a complete recording plant, and used it to record prisoners’ comments for propaganda purposes. The Holmwood was attacked by three enemy ships. Two had Japanese names, but one was identified as the German vessel Kulmerland. Before the Holmwood went down, the women and children and the ship’s crew were transferred to one of the raiders. "On November 27 an alarm was sounded and the big.guns forward began firing.” lie continued. "A prize officer told me that'the Rangitane had been taken. The Rangitane's captain and officers were berthed with us. and I learned that 12 or 13 lives had been lost in shelling their ship. Two days later, women and children from the Rangitane and Holmwood were transferred’to another raider, and replaced by 40 members of the Rangitane's crew.

"Six days after the Holmwood was shelled the Germans said that before the crews would be released they would have to sign a declaration acknowledging that penalty would be death if they were taken prisoner on an armed vessel again during the war. A gramophone record was made of questions and answers about the cargo seized from the Holmwood and the Rangitane, and the conditions on the prison ship.”

ATTACK ON HOLMWOOD.

Another survivor, a member of the crew of the Holmwood, describing how she was attacked by Gorman ships south of New Zealand, said: “Several enemy ships came at us from different points of the compass. We had no chance. One of the ships fired a warning shot across our bows and we hove to. Before the passengers and crew were taken to one of the raiders, our captain addressed us on the deck in an effort to cheer us up. He said: ‘I am very sorry, but we are all going for a long cruise with the enemy. It is just bad luck and we must make the best of it.’

"The enemy ships were heavily armed, In fact, they seemed to have as much armament as they could possibly carry. They were veritable floating fortresses. "We were prisoners on the raider from September, 25 to December 21. All bore the three months’ ordeal without a murmur.”

A British officer from another ship referring to the good treatment by the Germans, said the Nazis admitted that the Altmark episode was a bad blunder. which produced the most unfavourable world reaction. They added that the mistake would not be repeated. When the survivors landed on Emirau stores were put ashore and also a boat m which they could make contact with Rabaul, The stranded crews rigged this boat, but it was not needed, as a local resident made his boat available,

Captain Fish, master of the Komata. when interviewed, said the raider Manyo Main which got his ship had a sitting shot from a mile and a half away.

"My wireless operator sent out an SOS.” said the captain. "1 decided to make a run for it, but within a few minutes the Komata was hit eight times, six amidships, once forward, and once on the boat deck. “The chief officer was killed instantly. The second mute was seriously wounded, and died the next day aboard the raider. I was rendered unconscious for some time. A lifeboat was launched, after which a party from the raider arrived and ordered 13 of the crew of the Komata back to the raider. We were imprisoned in a cabin Bft by Bft. but were treated mlifk-uus-ly and made io feel as comfortable as I a -il> I» ■ THE ENEMY SHIPS. “On the same day ’he raider sank the V.uni. the Triadic, and the TriasUm, The prisoners from the boa’s were transferred to a second ruder w'io’h was i-amtud grey but w.o immimed Both were well armed am; wicked-lookmg, Our prison ship had an entirely German crew imii was provisioned from a s’ofe-ship minted the Tokyo Mani. We were abwiird !»:<’■ raider 13 days before landing at E*. . ran Dur -d wa- n<4 g.» e. yet A German d>.elur v,-.t us dad-, a: i attended to our wounds Only tv. .- Europeans and 360 natives inhabited; Enilrnu. where we were provided for; ~. .(..11 a i . exiwctcd. i'in survivors from atioiiwr ship were landed . o tlie island from the Tokyo - Ma: i :<i .-.,t tin- ..amc tune as our elvro The chief iiiTwcr uf the Vinni. also! Chief Oilxt-i" Cuilitt uf the Rungitane, uniruy : :.• reach Kavieng <>n Dcccmbi-. r where they rought a '-I’t.i'U.'''. •/. b ,ch wa: ■ - I !• -n;.' dclayc : OITICERS IN MELBOIRNE MEI.BOURNE. J . 1 A-roro; tin- - -U.-i i v, .* Ml! ' / ; . , • , < f !!.-■ Rmmitm." Mr A::g;o Ma • ..' ; f < f i ... : ' > i... ' 1 V- . • ■ I .»<■: .iC": ' ' . . ' - . . ■ . 1 \ : •i. ' ’ ■• ' ' ’i’ ' ' /. •' ■ ' ' ' ‘ ,i ’‘ .* 5 ’ ’< " ‘‘ • .

TWO HUNDRED CAPTIVES

STILL HELD BY LARGEST RAIDER. SYDNEY. January 2. The largest of the raiders, which Is about 8000 tons, still has 200 British captives on board. FUNERAL AT SEA SECOND OFFICER OF KOMATA SYDNEY, January 2. Mr. J. Lloyd Hughes:, .second officer of the Komata. who died from the injuries he received when lhe ship was shelkd, was buried al. sea with full honours, This was related by the master, Captain, W W. Fish, who suifered shrapnel wounds in the leg “A German doctor operated on Hughes, but I was t<>ld later that Inhad no chance of hying," he said. 1 liey allowed me ' ■■ Re with him when he died. The eap’.am of ;he raider asked, me if I would like to bury Hughes at sea and I •••Id him 1 would. There was no Australian :!.,■< aboard, but the Germans made one in adapting the Red Ensign. The members of my ship bned lhe flag-draped body and the German formed a guard of hi .sour. I then read a burial service, ’i’ht' Nazi llagJ was flown a- liaifmast Afterward the eaptam shook hands wah us and said. ; I am sorry that Hughes and the mate iihvi- been Ih i ' H«- -aid that, one day vie ar would be over muj !;e 1 • • ■ • - ■ M .■. . ' j : ' L.'.j !: frNrois. '* J, ‘ QUESTIONS IN TOK 10 B y B RITIS H ,A MtjASS A D 0 R. FQUH'MINT <>r’ RM!’!• !! -■ I ' )N 1 >( iN .o ■■ 'u .d ■ : - a ■ ■ ' ' ■■ ( hi . J M. V. ;• . i ! . ■ ' - th./. *.h<- '■ I :: , !■.- ’i\-ke> S.r K> I --: ' <• ■. ■ : ( b 10...-: i. • ' ‘ \ ■ -: ? J