CONTINUING TOLL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 November 1941, Page 5

CONTINUING TOLL

TAKEN OF U=BOATS NUMEROUS PRISONERS ■ IN BRITAIN. FANTASTIC ENEMY. CLAIMS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.40 a.m.) RUGBY, November 4. An Admiralty communique states: “The Royal Navies, with': the assistance of the R.A.F. Coastal Command, continue to protect our shipping and levy a heavy toll on enemy U-boats. For reasons well appreciated, particularly by our enemy, our successes against Üboats are rarely published. It is possible to announce, however, that a total of 1,276 officers and men have been rescued from sunken enemy U-boats and are held: as prisoners. Of these 467 are Italians. The relationship between the magnitude of enemy claims and his own lack of success was illustrated last week when the German High Command claimed to have sunk fourteen ships, totalling 47,000 tons, from a convoy homeward bound from Gibraltar, whereas in fact four ships, totalling 8,772 tons were sunk. This was the only success achieved by the enemy, at cost to himself. Recently, too, one of the largest convoys ever to cross the Atlantic arrived safely without loss.”