SHIPPING LOSSES

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21368, 12 March 1941, Page 7

SHIPPING LOSSES

BIG TOTAL FOR WEEK HITLER’S SPRING OFFENSIVE BRITAIN NOT PESSIMISTIC (Official Wireless) (Received March 12, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, March 11 Mercantile losses due to enemy action in the week ended at midnight on March 2 are officially stated by the Admiralty to be: British, twenty ships, tonnage 102,871; Allied, eight ships, 41,970 tons; neutral, one ship, 3197 tons; total, twenty-nine ships, 147,938 tons. The total is reported to be the third highest since the war began. The communique adds that the German and Italian claims in the same week totalled 432,500 tons. While the week’s losses may be taken as pointing to a start of Hitler’s promised spring offensive at sea, responsible quarters in London do not take an unduly pessimistic view of the situation, especially in the light of the improvement in Britain’s counter-measures. No details of these measures are given, but it can be stated that they have produced particularly successful results recently. SPECIAL MOURNING DEATH ON BATTLEFIELD EX-ITALIAN MINISTER (United Press Assn.—Elec Tel. Copyright) ATHENS, March 10 Italians all along the Albanian front have been ordered to observe special mourning for the death on the battlefield of one of Fascism’s “greatest personalities,” seemingly confirming the report of the death of Ivottai, formerly Minister of Education. NAZIS FOR ALBANIA AIR FORCE AND EQUIPMENT FIGHTING AGAINST GREEKS POWER OF MUSSOLINI (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) NEW YORK, March 10 The New York Times’ Washington correspondent says information has been received that Germany is preparing to send air forces and other most modern equipment to Albania to reinforce the Italians and drive the Greeks from the country. It is believed the plan is not especially welcome to the Italians, who had hoped for a single-handed victory over the Greeks. The same information stresses that in spite of Italian reverses Mussolini remains firmly in the saddle and is exercising real power internally. SAILOR FINED CARRIED A TIME-BOMB TRUNDLED QUARTER-MILE (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) LONDON, March 10 For carrying a time-bomb a quarter of a mile to vacant land, Arthur Pullen, a sailor from H.M.S. Dolphin, 6ft sin in height, was fined £3. The bomb, whose weight was 110 lb, lodged on the floorboards of a house in a London street, where his relatives live. He sawed out the bomb and amid the cheers of residents trundled it in a barrow to vacant land, with his son, aged 17 years, going ahead to warn people in the streets. However, a policeman followed, and when Pullen got rid of the bomb led him unresisting to the station. French customs officials arrested two men trying to escape across the Swiss frontier. They ordered one to remove a bandage from his leg, revealing banknotes valued at 1,000000 francs.