Evening star., 1939-10-01

hit no British casualties were in
CURED. One German flying boat was
shot down /" q" another reported badly
damaged"
During rest of week both sides re-
peated contentious modified slightly and
occasionally varied in detail.
Mixture of two claims, in judicious
portions. would indicate that something
approac ching major
First Major clash between ships of
Al. G.. rl.L air and ships of sea had
taken place. Very abb
sence of more extreme claims would indi-
cate. further. that result was not sufh-
ciently conclusive to answer vital ques-
ton of which branch of fighting force is
to be most potent in wars of today-and
tomorrow.
To accompaniment of cheers, plumply
aggressive Winston Churchill, Britain's
first lord of admiralty, told Commons
on Tuesday that U-boat sinkings were on
steady decline: $1,000 tons in first week,
$4,000 in second, 81 900 in third, 5000 in
fourth. He added
"Over 2000,0 900 tons of German ship
ping is sheltered in German or interned
in neutral harbors. " =" = We have actu-
ally arrested, seized and converted to
our own use $1,000 tons more German
merchandise than has been sunk in
ships of our own
AS was Chamberlain week before,
Churchill was very vague about actual
number of submarines destroyed. On
estimate of six or seven, declared Ger.
man losses were one.
Churchill Claims tenth Of enemy feet;
Ii Rat. e,,sk.. predicted increasing
effectiveness Of Brit
ish offensive against undersea raiders.
They SEEM" he cracked, ito prefer
neutral shipping
Later in week, French sources esti-
mated II German subs destroyed, 10 by
British and 2 by French.
Genesis of Churchill's remark about
preference of U-boats for neutrals was
found in fact that three Norwegian, two
Swedish two Finnish merchantmen had
been sunk by raiders within few days.
In each case, victims were loaded with
wood pulp consigned to Britain for use
in producing cellulose, essential compo-
nent of explosives.
Indignant, neutral governments pro-
tested to Berlin, announced intention to
claim full compensation, indicated they
would not surrender trade rights. Coin
cidentally, Denmark
Neutrois Protest revealed important
Chin Io.... food exports to Bri-
tain, far exceeding
quantities sold to Germany.
Nazi defense of neutral sinkings was
that its far-reaching contraband list was
violated, that economic blockade of Brit
ain is in, retaliation for British tactics
against Germany.
If last war is to be measure, neutrals
must expect heavy losses in maritime
economic warfare between two principal
belIgerents Between 191418, defiant
Norway lost 100000 tons alone; Sweden
Denmark, Netherlands, Spain lost total
of 5000 TONS
Submarine trouble also was reported
out of the Baltic. dating back to Russia's
pique at escape" Of Polish undersea boat
from harbor of Tallinn, Estonia, nearly
two weeks ago.
Co-incident with Soviet press asser-
tions that Estonia was "harboring for
eign ships" same press announced last
Wednesday that mysterious sub had
sunk Russian freighter Mettalist; on
Thursday Russian freighter Pioneer
blamed its grounding on attack by sub
marine.
Later in week, Moscow announced
completion of sweeping trade and mill
tary agreements" with Estonia. In
cluded in terms were Russian rights to
maintain $4,000 SOL
Soviet Obtoins diers on Estonian soil
Estonion Outlet once part Of greater
Russia-and establish
ment of air, naval bases on Estonian
coast. Estonia also promised to laid"
Russia in case of direct aggression"
Back in London, Churchill reported
capture of polite German sub COM
mander, who sent him SOS for sinking
British freighter. But Thursday night,
radio voice from Berlin purporting to
belong to commander said: I'm not
captured"
And the Bremen continued to be
"seen" everywhere, but to be found
nowhere.
NAI A