Evening star., 1939-12-06
Soviet Presses: Rumania to Sign
Aid Pact Like Those in Baltic;
British Claim 5 More Subs Sunk
1000 Ships Are
Armed Now, Says
Churchill
BY the Associated Press.

LONDON, Dec. g. - Winston
Churchill, first lord of the admiralty,
announced in the House of Com
mons today that five German SUBJ
marines had been sunk by the
French and British navies this
week and that the rate Of destruc-
ton surpassed Germany's capacity
to replace her losses.
Mr.. Churchill said the allied drive
against German submarines was de-
Stroying from two to four weekly,
which rate is superior to what we
believe to be the German power of
replacing U-boats"
1T seems likely" Mr.. Churchill
said, that our rate of destruction
might undergo considerable expan-
siOn," if Germany can turn out
400 submarines next year and also
produce captains and crews by the
chain belt system.
Britain's submarine hunting craft
have been tripled since the war
began and will be greatly reinforced
in 1910, he said.
More than 1000 British merchant
ships have been armed for defense,
and there will be 1000 soon, Mr..
Churchill said.
Germanys magnetic mines ac-
counted for more than half the
British sea losses within the last
month, Mr. Churchill declared. He
added that magnetic mines were
neither new nor mysterious and
preparation for counter measures al
ready we're far advanced before the
first magnetic mine was Sown in
British waters.
Million Tons Building.
Mr.. Churchill said British naval
losses for the first three months
of the war totaled $4,000 tons and
I'VE have at present building
much of it in an advanced stage
nearly a million tons Of warships
of all classes"
German attacks on neutral ship
ping, the first lord continued,
should encourage f1eutrals to char
ter their ships to Britain for the
duration of the war"
The magnetic mine, Mr.. Churchill
asserted, may be "Hitler's much
vaunted secret weapon. 1t certainly
is a characteristic weapon and one
that no doubt will be ever associated
with his name"
Mr.. Churchill compared the Ger
man use Of torpedoes with the war
fare of the Irish Republican Army
In leaving bombs in the parcel ONCE
at railway stations"
Prime Minister Chamberlain told
the House Of Commons the question
of making permanent the associa-
ton Of Britain and France as basis
Of an international structure open
to other nations was premature.
He made the statement in answer
to a question by Liberal Geoffrey
Mander.
German Liner Seized.
indicative Of British drive against
German shipping was a Reuter-
British news agency dispatch from
Capetown, South Africa, that British
warships in the South Atlantic had
captured the German liner Us
sukuma. 1884 tons.
The German officers and crew
were said to have been put aboard
a British ship which was expected
to bring the Ussukuma to port as
a prize of war.
Authorities said German attempts
to scuttle the vesse', to avoid capture
were unsuccessful.
1t was the third German ship re-
ported lost in the South Atlantic
in two weeks. On December 2 the
crew of the 9,521-ton liner Watussi
scuttled their vessel off South
Africa. The 8,577-ton Adolph Woer-
mann met a similar fate November
Is to avoid capture.
The Ussukuma is owned by the
German East Africa line.
She arrived in Bahia Blanca, Ar
gentina, November 10, reporting
British warships had chased her
near the Cape of Good Hope and
that she had sailed across the South
Atlantic to avoid capture.
Argentine officials ordered her to
leave port within three days because
she lacked necessary papers.
The Ussukuma was bound from
Hamburg, her home port, to India
with passengers and cargo.
The government, meanwhile, con-
demned Soviet Russias invasion of
(See LONDON, Page A-30