Evening star., 1940-07-05
London
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~SuuSSbb
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bombers destroyed a naval auxiliary
vessels and two harbor craft,
Today a German bomber was shot
down off the southeast coast. -Four
bombs fell on open country in Wales.
An Air Ministry communique said
five German submarines were at
tackled by British warplanes within
five days last month and in each
case oil patches were seen on the
surface after the attacks-usually
considered evidence that subma-
rine has been sunk.
Invasion Threat Dominates.
Dominating all aspects of the war
was the impending threat of Ger
man invasion of the British Isles
a probability which has turned them
into a virtual fortress, garrlsoned by
the greatest army in the history OF
the isles.
Britain gained great strength for
resistance to siege by turning her
own navy in battle or threat OF bat
tie on the fleet of her erstwhile ally.
BY the pounding of long-range guns
of a British battle squadron OIL
Oran. Algeria, Wednesday evening,
by the frowning guns which held
French warships in thrall at Alex
andria and by firm measures taken
against French ships in English and
Scottish ports, the British already
have insured that only small part
of the French feet could fall into
German control
One British report is that these
ships-from battleships to mine-lay-
ers and submarines-number nearly
$50.
All these units of the French Navy,
once the fourth most powerful in
the world, had been taken out of
action, shot out of action or added
to Britain's own navy in her fierce
retention of sea supremacy. And
this had been done in distrust of
Germany's pledge to France that
her navy, if returned home, would
not be used against the British.
While there was no official in
formation on the situation at Alex
andria, it was generally assumed in
London that the French forces at
that strategic Eastern Mediter-
ranean base had acquiesced to the
British.
The Petain government of France
has ordered the French warships at
Alexandria to fight their way
home through the British lines,
Adolf Hitler gave permission for the
scuttling of the ships if necessary to
avoid capture by the British.
More Ships Reach Britain.
More French warships-in addi-
tion to those taken over by the
British in spectacular coup We'd
nesday-were reported to have
reached anchorage in Scottish
waters, increasing the size of the
feet seized.
Prime Minister Churchill told
Parliament yesterday that "the
greater part" of the French fleet
had been put under British control.
The Daily Herald said nearly $50
French warships had fallen into
British hands. British commenta-
tors took it for granted that the
seized units, described by Mr.
Churchill as extremely useful,
would augment Britain's seapower
At least it was considered certain
that the ships whose crews volun-
teered to fight alongside the Brit.
ish would join the British fleet
for active service. Mr.. Churchill
disclosed that some 300 to 900 French
officers and seamen already had sc
volunteered.
Only First Steps,"
First Lord of the Admiralty A. v
Alexander in broadcast last night
said that the actions announced by
Mr.. Churchill yesterday represented
only "the first steps" to make sure
that the enemy did not get posses
sion of French warships.
Mr.. Churchill himself made il
plain that the British Navy every.
where would act to this end. He
said:
THE House will not expect me tc
say anything about the other French
ships which are at large except that
1t is our inflexible resolve to dc
everything possible in order to pre-
vent them from falling into German
hands"
What the British are ready to dc
was shown plainly at Oran, Algeria
where the French commander re-
sisted the British terms. The big.
Eest naval battle of the war de-
vesloped on the spot.
After bloody fighting, only one
ship, one of the 265O0-ton Stras-
bourg' battleship class, escaped, and
that badly damaged and presumed
to have been put out of action for
months.
The action off Oran also resulted
IN the sinking of one battleship OF
the 22,l89-ton Bretagne class anc
the heavy damaging of another, thu
{ damaging and preaching of the sec.
ond battleship of the 26500-tor
Strasbourg class. the sinking o.
burning of a seaplane carrier ant
the sinking or burning of two de-
stroyers.
German accounts, agreeing in