Evening star., 1940-03-24
Big Sub Drive
Within 7 Weeks
Seen by British
U-Boots Reported
Entering North Sea
And Atlantic

BERLIN EXPECTING Molotof visit
to forge italian tie; belief persists
In spite Of Tass denial Soviet Pre-
mier will make trip. Page As
EUROPE CELEBRATES Easter
against war background; Jerusa-
lem mecca of pilgrims; Pope Plus
broadcasts message. Page AIR
REYNAUD MAPPING program to
step up tempo of war; confers
with chiefs of army and navy and
inner cabinet. Page Ala
FIRST BIG WAR USE of planes
may be starting. saws Maj. Eliot;
Scapa Flow and Sylt attacks be-
lieved marking turning point.
Page Ais
BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, March 23.-The start of
undersea warfare ION scale un-
dreamed of in the world war" within
two weeks was declared probable by
Informed quarters in Britain today.
German submarines were reported
filtering through mine fields and
allied surface patrols into the North
Sea and Atlantic for a new wave
of attacks on the British bread line
that runs the breadth of the seven
seas.
A large number of U-boats were
reported just outside Norwegian
waters yesterday and a German
submarine commander was quoted
by Norwegian fishing captain as
saying German underseas craft soon
would be as thick as fishing smacks
In the North Sea waters.
Many Built This Winter.
Neutral naval officers in London
said they believed more than half"
the new wave of submarines emerg-
ing from the Kiel Canal into the
North Sea had been built this
winter. Informed German sources
asserted several weeks ago that the
Reich was completing one submarine
. day.
Moreover, neutral officers asserted
the crews probably were experienced
and said that the almost general as
sumption In London that Germany
ts suffering submarine crew short
age probably is wrong.
Informed quarters admitted that
the wave Of sinkings this week,
when seven neutral merchantmen
were sunk by submarines in two
days. may prove to be the prelude
to a general offensive under the
seas.
The British Navy faces its Sc
verest test so far of the war, they
said. Nevertheless Winston Church.
i'll, first Lord of the Admiralty, and
his chief aides were represented as
confident Britain has the ships to
throttle the attack, and enough sub
marines OF her own to strike back
hard at the principal sea road re-
manning open to Germany.
Ore Carrier Torpedoed.
This route, from Scandinavia to
Germany, over which the Reich's
ore ships carry iron for the Krupp
and Skoda ornaments forges, yes
terday was the scene of a British
attack for the first time in the
war. The German ore carrier, He'd
denheim, was torpedoed in the Kat
tegat off the Danish coast.
While Germany may attempt to
bring more submarines into action
than in the World War, Britons said
they are better prepared to resist.
At the start of the war the Royal
Navy had about 200 destroyers "list-
ed" besides special submarine
chasers and other craft. Since then
an extensive building program has
added to this fleet, and the regular
navy has been supplemented by a
reserve fleet of converted merchant
men and trawlers especially equipped
to hunt submersibles.
The twenty-ninth week of the war,
ending yesterday, brought verified
reports of Is ship sinkings, including
10 neutrals. Denmark alone lost 6
vessels to German U-boat attacks,
representing 10,441 gross tons. Seven
Danish seamen were killed and 56
reported missing. Observers ex-
pressed belief the Nazis were at
tempting to scare the Danes into
stopping vital dairy shipments to
England.
The new losses sent the known
total for the war to 488 ships of 10
nations and the tonnage loss to
1,638,376. More than 3,766 persons
have lost their lives and 1,484 have
been listed as missing.
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