Evening star., 1940-06-29
Three Armed British
Merchant Ships Sunk
By Sub, Nazis Claim
Armament Works, Port
Facilities in England
Roided, Command Says
BY the Associated Press.


BERLIN, June 29.-The sinking OF
three British armed merchant ships,
totaling 1000 registered tons, by
German submarine, was reported to-
day by the high command. Another
submarine reported sinking mer-
chant ships totaling $4,000 tons.
The high command also reported
that yesterday and last night the
air force raided armament works
and port facilities in Southern and
Central England, and troop con-
centrationS and embarkations on
the British Channel islands of Jer-
sey and Guernsey, where big fires
and explosions were observed.
The British, the high command
said, continued their night flights
over Belgium and Holland into
Northern and Western Germany
and dropping bombs which damaged
apartment houses and injured a
number of civilians -Four planes
were brought down, the high COM
mand said.
DNB, official German news agency,
In reporting that two British planes
were shot down over Northwestern
Germany Thursday night, declared
one was said to have been shot
down in Schleswig- -Holstein and the
other plane in Hanover.
Hitler in Strasbourg.
Adolf Hitler spent yesterday, the
anniversary of the signing of the
Versailles treaty, at the ancient city
of Strasbourg, the high command
announced.
Strasbourg is situated on the
Rhine in the Province of Alsace,
which France obtained from Ger
many after the World War and
which is now occupied by Nazi
troops.
A special communique said:
"On the anniversary of the sign
ing of the Versailles treaty the
Fuehrer visited the venerable Reich
city Of StraSbourg. Artillery Gen.
Collmann, supreme commander of
the army which forced the break
OuSl1 tllC SlCCUCo
the Fuehrer on the Alsatian shore
of the Rhine crossing at Kehl-
Strasbourg
After a drive through the city
the Fuehrer remained a consider
able time in Strasbourg Munster
(cathedraD, on which the Reich's
flag has again been flying since
June 10. From Strasbourg the
Fuehrer went via Schlettstadt to
the scene of battles in the Vosges
(mountains) and thereafter visited
the loWlands of the Rhine, near
Breisach, where a decisive advance
across this stream was effected"
Interruption of the flow of raw
materials into the Reich from
Southeastern Europe was foreseen
as probable result of Rumania's S
general mobilization decree, but au-
thorized sources said Germany was
maintaining a hands off" attitude
toward the Balkans.
German quarters acknowledged
that Rumanian troop movements
undoubtedly would disrupt normal
transportation and production ia
cilities in some measure, thereby af-
fecting delivery of vital supplies to
the Reich.
Informed sources generally, how
ever, took an outwardly optimistic
view of the Balkan situation and
expressed belief that Rumania's diff
ferences with Soviet Russia would
be disposed of within a few days
without extraordinary dislocations
in the southeast.
Although German authorities
would not say so, circumstantial
evidence indicated that both Ger
many and Italy acquiesced in the
Russian demands which resulted in
cession of the Rumanian provinces
of Bessarabia and Bukovina
Authorized sources said they did
not share the view of the German
Legation in Bucharest, which was
quoted as saying that the Russian
demands on Rumania were Brit
ish-inspired trick" designed to bring
Moscow and Berlin into conflict.
Rumania Is Blamed
The Berlin press asserted with one
voice that Rumania has only her
self to blame for the present Situa-
ton and that her troubles derived
from acceptance of British guaran-
tees of territorial integrity.
The return of Bessarabia to Rus
sia was to be awaited in the train
of events attending the creation of
new European order" said Hitler
Voelkischer Beobachter.
IF Rumania now is obliged to
submit to a swift settlement it is
merely the consequence of the wav-
ering course which Bucharest pre-
ferred to a clear, unambiguous
policy"
The newspaper asserted that wher
Rumania accepted British guaran-
tees she chose sides in the subse-
ouent war and that her vaccilation
later tensed her relations with
Russia.
Although the war in the west ap.
peared to be marked by temporary
lull. authorized German sources ridi-
culed talk of peace negotiations with
England. These sources said Eng
land had demanded war to the
finish and that was what she woulo
get.
White Book Issued.
The Nazi blltzkrieg launched
against the Low Countries on May
10 forestalled Allied plans to march
through Holland and Belgium anc
invade Germanys' great Ruhr indus
trial center, Germany said yesterday
LII