The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1940-01-22

last a century. But on othe
fields it is being waged at UNI
The conflict may be reduced to
the fundamental struggle between
Great Britain and Germany. and
to these primary opposing war
aims:
Great Britain's purpose Is to
defeat the Nazi bid for domi-
nation of Europe by closing a dew
astating economic and military
blockade around Germany and
thus. as the ultimate goal, reassert
Great Britain's position as great,
If not the greatest, single influence
in world politics and trade.
o-Germany's purpose is to de-
4 stroy the British navy as ruler
of the seas and thus remove the
greatest single traditional obstacle
to Nazi leadership in Europe.
So far, the British and French
have sought to force Germany to
fight on allied terms, believing
that economic power will mean ul-
innate victory without wholesale
loss of fighting men. They have
been successful to the extent that
Adolf Hitler, by failing to strike
with Germany's full military pow
er, accepted the challenge to an
economic war.
RESULTS ONLY INCIDENTAL
Now, what are the gains and
what are the losses? They fall
normandy into four classifications:
Land. sea, air, and economic.
On the land, the use of armed
force by both sides so far has had
only incidental or indirect results.
On the western front, it is esti-
mated that there have been not
more than 1000 casualties, rather
evenly divided between Germans
and French, with the British suf-
fering probably score of dead.
In the air, Germany admits to
the loss of only 20 airplanes, in
GLIDING three shot down in Poland.
British official statistics claim SO
German craft have been downed
by British fighters, and French
claims boost the total to los.
IS PLANES LOST
The British admit the loss of
only 26 planes. Neutral sources
to say nothing of German claims
boost the total to at least IS. But
these losses, including an estimat-
ed total of 1900 casualties in air
force personnel on both sides, rep
resent little more than reconnais-
sance flying and small-scale bomb
ing expeditions.
1t is at sea and in the economic
field that the real results must
be sought.
At sea:
Germany is on the offensive at
sea with U-boats, mines, airplanes
and armed sea raiders in a cam
paign to blow the British navy
out of the water.
Known results include destruc-
ton of at least Is British war
ships of which ten were auxiliary
vessels such as armed trawlers
The others included the battle.
ship Royal Oak. the aircraft
carrier Courageous, the merchant
cruiser Rawalpindi, the submarine
Oxley and the destroyers Gypsy
Blanche and Duchess. In addition
Germany has claimed five other
important British warships were
put out of action and it has beer
established that sixteen British
warships in addition to those sunh
were more or less seriously dam.
aged. Navy casualties total 2,132
dead.
On the other side of the ledger
Germany has lost the pocket
battleship Graf Spec, two coastal
patrol ships, and five submarines
which are officially admitted de-
stroyed as compared to allied
claims that at least 40 U-boats
have been captured or sunk.
SUFFER DAMAGING BLOWS
In Nazi eyes and on the basis
OF official German claims, the
British navy has suffered damag-
ing blows.
But in the estimates of most
qualified observers the NaZi vic.
tories have been largely against
older British warships and must
increase to a far greater scale
to endanger British domination
of the seas.
Economic:
The allied offensive has been
mainly on the economic front.
where Britain moved with Spec
tacular speed to institute a
double blockade" of exports To
and from the Reich.
The outstanding result in four
months has been to destroy Ger
many's overseas trade, cutting off
an estimated 90 per cent of nor
NAL imports and slashing the
reich's purchasing power by
seizure Of exports.
NAVY CASUALTIES a,Is2
Is SHIPS SCUTTLED