The Wilmington morning star., 1940-04-11

German destroyer-all no great dis.
lance from the scene of the battle
of Jutland, greatest naval engage.
ment of the World war.
3. Five British d~estroyers raided
Narvik ford, engaging six new and
large German ~destroyers and, after
the German d]efenses were battered,
| other British thrusts were reported
being made tonight, apparently in
an attempt to pave the way for
landing troops.
Nazis Acknowledge Losses
4 Germany acknowledged that the
10, 000-ton heavy cruiser Butcher and
the 6,0O0-ton cruiser Karlsruht were
sunk yesterday by Norwegian shore
batteries as the Germans landed
troops on the Norwegian coast.
5. The admiralty asserted that a
British submarine torpedoed a Ger
man cruiser off south Norway last
night and that cit is thought the
cruiser was sunk"
The royal navy bid high for Mar.
vik. More than 800 men may have
been lost.
Five destroyers of the Hero"
class stormed the Naryik ford at
dawn, engaging the six German DE-
stroyers, and running into heavy fire
from coastal batteries and GernG
guns newly mounted there.
In this initial thrust, Prime Mn.
lister Chamberlain told the house Of
commons, Britain lost two destroy.
ers and had two damaged, one se'
riously; one German destroyer was
said to have been %torpedoed and be.
lieved sunk and three others were
left heavily hit and burning"
The German ships were left in
no position to attempt pursuit" he
said.
(Berlin claimed that three Brit
ish d~estroyers were sunk in the ac'
ton, but a late communique failed
to mention German ~casualties).
Commons Cheers
Commons, which listened in ST.
lence as Chamberlain told of the
British losses at Narvik, cheereG
wildly as he continued to relate the
damage to the German ships and to
tell of the sinking of seven vessels
believed to be carrying supplies or
munitions for the Germans.
The British claimed in addition
that a Royal Air force plane had
bombed and severely damaged a
German cruiser of the 6,OOO-ton
koln class off Bergen, Norway, and
that British planes had hit another
cruiser three times with bombs as
she lay in Bergen Roadstead.
If the Koln class cruiser was put
out of action this class is extinct,
at least temporarily. Norwegian
shore batteries, it was disclosed to-
day, sunk the 6,000-ton karlsruhe
off Kristiansand yesterday, and the
admiralty announced last Dec. IS
that the third vessel of the group
had been sunk by the British sub
marine Ursula.
The NorWegians, in addition to
sinking the Karlsruhe, got the To-
00O-ton BlUcl2er, one of Germanys
fleet of heavy cruisers, in Oslo
ford yesterday. The Germans ac'
knoWledged both losses today.
If any confirmation was needed
that Britain intends to fight it out
for Norway, Foreign Secretary HaIl'
lax provided it today with a luncil'
address in which he said ths5
the Allies would fight for defense
less Norway, regardless of any
Norwegian negotiations with Ger
many, which he said would be il
terpreted as undertaken under
duress."
The five British d~esrroyers which
steamed into Narvik ford were
lalrly new. They were the say
ton vessels Havock, Hostile, Hot
spur and Hunter and the 1,505-ton
Hardy. The Havock was completed
IN 1887, the others in 1886.
Inc Hunter was sunk by concen'
tfated fire from the six German
aestfoyers and the shore batteries
Inc Hardy vas badly damaged
oeached and lost. The Hotspur vas
severely damaged and the HoStAe
less seriously. Only the HavocK eS
capped unscathed.
Inc Hunter and Har, Y carried 4
tolal or 800 men in L cir crews
bot the admiralty tonis 1t said thai
no casualty list would be forthcom'
ing immediately. since action SUI
was in progress.
Airplane factories of the United