Evening star., 1940-03-27
Britain Believed
Setting Trap for
Nazi Warships
Fleet in Skoeerrok Is
Thought to Be Lure
For Reich Cruisers
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, March 27.-While Brit
ish warships busted themselves with
tightening the blockade against
German ore imports in hope Of
Turing the German feet into open
battle, Great Britain counted on
the Royal Air Force today for yeo-
man service against any spread Of
German submarine raids.
Concentration of British destroy
ers and submarines in the Skager-
rak, of the Danish and Norwegian
coasts, was aimed primarily at cut
ting Germanys ore supplies from
Sweden, but neutral observers saw
a deeper motive.
They said that if Germany could
be soaded to send out cruiser
squadron against these compare
lively light forces, the British prob
ably would nave some heavv units
nearby to fall upon the Germans
with superior power.
Destroyers Sighted Twice.
The Norwegian Admiralty an
nounced last night that eight or
nine British destroyers were sighted
iE Norwegian waters on at least
two occasions last Friday, when Ger
man ships were passing the coast
and that Norwegian torpedoboat
fired a warning shot in one in
stance.
British foreign Office sources said
Norwegian protest alleging that
territorial waters had been vio-
lated was being studied and the
entire affair Is being investigated"
The Skagerrak. passage linking
the North and Baltic Seas, is espe-
cially important to Germany in
winter when her ore shipments from
Sweden must come down the Norwe-
gian coast.
When the ice is gone ships can
sail from Sweden to Germany in
side the landlocked Baltic, whers
British warships have not yet pene-
trated and where battle operations
would be hampered in any case by
lack of sea room.
! Two More Subs Claimed.
Word that the British air force
would help combat any spring rush
of German submarines came with
unofficial reports that British bomb
ers had sunk two submarines this
month in the North Sea and that
the big aircraft carrier Ark Royal
was on duty again after wash and
brushup at home.
Since the war began the Ark
Royal has ranged from the North
Atlantic to South Africa and South
America and it was disclosed that
her planes already had been used
against submarines.
The British press today published
lengthy accounts of the Ark Royal s
recent stay at Portsmouth. haunting
the Germans for their intimations
early in the war that the SIS 900 00C
ship had been sunk by German
bomber
For furthering the propaganda
battle. the British Broadcastint
Corp. meanwhile engaged Earl Step
anek Czech movie actor who once
PLAYED in German films. to make
, German language broadcasts.
Informed sources said that q
fighting speech" last night b,
Frances Premier. Paul Reynaud, 60
"a warm reception" in British gov
ernment quarters as an indication
of "the determination of the French
people to continue the war policy
with unbounded energy"
|, Meanwhile Britain continued II
count her mounting mercantile
losses. The reported sinking OF
: Sunday from an undisclosed caus'
of the British tanker Daghestan
5.742 tons. spoiled British Ad
miralty announcement made onl.
Yesterday that the week ending las
, Sunday midnight was the first sine
, the war began in which no British
I or Allied merchantman had beef
. sunk
The 6,574-ton british steame
p Castlemoor today was reporte'
: overdue and was feared lost Will
p her crew of 40.
3, Thirty-six survivors from tn
e 6,922-ton British steamer Rosslng
= ton Court, rammed and sunk b
i an unidentified tanker in mid
e Atlantic March 13, were landed Il
t Britain today by a motorship whic
e had rescued them from a singl
iifeboat.