Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-07
U-Boa+s Use
An EcheIon,
Or w. Lineup
British Become SIjpshod
in Protecting Conveys
BY PAUL MALLON

WASHNGToNl Nov. :. 49, or
w all the fanciful tales Of
Nazi ingenuity. the prevalent
ono that their submarines stink
up behind American destToycrs
from the rear and hit amidShip
requires the most Imagination.
Hitler must have excelled the
proweSS Of Bob Hopes girl
friend, whose slightly askew
front tooth enabled her 10 spit
Il curve. The official impression
here Is that the possibility of
the NaziS throwing curved tor
pedoeS is about as nebulouS as
Mr. Hopes G; +.
The new Nazi water blitz
technique is. in reality, founded
upon the principle Of cchelon
flying formations. The German
undersea boats form in convoy
areas along the lines Of a w"
but with a center angle spread
much wider than tho alphabet
deSignates. Stationed 10 miles
or more apart back along the
elbows of the spreaded "V"
they are able 10 cover \ very
large area. They vary the dis
lance separating each boat, from
three or four up to ID miles,
depending on visibility.
Within this ihinlp1 manned
angle. they have put into opera
ton what they call a pack"
This is flying formation gen.
orally Of about six subs sta
toned only about POO or 300
yards apart The pack can get
IN for the kill wherever The con-
voy shows. Two or three of
these Nazi water wedges land
flying packs have been sta
toned the last few weeks across
the bottleneck Of the Atlantic.
southwest of Iceland. where all
the troubles of the dcstroyers
have occurred
TNl1E only logical immediate
Il concern is directed toward
increasing destroyer protection
for the conveys. The British
have been careless since sink
ings fell in August and Septem-
Der. They have Succumbed to
the temptation TO hurry vessels
over by direct route and with
out adequate destroyer protec-
ton.
Also, there have been leaks
on the routes of conveys, which
apparently only could have come
from X source in the admiralty
in London, through which the
routes are determined.
The success OF our convoy
policy may be measured tech
nically by the amount of goods
delivered in Iceland and London
mot on Sinkings). That is the
way the administration may
measure il. But actually this
government realizes the recent
loss Of lives and ships requires
a hurried reformation of our
strategy in the battle of the
Atlantic.
DEPORTS of two. senators, in
~ dicating a change of senti-
ment back home toward the
war, has had a profound effect
in the cloakroomS. CALIFORNIA;
Democratic Senator Downey
says a personal inspection of his
state indicates that people there
are ready for war and expect il.
lowa'S Herring tolls how de-
stroycr SlnkingS have inspired
new antagonism against the
NazlS where he lives.
But Senator Tafts oppoSi-
tion mail has risen from 20 to
300 letters in the last week.
This does not yet compare with
the flood Of opposition to previ-
Gus war fights. which averaged
two or three times as large.
4 WASHINGTON POST re-
"A porter called iconoclastic
Senator Bennett Clark at =
a. m. 10 ask if such and such
were true about the neutrality
fight Senator Clark avoided il.
but Mrs Clark attempted to
answer the question.
Next night at ? a. m Clark
called Post Publisher Eugene
Meyer TO ask If il was true his
reporters were calling senators
al such an hour. Without wait
ing for an answer, Clark said
he would hereafter call Meyer
personally at any hour that one
OF Meyers reporters attempted
TO disturb his Slumbers. That
ended communications between
the Post and Clark.
Distributed by KING Features S,nd Inc.
Reproduction IN whole or IN part
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DETRGITksS! FINES
Published every Week Day Evening and
'undsy Morning by The Times Publishing
'umpsny az 1925 fines square. Detroit,
iich
inferred A. Detroit Mich. as Second c ass