Evening star., 1941-02-13
By the Associated Press.

ships to replace losses.
BY the Associated Press.
BERLIN, Feb. 13.-The German
high command announced today
that 13 armed British merchant
men laden with war supplies
had been sunk in the Atlantic by
German warships, in what some
sources called probably the most
successful attack on a convoy In
naval history"
Among them" the daily COM
munique declared, were several
large transatlantic steamers which
we're loaded to capacity with war
materials for England"
Gondon circles said today that
word had been received OF an
attack on a British convoy in
the Atlantic, but that no de-
tails we're available)
A spokesman said the Germans.
In speaking of transatlantic
steamer, usually visualize a vessel
of at least 10000 tons. The ton
mage and names of the ships re-
ported sunk we're not made public
and the type of warships which
participated was not disclosed.
"a German radio broadcast
heard in New York after the Nazi
communique was issued said that
total losses of the convoy were
some $4,000 tons, of which it said
29,500 tons of ships had been
sunk outright and 10000 tons set
afre or badly damaged)
Stir Caused in Berlin.
The announcement of the pounce
on the convoy in the Atlantic caused
a stir in Berlin. 1t was described
as continuation of raid started
last Sunday when bombing planes
and submarines were asserted to
have sunk 24,500 tons of ships off
Portugal.
German authorities obviously re-
garded cooperation of planes, sub
marines and surface vessels in the
war on commerce as an effective
means of beating the convoy system.
The first concerted attack on a
British convoy was reported last No
vember 8, when the Germans
Of Is to 20 ships. totaling $4,000 tons,
was destroyed in the very middle of
Britains vital North Atlantic life
line.
CThe British reported that 80
of the 38 ships attacked by the
Germans in the November raid
escape as result of the heroic
action by the armed cruiser Jervis
Bay, which went down with her
guns blazing at the German
raidersD
The Germans said today the best
example of cooperation between
planes and submarines was demon
strated last october 81 when the
British liner Empress of Britain was
sunk. A plane damaged the ship
but was unable to sink her, then
summoned a U-boat which finished
the Empress off as she was being
toWed to harbor.
Declared Heavily Loaded.
Military spokesmen declared that
the world was witnessing the first
large-scale development of tactics
by which surface craft, submarines
and long distance scouting planes
co-operated closely.
All vessels destroyed were said to
have been heavily loaded with war
materials and other necessities des-
tined for England.
The German radio reported the
sinkingS in a special report" the
first since the French campaign.
Military authorities indicated that
the convoy had been attacked fierce
ly and scattered, after which the
vessels were picked off one by one.
Informed sources at the same time
said the German air force yesterday
made several successful" attacks on
British maritime objectives.
Two bomb hits were scored on a
4,00o-ton mechantman off the
northeast coast of Scotland, which
was forced to stop, they said
Another freighter of 5000 tons
was reported bombed of the Shet-
land Islands.
A German warplane bombed and
machine -gunned a British mine
sweeper and a patrol boat was re-
ported attacked east OF Clacton on
Sea by another Nazi plane, the
sources said. The patrol boat was
riddled and the crew took to the