Evening star., 1941-03-24
Germans Describe
How Subs SiaIked
Convoy 10 Doom
Wurshlps Held Off British
Buttleship as U-Bouts
Worked, They Declare
By the Associated Press.

BERLIN, March IA German
account of stalking Of British
convoy through the North and
South Atlantic and the sinking OF
p merchantmen totaliing 10000
tons by warship- ip-protected Nazi
submarines was related today by
eyeWltneSses who said they saw the
attacks last week.
"a Cat-and-mOuSe drama on a
sub-tropic. mid-Atlantic stage was
the way the beginning OF the as
SaultS was described, with six Brit
tSh ships aegregatIng $1,000 tons
declared accounted for over a two
day period.
Then, according to this German
drawn picture. Is more steamers
totahng 5000 tons were picked off
one by one on another lucky day"
IN the North Atlantic.
The series Of assaults. in which
the German surface foulla reput-
edlv stood off British men-o-war,
including a batleshlp, Shepherdlng
the convoy While U-boats darted in
to ram home their torpPdoes. were
hailed as probably the first success
by cooperation Of battleships and
U-bOatS in ocean warfare.
Earlier. authorized Germans
hailed the attack as the first war
operation in the Atlantic by groups
OF German battIeshipS in German
naval history.
One witness said that when the
German f7OtllIa commanded by Fleet
Admiral Guenther PeutJens, ap-
preached the British convoy we
sighted enemy fighting craft, in
cluding a battIeslip of the Malaga
class.
The Malaya, listed in James
fighting ships as one Of the Queen
Elizabeth class. is a 3l,1O0-ton
pattieship built in 1915 and
armed with eight 15-inch guns
and u 6-Inch guns as her most
powerful weapons.
British sources have said the
German battleships Scharnhorst
ana GneisenaU, 26,OOO-ton sister
ships built in 1886 and carrying
nine 1l-lnch guns and u guns of
slightly less than inches as
their heaviest weapons, partici-
pated IN the attack on the con-
voy0
Felt Each Other Out.
The observer, who was aboard a
German battleship, went on with
this account Of the raid:
Then the game started. For two
davs, time and again We felt each
other out, only to separate again.
Numerous times the British
battleship aimed 38-centimeter
1496-inchD guns at us But the
cannon were silent. She showed no
inclination to fight.
"a plane from aboard our op-
ponent went aloft to size up the sit
uation, remaining at a respectful
distance from us, disCernible around
the cloud rims for only 20 or 80
seconds at a time.
The Idea was that his enemy
vas supposed to make some mistake.
We knew better. The convoy. which
was proceeding north of this area,
quickly learned to its surprise that
our battleships were not alone.
'U-boats sank $4,000 tons out of
the convoy during the night, and
the next day added 10000 tons. In
the meantime. during our game
with the enemy, We sank an 5000
ton freighter."
Is Other Ships Sunk.
The observer said another lucky
day" in the North Atlantic netted
Is steamers totaling 5000 tons,
which, according to his figures,
made the total sinkings during the
cruise 126O0O tons. Official figures
announced earlier said the Sinkings
in these operations aggregated
10000 tons.
The surface units which partici-
pated in the attacks still were not
identified.
The observer said "our job was not
to look for fights. but to disturb
shipping and distract enemy fight /
ing craft from other tasks" and
added:
I'VE were delighted that our first
appearance probably put the whole
British fleet in motion"
An account of the Atlantic op-
erations given by DNB. official Ger
man news agency, said one British /
freighter gave a radio signal "R,
the warning to fighting ships of the .
presence of raiders, thus inviting
destruction and loss OF life It was
explained that sea war regulations .
outlined by the Germans barred the
Use of the radio under such circum-
stances.
DNB quoted some of 800 survivors. |
said to have been rescued from ships
that were sunk, as saying the vessels !
were loaded with extremely yalu- /
able war material" including air.
plane parts and munitions.