Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-02-02
U-Boa+ Pack
Designed to
Force Convoy
Range Of 10000 Miles
Reported for Providers
BY PAUL MALLON

Latest ltAllNAhN WIN -
earlier information that about
81 Nazi underSea wolves started
in that pack operating off our
Atlantic coast. They are work.
ing on a mathematical plan.
They did not first strike the
New York area and then spread
out fanwiSe north and south as
the slowly released records of
the SlnkingS might suggest.
Each U.boat was assigned an
area along our narrow coastal
shipping lane off shore.
The assigned areas run any
where from so 10 80 miles. The
providers hide in daylight, then
move into their allotted section
of the lane at night and await
their prey.
The plan was obviously
blocked out on maps before they
left Germany and represents
SkIllful campaign designed TO
force us 10 convoy our coastal
traffic.
THESE ships are probably not
L being rcfueled by mother
ships as popularity supposed.
Talk has been heard about Hit
Ter developing a new submarine
mother for his olf-pack. a kind
Of undcrsea tanker designed 10
/ sustain the raiders in rendezvous
at night.
That may not be necessary
because the NaziS have fabu-
lousy extended the range Of
their subs by contriving TO store
Diesel oil in many of their bal
last tanks.
This has increased their range,
some suspect, to 10000 miles.
II is only about 1000 miles from
Bremen to New York, probably
much farther by the route the
subs took, but even so they
could hang around offshore
here a considerable time with
out refueling, especially under
their area allotment plan which
does not require much cruising.
If any tenders are around they
are carrying torpedoeS rather
than fuel The German subs
have four torpedo tubes fore
and two aft, and ordinarily carry
one torpedo in each tube and
one extra. thus being limited to
II torpedoes. Even if a few
extra were loaded on. a sub
could ordinarily get only five or
six ships before going back for
more torpedoeS.
OUCH a campaign can make
~ spectacular news. but its
war value is comparatively
trivial. After the first 10 days
the NaziS had sunk six tankers
and damaged one.
Figuring the present size of
our tanker feet and its round
trip operations to the East
Coast, the loss Of one ship means
a loss of only 5000 barrels a
day TO only one section of the
country, the northeastern sea-
board.
Mr.. Ickes may have inadver-
tently lent some aid and COM
fort TO Berlin by saying the
sinkingS make the East face a
tight oil situation, but his
habitual pessimism is not widely
shared.
The worst this campaign could
do is TO force us to convoy our
coastal shipping and take de-
StroyerS away from other pur-
suits. 1t cannot possibly Grip
pie our war effort.
4 FEW timid souls imagine
"A the U-boat campaign NAV
be the forerunner Of invasion.
but this is just the ridiculous
Interpretation Hitler is striving
FOR, as much as anything else.
Subs can 60 anywhere. but il
Is a wholly different matter TO
move planes and troops. For IN
NaSlon Hitler must obtain con-
troll OF the air and sea at the
landing point. and these pre-
requisites he has not been able
To obtain in England only 20
miles away.
PATAN PENINSULA. upon
- which Macarthur has stood.
aboundS with fresh water
springs, deer. pheasant and Ne
grltoeS dwarf black buShmcn
ranging from 3 feet i inches 10
, feet and adept only with a
bow and arrow
CommunlqucS continue men
tionlng heavy Jap bombing> of
the central Philippine island of
cob n, although presumably
there IS nothing on il except a
radio station . India is start
inc 10 produce for war. s. s.
BarOda was launched NJ Cal
Cutta for the Indian navy and
several COurvettcS as we'll as
both light and heavy tanks
have come out Of Indian M
dUStry
About $1,000 tons Of cork and
10000 tons Of sugar are lying
around Martinique. if any one
wants 70 60 into that Vlchy
possession for II . Inner re-
ports say Finnish cities are Suf-
ierlng desperately" from scar
city OF potatoes and bread. The
Germans shipped in 5000 tons