Evening star., 1942-10-12
BY PETER MASEFIELn

LONDON, Oct. IL (NANA,-
The war on the submarine is one of
the most continuous and important
activities OF the United Nations IN
batterlng q path to victory. IJ-hoat +
War1are today has reached greater
intensity than 1t ever did between
!sl4-lSlS. But. fortunately. the de-
fenses have one potent weapon not
possessed Is years ago-the long
range airplane.
sloe by side. from both shores Of
the Atlantic Ocean, the navies and
air forces of Great Britain and
america fight the U-boat menace
me Battle OF the Atlantic does not
cease day or night. And although
the battle is far from won and
many anxious days lie ahead. at
least the life Of the Axis submarine
crew has been made precarious and
unpleasant. The toll of suhma rines
Wnlch never return shows steady in
crease.
Three Methods Used.
=, 1here are three ways in which
the versatility of air power is used
to combat the U-boat. The first is
the Cat and Mouse Game" hunt
ing the oceans broad expanses and
dropping depth charges on an in
cautiously exposed periscope. It is
a long and thankless task, because
q submarine-1s only a pin point in
thousands of square miles of water.
Ar escorts for conveys have a less
olncult time because the area being
guarded is less and the U-boat must
expose itself to attack.
Ihe second Is to strike directly
against the ports and slipways where
the submarines are maintained and
bullt. The bomber command of the
RAJ has devoted nearly three
quarters OF its efforts against naval
targets. with important results.
When a submarine Is spotted at
sea 1t can crash dive-on more than
one occasion leaving its commander,
who was in the coming tower, to
swim for tt-and has a $3.50 chance
OF escaping depth charges. But
when a submarine is attacked on a
sipway, it has no chance to dive.
SucceSS OF Raids Told.
One particular hit on building
yard by big bomb is known to have
smashed three almost completed
hulls at once. The great Cologne
raid, which knocked out $50 fac
tories for long or short periods, is
known to have greatly delayed de-
livery Of essential parts to ship
yards. The Augsburg raid on the
Diesel engine factory, made by Lam
caster bombers, put out OF action
for some time the motive power
source for many submarines.
The third way Is mine-laying in
enemy waters. British aircraft fly
frequently right 70 the Baltic to
drop mines. Most of the submarine
crews train in the Baltic. Some of
the submarines which go out on
training cruises never return, hav-
ing hit mine laid overnight by a
BritislA bomber.
Similarly, German harbors from
which submarines creep into the
Atlantic are sown with mines from
the air. In French ports the Ger
mans have built huge concrete shell
ters under water where submarines
can lie to refit. safe from bombs.
Although those shelters may pos
sibly be proof against direct attack,
the approaches are not proof against
air-laid mines.
War on Subs Is Constant.
And so, from the moment the raw
material Is forged in the Ruhr's
great factories, during the building
time, during the crews training, and
during all their voyages, Axis sub
marines are subjected to air attack
hazards. The Axis continues to in
tensify U-boat warfare with the
dogged persistence of nation which
desperately tries to stave off the
defeat which it can distinguish in
the vast flow of supplies from the