The British and French fleets maintaining a close lookout German merchant ships attempting for ach their homeland from neutral ets" throughout the world, It was nounced today.
The Allied "death watch" has sue~ ceeded in preventing a substantial portion of the German. ships from Feaching the Reich, the announce ment claimed.
According to British circles the German Government apparently has ordered that such ships endeavour {o each their home ports despite the Wing odds against them. Orders were also said (0 have been given German captains to scuttle their shipe prevent them falling into. enemy hands, with a penalty' for failure to carry' out this order.
This desperate measure constitutes a doliborute sacrifice of an important part of the German merchant feet, British observers pointed" out—United Press,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.