November 22, 1939; WAR TAKES TOLL ON MERCHANT SHIPPING:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1939:

Italian Vessel Hits Mine

Off Coast Of England

London Moves To Put Into Effect

New Intensified Blockade Of German Shipping

London Nov. 22 (AP)—German planes today dropped bombs in a raid over the Shetland Islands off the Northern coast of Scotland.

Air raid alarms in one of the island towns were followed quickly by the "all clear" signal. Tracer bullets were fired as the planes circled, droppmg bombs.

The Admiralty, announced today that a German ship, the Bertha Fisser, had been intercepted by a British warship near Iceland. A brief announcement here said the German crew started to sink their ship and took to their boats, and that they later were picked up by a British warship.  The Bertha Fisser is a 4'110-*°n freighter, built ,„1919, belonging to the Emden firm of Fisser and Von Doornun

( A dispatch from Reykjavik, Iceland, indicated the German freighter may have been shelled. The dispatch reported that a freighter "of uncertain identity" was shelled by a warship off the Iceland coast, and that it later was breaking up on the rocks. Wreckage drifting ashore carried the name "Bertha Fischer," the dispatch said, although the name "Ada" and the registry port of "Berden" were carried on the vessels side.)

The Italian steamer Fianona, 6,660 tons, was reported to have struck a mine off the southeast coast of England. The ship was holed badly by the explosion, which occurred last night, it was said, but still was afloat today while tugs tried to pull her into port.

None of the crew of 33 was reported injured. It was not at once clear how many, if any, passengers the Fianona carried.

The Italian ship ran afoul of the accelerating war at sea as Great Britain undertook measures of retaliation for what Prime Minister Chamberlain described as the 'ruthless brutality" of German attacks on merchant shipping.

 

Britain To Scan Cargo
From U.S. To Neutrals

New System May Halt Flow Of Goods To Reich—

All Shipments To Ten Nations Must Be Certified

Washington, Nov. 22. (AP).— Great Britain's plan to expedite American exports to neutral countries may aid her in checking a flow of American goods to Germany.

The arrangement announced yesterday by the British embassy, provides-for issuance of certificates the exporters showing that consignments are "unobjectionable" to the British. The certificates, called "navicerts," will be issued by British consulates beginning Dec. 1.

The system amounts to a pre examination of cargo, and is designed to prevent delays involved when British contraband patrol; search vessels for contraband. I will operate on American shipment, to 10 neutral countries—Belgium Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ice land, Italy, Latvia, The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

Nazis Admit Loss of

One Plane In Flight
Over England

Berlin, Nov. 22. (AP).—Reconnaissance flights over England yesterday cost Germany one plane DNB, official German news agency stated today, while the German navy was reported to have sunk an unspecified number of ships in –the North Sea.

The agency said one German plane had "not returned" from the flights which yielded "elucidating photographs."

(British sources in London reported shooting down a Nazi plane yesterday.)

German artillery dispersed advancing enemy infantry on the Western Front north of Grindorf and six miles south of Merzig, DNB said.

The agency said the French had advanced their positions on French soil to the southern edge of the forest south of the road between Kitzing and Mandern.

Great Britain's announced plan to seize all maritime cargoes intended for Germany Is certain to call forth German counter measures, authorized sources said today. They declined, however, to disclose the form these might take. Germany meanwhile, it was said awaits with interest the reaction of neutral countries to the new British program.