November 21, 1939; French Begin Firing on Western Front:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1939:

Nazi Origin

Or Ownership
Goods Subject
To New Order
Move Is Retaliation
For Ship Losses; Jap
Liner Sunk

London, Nov. 21—-(AP) — Great Britain has decided to seize exports of German ownership or origin on the high seas, Prime Minister Chamberlaiannounced today, in retaliation for what he called "many violations of international law and the ruthless brutality of German methods."

 As Chamberlain made this announcement in the house of commons, attributing to German mines to the heavy merchant ship losses off the British coast, of the past few days, another ship, believed to be the 11.930-ton Japanese liner the Terukuni Maru was sunk off the east coast.

The sinking Japanese liner, which could be seen from the shore, carried a crew of 180 and 26 passengers, one of them British.

Lifeboat Launched
A lifeboat and other craft rushed to the rescue, and some survivors were brought to shore.

Chamberlain made his statement in reply to a question by Opposition Laborite Leader Clement AttIee on whether the government proposed to take any action as a result of the laying of mines which sank The Netherlands passenger ship Simon Bolivar and other vessels over the week-end.

Today a British mine-laying trawler, the Mastiff, was added to the toll, becoming Britain's sixth admitted naval loss of the war.

In reply to Attlee Chamberlain explained that under international law if unanchored mines are used they should become harmless in one hour, the most, after those who laid them lost control over them. He said that none of these provisions had been observed by Germany in laying the mines which Britain considers the cause of recent ship losses.

Germany has denied that her mines were responsible for of the sinking of the Simon Bolivar.

 Lull Abruptly

Comes To End
With Display
Of Fireworks

German Flights Over

France and Britain
Bring Results

Berlin, Nov. 21—(AP) —

French artillery abruptly ended a 35-hour silence on the western front today with heavy shelling in the Pearl sector, at the junction of the German, French and Luxembourg borders, the official German news agency reported. The agency, DNB, said the rest of the 100-mile western front sector between the Moselle and the Rhine rivers was quiet.
On the upper Rhine front, French searchlight batteries were active during the night at several points. DNB interpreted this as due to "the enemy's nervousness." The agency said that there was heavier rifle and anti-tank fire here, and that floods had forced the French to clear out of some bunkers.
Flight Results
Reconnaissance flights of the German air force over France and England during the last few days have yielded "important results," DNB said. The agency reported "ineffectiveness" of French antiaircraft fire and said that British chasers southeast of London did not hamper German reconnaissance. DNB said the enemy did little reconnoitering yesterday, as German pursuit planes met no enemy planes over German ...territory..
(A German plane reached the outskirts of London Monday for the first time in the war. The British reported chasing it out to sea. Additional German craft flew over southeast England today, one of them, the British air ministry said, being shot down by royal air force fighters over the east coast.)
Many Searched
German submarines, cooperating with the Nazi airforce in the Baltic and North Seas, have compelled 127 merchant ships to enter German harbors for search since the beginning of the war, it was reported today by DNB, official German news agency.