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Show BRITISH CRUISER HIT, NAZIS SAY BERLIN. Nov. 24 (INS) While the German high command claimed that a German submarine torpedoed tor-pedoed and heavily damaged the 10,000-ton British cruiser Belfast in the Firth of Forth, nasi circles asserted today that the reich will impose an air-tight blockade upon England within two months. The German claim regarding the Belfast was made in an official communique, which said a submarine subma-rine had reported torpedoing the British cruiser in the Firth of Forth naval base in southern Scotland. Scot-land. Insisting that the relch would make quick work of blockading England informed quarters declined, de-clined, however, to specify the exact ex-act methods they Intend to employ. It was assumed, however, that the Germans will strive to build up a combined sea and air ring around the British Isles with a number of surprises In the methods of modern warfare still to be sprung. At the same time, informed circles cir-cles also predicted vigorous German Ger-man retaliatory measures against British seizure of German' exports. One source told International News Service: "Our announcement that we wilL return every shot with ten not only applies to military combat, but in the same sense to the economic field." The official German war communique com-munique stated that a report published pub-lished in New York to the effect that the Belfast had been damaged heavily "has now been confirmed." This "confirmation" was given as a "submarine report that it had torpedoed a cruiser of the Southampton South-ampton class In the Firth of Forth." "There was more lively land scouting and artillery activity on the western front," said the communique. com-munique. "The air force continued recon-noltering recon-noltering over France, which resulted re-sulted in several air battles between be-tween German and enemy pursuit planes In which one British craft was shot down near Verdun, one French plane near Saarbrucken and another near Zweibrucken. LONDON, Nov. 24 (INS) British Brit-ish naval circles today ignored German Ger-man claims that the 10,000-ton British cruiser Belfast was torpedoed tor-pedoed and damaged in the Firth of Forth. |