The German Fleet

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15220, 6 March 1915, Page 8

The German Fleet

AVken Admiral yon Koester says that l tho British are afraid of tho German ships and will not attack them where they lie, he is guilty of a half-truth that is virtually a whole lie. The British are in a sen#e "afraid" to go in to fight the Germans, in that they fear that the losses through mines and submarines would not, at present at any rate, make the operation worth while. But to. say that the British are "afraid "of the German ships," meaning the fleet, is a statement which Admiral yon Koester cannot believe to be true. It is intended to comfort the German public. Much more interesting is his suggestion that the German fleet may not come out at all, but may remain " unconqucred" in ite harbours to assist the Germans in securing favourable terms of peace. 'This policy has been discussed before, Gut we do not remember having seen it put forward by a Gorman naval officer of standing. [ Admiral yon Koester is the founder I und president of the German Navy League. To turn the German Navy into a fortress fleet is an astonishing j idea when ono reflect, that tho offensive is the very breath, of German strategy. We have seen that on the laud tho Germans never remain on the defensive for a moment longer than they are absolutely compelled to. That the ships should remain in harbour and be "dug out," or be captured by a land force, would bo an ignominious end to a great fleet born of pride and determination. But if Germany does reckon on keeping the fleet to bargain with when peace comes to be discussed, she mistakes the temper and vision of the British. The British Government knows quite well that there can be no iiermanent peace until the German fleet is destroyed. To make peace with Germany crushed on land, but still possessing a great navy, would be to accomplish but half the task. Englishmen could never sleep quietly in their beds while Germany had such a weapon. Our Navy would have to be kept always on a war ' footing, with men sleeping by the guns. The German fleet must bo destroyed, either at sea or in its harbours, or if these harbours cannot be reached, the Germans must be squeezed more and more \ until they consent to destroy it them- J selves. The German coast is by its I natural and artificial defences very j

' difficult to attack, hut it would be a mistake to suppose that the Allies have ruled out such an attack as an impossibility. Admiral Degouy, of the French Navy, discusses the prospects of such ail operation in a recent article, and comes to the conclusion that the command of the sea will enable the Allies to land an army on German soil. Turkish forts are much less formidable that German, nevertheless the operations at the Dardanelles should afford the Allies experience highly valuable to them for any plans they may have for descents on the German coast.

The present Government has been very happy iv its filling of the occasional vacancies on the directorate of the Bank of New Zealand. The appointment of Mr William Recce, of this city, to fill the place of the late Hon. T. Fergus, is another excellent selection; and will cause special satisfaction in Christchurch. Mr Recce's connexion with the public life of this, city is well known and his services have been greatly appreciated. He is, we think, the first- Christchurch-born citizen to be called upon to take such an important and responsible position as that of director of the Bank, aud his experi-

ence and ability will, we are sure, be of much service to that institution.

The idea that figure*, can be made to prove anything is a fallacy, but it is one of the cherished beliefs of Opposition critics. The safest and best course, if they but knew it, is to ascertain the truth, and to ciiDg to that truth, however great the temptation to suppress or distort the statistics behind it. Yesterday, for example, an Opposition paper, with a great air of candour, sot out to show that "under the Liberal Leader ISi- .1. G the expenditure consumed 92.10 per cent, of revenue: under Mr Allen, 9-5.60 per cent." This is a very direct statement, and it is wholly wrong. The Opposition paper sets its figures for "tho Liberal Lender" by taking the years 1910-11 and 1911-12. It might with as much reason take the two preceding years. Since it does not like those years, we shall give tho figures ourselves. In lf)08-09 the expenditure swallowed up 97.09 per cent, of the revenue. In 1909-10 it swallowed up 97.31 per cent. We should liko to know why theso two years ought not to be compare/1 with the first two years under Reform. Wo ourselves do not pay much attention to this method of measuring financial administration, and we shall not press those unpleasant 97 per cents, against "the Liberal Leader." We mention the matter here only io illnstrato the sort of dangers into which tho fallacy that fibres can prove anything leads our Opposition friends.

What was perhaps the most extraordinary feat ever achieved by cavalry w referred to to-day in our cable news. The suggestion by a German admiral that the German Fleet will remain in harbour leads someone to say that the German Navy has been built to wait for peace, and that the situation will have only one parallel—the capture of the Dutch Fleet by French cavalry in 1795. In that campaign tho frozen canals of Holland enabled the French general to use his cavalry and horse artillery. The troops crossed tho frozen Lake Biesbos to take the arsenal of Dordrecht. At the same time, hearing that a portion of the Dutch fleet \va X frozen up in the neighbourhood of Tex el, he despatched a large force of cavalry and flying artillory against it. They moved, rapidly through North Holland, crossed the Zuyder Zee on the ice, 'and the strange spectacle was presented." says an historian, "of cavaliers and light artillery investing ships of war and summoning them to surrender." Tho naval commanders "confounded at the idea of being charged by cavalry," surrendered at once.

We have it on the authority of his wife that Admiral Sir John Jollicoe, Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet, has been on shore for only twelve hours since war was declared seven months ago. Two hours of that "half day off" were spent at the Admiralty, and two hours at home. Having regard to the altered conditions of naval warfare, Admiral Jellicoe is worse off in this respect than were Nelson and many other Admirals of his day. Tho principles of naval strategy are the same to-day a« they were in Nelson's time, but the change from sail s* to steam ha., completely altered many aspects of sea warfare and produced many Btriking changes in tactics. Hours, and oven minutes, are vital to-day. where formerly weeks and often months wore occupied in movements of ships and fleets. Nelson, as a captain in the Agamemnon—whoso namesake is at the Dardanelles to-day—spent rather more than seven years, from February 7th, 1793, till June. 1800. on continual active service in the Mediterranean, with tho exception of one brief period of a few months, when he was invalided home. Nelson hoisted his flag on board the Victory on May 18th, 1803, to take command of the Mediterranean Fleet. On the 20th he set sail from Spithead. and for fourteen months he kept his cruising ground in the Mediterranean watching for the French Fleet.

[ He called this station his home, but | his health was much affected by the severity of his exertions. "A few months' rest," he wrote, "I must have very soon." But he was occasionally put in better spirits. "Yesterday," he wrote on one occasion, "a rear-admiral and seven sail of ships put their nose outside the harbour. If they go on playing this game, somo day we shall lay salt on their tails." History is repeating itself to-day. Throughout the whole of the year 1804. Nelson continued his vigilant blockade of the port of Toulon, never setting his foot upon the shore. On January 17th, 1805, Villeneuve left Toulon, and Nelson, who had been refitting his shiy-R at Sardinia, went after him. He sailed the Mediterranean as far as Egypt, returned to Malta, aud thence to Toulon, and finally learnt that the French had passed the Strait of Gibraltar. Villeneuve was joined at Cadiz by the Spanish ships, and proceeded to Martinique, in the West Indies, whither he was pursued by Nelson. But he was too late the Franco-Spanish fleet evaded him and returned to Cadiz. Nelson made all sail for Europe, and on July 17th. 1805, he sighted Cape St. Vincent, his waveworn and storm-beaten ships having run 3459 miles in 34 days. On July 19th the British fleet anchored in. Gibraltar Bay. and on the 20th. Lord Nelson went on shore for the first time since June 16th, 1803. He had not had his foot out of the Victory for two years all but ten days.