SECRET HISTORY OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 149, 12 March 1923, Page 4

SECRET HISTORY OF THE WAR

WINSTON CHURCHILL’S MEMOIRS HOW CRADDOCK WAS AVENGED

STURDEES VICTORY AT THE’FALKLANDS

; As may be imagined the news of the disaster to RearAdmiral Cradock’s squadron off Corpnel cast consternation »t the British Admiralty. In this of his war memoirs Mr. Churchill generously acknowledges the prompt and - courageous spirit in which Lord Fisher risked weakening the Grand Fleet (with, s ■ ready consent) in order to place the fate of Von Spee’s ships beyond-all doubt*

CHAPTER XIV.—CORONEL AND THE FALKLANDS. (Continued.)

We had now to meet the new situation. Our combinations, such as they • were were completely ruptured, ana Admiral von Spee, now in temporary command of South American waters, possessed a wide choice of al tei natives. He might. turn back into the Pacific, and repeat the mystery- tactics which had been so battling to us. He might steam northward up the West Coast of South America and make tor the Panama Canal. In this case lie wculd run a chance of being brought to battlo by the Anglo- JapaneseI Squadron which was moving southward. But of course he might not fall in with them, or, if he did, he could avoid battle owing to his superior speed. He might come round to the List Coast /and interrupt the main trade route. If he did this he mus be prepared to fight Admiral Stoddait, but this would be a very hazardous combat. Lastly, ha might cross the Atlantic, possibly raiding the.l'alkland Islands on his way, and arrive unexpectedly on the So.uth Afncan coast. Here he would find the Union Government's expedition against the German colony in full progress, and his arrival would have been most unwelcome. General Botha and General Smuts, having suppressed the rebellion, were about to resume in a critical atmosphere their attack upon German South-\v est Africa, and. a stream of transports would soon be flowing with the expedition and its supplies from .Cape town to Luderitz Bay. Subsequently, or ate ternatively to this intrusion, Admiral von Spee might steam- up the Afncan coast and strike at the . whole of the shipping of the expedition, to the ,Canieroons, which was quite without means of defending itself' against him. \ All these unpleasant possibilities had to be faced by us. We had to prepare again at each of many points against a sudden blow: and, great as were our resources, the strani upon tliem became enormous. The first step w*ls to restore the situation in South American waters. This would certainly take a month. My minute of inquiry to the Chief of Staff, written an hour after I had read the first news of the disaster, will show the possibilities which existed. In this grave need my mind immediately turned to wresting a battle-cruiser from the Grand Fleet, which, joined with the Defence, Carnarvon, Cornwall, and Kent, would give Admiral Stoddart an overwhelming superiority. DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS DIVISION. 1. How far is it. and how lone would it take Dartmouth and Waymouth to reach Punta Arenas, Rio, or Abrolhos respectively, if they started this afternoon with all dispatch? (2) How lone would it take—(a) Kent to reach Rio and Abrolhos? (b) Australia (1) without, and (2) with, Montcalm to reach. Galapagos via Makada, Islands, and also Idzumo and Newcastle to reach them? (c) The Japanese 2nd Southern Squadron to renlace Australia at Fiji? (d) Defence, Carnarvon, and Cornwall respectively to reach Punta Arenas? .... * (e) Invincible to reach Abrolhos. Rio,, Punta Arenas?. r.t--’ -j ' (f) Hizen and Asatna to reach Galapagos or : Esquimau? ■ ? . V . 8 . 0„ j/n/14. Bulldog Fisher.

Bub I found Lord Fisher in a bolder mood. He would take two battlecruisers from the Grand Fleet for the South American station. More than that, and much more questionable, ho would take a third—the Princess Royal —for Halifax and later for the West Indies in case von Spee came through the Panama' Canal. > . . . We measured up. our strength in Home waters anxiously, observing that the Tiger ’was" about to' join' the T irst Battle Cruiser Squadron, and that, the new battleships Benbow, Empress of India, and Queen Elizabeth were practically ready. Wb sent forthwith the following order 'to the Commander-in-Chief: — *■ ’ - , - , I I November 4, 1914. Order Invincible and Inflexible to fill no with coal at once, and proceed, with "all dispatch to Berehaven. lhey •are urgently needed for foreign serwice Tiger has been ordered to join you with all dispatch, Give her necessary orders. _ , I also telegraphed to Sir John Jeiliooe as follows: — - November 5, 12.5 a.m. We fear from all reports received through. German sources that Cradock has been caught or has enea-sred. ■with only Good Hope and Monmouth armoured ships asainst Bcharnhorst and Gneisenau. Both British vessels probably sunk. Fate o£ Glasgow and Otranto uncertain, and position of Canopus critical. Proximity of concentrated German squadron of five good ships will, threaten Bravely main trade route Bio to London. Essential recover control. First Sea Lord requires Inflexible and Invincible for . this purpose. •Sturdee goes' Commander-in-Chlef, South Atlantic and Pacific. Apparently we had not at this stage decided finally to send the Princess Royal. Sir John Jelhcoe rose to the occasionand parted, with his two battle-cruisers without a word. They were ordered to steam., .by. the West Coast to. Devonport to fit themselves for their southern voyage. Our plans for the second -clutch' nt von. Spee were now conceived as follows: — (I) Should he break across the Pacific he would bo dealt with by the very superior Japanese Ist Southern Squadron based on Suva to cover Australia and New Zealand, and composed aa follows:-Kur-ama (battleship), Tsukube and Ikoma . (battle-cruisers). At Suva also were MontU calm and Encounter. Another “ Japanese squadron (four ships) was based u on the Caroline Islands. w (2) To meet him should he proceed up “ the West Coast of South America an " Anirlo-Japanese squadron comprising AusI tralia (from Fiji). Hixon. Idxumo, New- *• castle, was to be formed off the North " American coast. (3) Should he come round on to the East J Coast, Defence, Carnarvon. Cornwall. Kent » were ordered to concentrate off Monte--5 video, together with Canopus. Glasgow. and Bristol, and not seek action till jolned by Invincible and Inflexible, theref after sending the Defence to South-Africa. (4) Should he approach the Cape Station. he would be awaited by Defence and -• also Minotaur, released from the Austra- •; lian convoy (after we knew of von Spee s • arrival in South American waters), with * the old battleship Albion and Weymouth, r Dartmouth, a,nd Hyacinth, light cruisers; the Union Expedition being postponed for '» fourteen days. t (5) Should he come through the Panama ■■ Canal, he would meet, the Princess Royal m well as the Berwick and Lancaster, of the West Indies Squadron. (6) Cameroons yoro warned to be ready to take their shipping un the river. (7) Should he endeavour to work homo-

wards across the South Atlantic he v-cmld come into the area, of a ne wsauadron under Admiral de Rob edit, to be formed near the Capo de Verde.-Islands, comprisincr the very atronp armoured, cruisers Wander Slack Prince and tho Donegal Highflier, and later Cumberland.. to compass the destruction of flv warships, only two of which were> ar nioured. it .was necessary to employ near ly thirty. Including twenty-one armoured ships the most part of superior metal, and this took no account of the Japanese sonadrons or of French shins, or of armed merchant cruisers, the latter effective for scouting.

Naval Resources Strained to the Utmost. Tho strain upon British naval resources abroad was now at W® maximum. One hundred and all classes wAro employed in the outer EC We literally could not lay our hands on another vessel of any sort or kind which could be made to play any useful part. But we were soon to have relief. v Already on October 30 news had reached us that the Konmgsbere had been discovered hiding in the Kungi River in German East Africa, apd.it was instantly* possible to mark he. , down with two ships of equal value and liberate the others. On November 0 far finer news arrived. the reader will remember for what purposes the Sydney and Melbourne bad been attached to the great Australian convoy which was now crossing the Indian Ocean. On the Bth tho Sydney, cruising ahead of the convoy, took a sage from tho wireless station at Cocos Island that o -strange ship was entering tho. bay. -/Thereafter, silence-, . from ' Cocos" Island. Thereupon the large Japanese cruiser Ibuki increased her speed, displayed the war flag of Japan, and demanded permission from the British officer in command of the convoy to pursue and attack the enemy. But the convoy could not disvest itself of this powerful protection, and the coveted task was accorded to the Sydney. At 9 o’clock she sighted the Emden, and the first sea fight in the history of the Australian Navy began. It could have only one ending. In a hundred minutes the Emden was stranded, a flaming mass of twisted metal, ana the whole of the Indian Ocean was absolutely safe, and free. The clearance of the Indian Ocean liberated all those vessels, which had been searching for the Emden and the Konigsberg. Nothing could now harm the Australian convoy. Most of its escort vanished. The Emden and the the Konigsberg were accounted for, and von Spee was on the other side of the globe. The Minotaur had already been, ordered with full speed to the Cape. All the other vesels went through the Red Sea into the Mediterranean, where their presence was very welcome in view of the impending Turkish invasion of- Egypt. Meanwhile the Invincible and Inflexible had reached Devonport. We had. decided,that Admiral Sturdee. on vacating the position of . Chief of the Staff, should hoist his flag in. the In-,, vincible, should take general command . on the South 'American',Station, and should ffsuihe general 'control of all the operations against von-Spee. We were in the highest impatience to. get. him and his ships away. -Once vessels fall into dockyards hands, a hundred needs manifest’ themselves.--;i. “Dive Them a Shove.” On November 9, when Lord Fisher was in my room, the following message was put on my table:— - The Admiral Superintendent, Devonport, reports that the earliest possible date for completion of Invincible and Inflexible is midnight. November 13. I immediately expressed great discontent with the dockyard delay, and asked, “Shall I give them a shove?” or words to that effect; Fisher took up the telegram. As soon as he saw it ho exclaimed, “Friday, the thirteenth! What a day to choose!” I then wrote and signed the following order, which was the direct cause of the Battle of the Falklands:—

Admiralty to Commander-in-Chief. Devonport.—(Nov. 10. Sent 12.5 a.m.) Inflexible and Invincible are to sail Wednesday, November 11. They are needed for war -service, and Dockyard arrangements must be made to conform. If necessary Dockyard men should bo sent away in the ships, to return as opportunity offers. You are held responsible for the speedy dispatch of these ships in a thoroughly efficient condition. Acknowledge. The ships sailed accordingly, and in the nick of time. They coaled on November 26 at Abrolhos, where they joined and absorbed Admiral Stoddart’s squadron—Carnarvon, Cornwall, Kent, Glasgow, Bristol, and Orama, and dispatched Defence to the Cape, and without ever coming in sight of land or using their wireless they reached Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, on tho night of December 7. Here they found the Canopus in tho lagoon, prepared to defend herself and the colony in accordance with the Admiralty instructions. They immediately began to coal. After his victory at Coronel, Admiral von Spec comported himself with the dignity of a brave gentleman. He put aside tho fervent acclamations of tho German colony of Valparaiso, and spoke no word of triumph over the dead. Ho was under no delusion to his own danger. He said of the flowers which were presented to him: “They will do for my funeral.” Generally, his behavour would lead us to suppose that the inability of the Germans to pick up any British survivors was not due to want of humanity; and this view has been accepted by the British Navy. “All at the Bottom!”

After a few days at Valparaiso he and his ships vanished again into the blue. We do not know what were the reasons which led him to raid the Falkland Islands, nor what his further plans would have been in the event of success. Presumably he hoped to destroy this unfortified British coaling base and so make his own position in South American waters less precarious. At any rate, at noon on December 6 ho set off from the Straits of Magellan with hs five ships to the eastward; and at about 8 o’clock on December 8 hs leading ship (tho Gneisenau) was in sight of the main harbour of tho Falklands. A few minutes latdr a terrible apparition broke upon German eyes.

Rising from behind the promontory, sharply visible in the clear air, were a pair of tripod masts. One glance was enough. They meant certain death.* Tho day was beautifully fine, and from the tops the horizon extended thirty or forty miles in every direction. There was no hope for victory. There was no chance of escapo. A month before,, another Admiral and his sailors had suffered a similar experience.

At 5 o’clock that afternoon I was working in my room at the Admiralty when Admiral Oliver entered with the following telegram. It was from the Governor of the Falkland Islands, and fan as follows:— - “Admiral Spee arrived at. daylight this morning with all his ships, and is now in action with Admiral Sturdee’s whole fleet, which was coaling.” Wo had had so many unpleasant surprises that these last words sent a shiver up my spine. Had wo been taken by surprise, and, in spite of all our Superiority, mauled, unready, at anchor? “Can it mean that?” I said to the Chief of tho Staff. “I hope not,” was all he said. I could see that my suggestion, though I hardly meant it seriously, had disquieted him. Two hours later, however, tho door opened again, and this time the countenance of the stem and sombre Oliver wore something which closely resembled a grin “It’s all right, sir; they are all at the bottom.” And with one exception, so they wore. *only Dreadnoughts had trinods. To-morrow. —The German cut-and-run raids off the English east coast.