Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1942. CHANNEL BATTLE.

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 February 1942, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1942. CHANNEL BATTLE.

the history of the war is written, the action fought in the Straits of Dover will probably be recorded as the greatest “nearmiss” achieved by the Allies in naval and air operations. Had Lady Luck been a little more kind to them, a major triumph would have been the result, and the German navy would have received practically a death-blow. Unfortunately, the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, and the cruiser Prinz Eugen, have now reached sanctuary at Heligoland. It remains to be seen whether they will be of any more use to Hitler there, than they were at Brest. One aspect of the affair should not be . overlooked, —the Nazi vessels did not put to sea. on an offensive expedition ; they evidently had no wish to look for the British Fleet, and take the risk of fighting another Jutland. On the contrary, they were homeward bound at their utmost possible speed, and all precautions were taken by the Germans to ensure their safe arrival. Tribute to the manner in which the exploit was organised will not be begrudged by the Allies, and it demonstrates that German initiative is still far from dormant. The enemy must have realised that considerable risk attached to the

warships during their passage through the narrow waters of the English Channel, as well as for the remainder of the 600-inile voyage to Heligoland Bight. The Luftwaffe was called upon to enact the role of chief protector, with the result that one more demonstration was provided of the fact that adequate air-power is essential in

modern warfare. If, for instance, the Prince of Wales and the Repulse had been protected from the air as were the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, the Japanese bombers would in all probability have lost their prey, and Britain’s Pacific Fleet would have retained muchneeded strength.

Speculation is already rife regarding some aspects of the Dover

Straits affair, and critics will doubtless find plenty of ammunition for use against the British authorities. As an instance, it is stated that there were persistent Reports during the previous few days, that a departure from Brest was in preparation. If so, the questoin will naturally be asked, why were units of the British Fleet, capable of giving battle on even terms, not in the area of likely operations? Again, why was there such a time-lag between the sailing of the German vessels, and their “spotting” by British aircraft at 11 a.m. the following day? These and other queries are beyond the province of laymen, and must be left to the responsible authorities. There is no doubt, however, that the enemy took advantage of weather conditions favourable to their plans, and that they exploited to the utmost the element of surprise. There is also cause for surprise in the fact.that the Nazi warships were able to make their dash for home waters. For nearly a year, the cablegrams have reported heavy raids by the R.A.F. on the docks at Brest, and the public, after reading such reports, could not be blamed for forming the impression that the warships penned up there had been so severely bombed as to make them unseaworthy. The unduly optimistic tone of many reports sent out by the information department in Britain has been the subject of previous comment. Reverting to the action in the Dover Straits, it may be freely admitted that the British naval and air forces who did reach the scene, upheld the best traditions of the two Services. Many glowing tributes are paid to the bravery and determination with which the attack on the strongly-defended German squadron was maintained, and there is general regret that the aerial casualties were so heavy. On this occasion, the “big fish” escaped the British net, but it is hoped that those who ran away, if they do fight another day, will share the fate of the Graf Spec and the Bismarck.