HELIGOLAND

Nelson Evening Mail, 30 May 1916, Page 7

HELIGOLAND

IS THE FORTRESS VULNERABLE? . When the Island, of Heligoland was ced«d to Germany 'by Britain in exchange for a million square miles of jungle and swamp in Africa, the great Dark Continent explorer, Sir H. H. Stanley, exclaimed that Britain had secured a whole suit of clothes for a "mere trouser button."

But to-day, says the military correspondent of the People's Journal, that little "button" of rock to the North Sea is as vital to Germany as some single remaining button often is to a bachelor or a schoolboy. In short, Heligoland is to Germany almost what the Dardanelles is to Turkey. This being so, is the Island of Heligoland capable of attack by the British Fleet? The Germans evidently think that some such raid may be made. Wellauthenticated news states that the fortress is in an acute state of "nerves." Larger and yet larger guns have 'been* taken from 'the underground arsenals and .placed in position. WILL THE FLEET ATTACK? Sir John Jellicoe is a man of brilliant enterprise. That being so, it is quite possible that one" day in the not distant future he may make a bidi for possession of the island. Formidable Heligoland; certainly is, but that it is proof against bombardment is a theorv that liJAle support from British naval men. - In. the first place, it isi well out of range of the nearest shore defences on Waiugeroog Island that could support it. Further, the water round it varies in depth from seven fathoms to the northeast of the island to 19 fathoms off the Weser Estuary, to the south-wrest. That is to say, our suoer-Dreadrtoughts have, sufficient depth of water to steam right round the island—once the way through the minefield is known —to boiribard it from all,sides.land to pour into it the concentrated fire of as as the command«r-in-chief cares to take with him on, the venture. And the Germans cannot increase the strength of the defence by' a single gum unless the Hlsrh Seas Fleet - comes out and gives battle:

As was shown bv the battle cruiser squadron in thee Battle of Heligoland, submarines are ho menoce to big ships moving at high speed. Torpedo craft ran, be kept at bay easily in daylight.Th'e only real protection to Heligoland in fact, is the minefield,' and) that, in view of the German Navy's own urgent need of the use of those waters, cannot be extensive, or it would) seriously hamper their own. freedom of movement; especially how that the German Fleet, (if we may believe news From 'Holland) is making at' intervals/ little lexcursions from the Kiel Canal. . Moreover, it is very possible . that Britain has, by this time some means for effectively disposing of minefields when the approximate locality of "these has been determined. THE CUXHAVEN RAID, There are somOj of course, -who maintain that the guns of Heligoland are such that any hostile warships which attempted an offensive against the island would be blown out of the water. in answer to "this it may be stated, that Tboth during the "Fight in the' Bight" and the 'Cuxhaven raid our, ships vrre admittedly well within! range of the Heligoland guns, yet these .guns failed to work them auy injury. Heligoland cannot move. .. It guns £re fixed; their radius limited to a few miles from the said cliffs of that con-crete-girt one-fifth of a square mile on which they stand. It is not as though Heligoland commanded narrow -•r-iits, as to the forts on the shores of the Dardanelles. These have their' uses, hut Heligoland stands alone in the sea, 25 miles from any other land defeases.' Like an isolated army corps, it simply asks to be surrounded and ctit up. Tn some quarters it is objected that though the navv could reduce Hel;goland to dust and ashes it woi.d be "a mere spectacular feat." The damagre done to this home oi Zeppelins and submarines would be very actual, and the attack would, moreover, be exceedingly likely to bring, out the German Fleet. . Thus the great naval battle for which our North Sea heroes are so earnestly praying micrbt sw.vftly come to pass. -