NAVAL SUPREMACY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7928, 11 October 1911, Page 10

NAVAL SUPREMACY

BRITAIN OR GERMANY CONTINENTAL PAPER EXPRESSES ITS VIEWS. TROil our. SFKOIAXi CORRESPONDENT. BERLIN, August 26. At the present time of political tension and nervousness an article from the pen of an "authority in this matter" lias appeared in the Pan-German "Leipsiger Neuesto Nachrichten,” the leading paper of the German chauvinists, which article is causing much interest, and the discussion of which is filling the columns of tho Gorman ■ press. As the views, expressed in the article are identical with those prevailing in leading German naval and military circles, I am giving the- article in full, thus enabling

"New Zealand Times” readers to learn something about German ideas'concerning the chances of an Ar-gloGennan encounter. The article says: “Views have been expressed in our Fatherland that in a naval war with England the latter country fleet’s would be decimated to such an extent, even if victorious, that her supremacy at sea would suffer for long years to come and that it would be sufficient if. we can attain this end with our—in comparison with England—small fleet. Now, it is very well not to underestimate a strong enemy, but on the other hand, one should not overestimate him, and this is exactly the case of the Germans who think their fleet would bo annihilated by the English fleet at the very beginning of the fight. Old England’s ’prestige’ at sea, founded over two hundred years ago, is not necessarily to last for all eternity. The British fleet of to-day has to prove yet its capability just the same as ours. With the exception of France, which still sticks to the oldfashioned. high-out-of-the-water' structures, giving such excellent targets, all nations have learned from the last naval war in the Far East. But the RussoJapanese war has shown other lessons, besides the technical ones; it demonstrated that often.a numerical advantage is of less importance than, good aiming of the artillery and making the highest possible number of hits; secondly, that a squadron of uniform ship , types has better chances than an enemy numerically stronger but uniting different types of vessels under one command, and last, not least, that a few good hits at the beginning of the battle would speak a forcible language. COULD BRITAIN BEAT GEEHANT? “In case of a naval war between Germany and England it .would be an impossibility for the British fleet to make full use, in the small basin of the North Sea, of its” numerical supremacy. Be it well understood, its numerical supremacy, for that they have an advantage

over us as regards quality of our ships, aiming and hitting capabilities of our artillery and discipline of our officers and men, the English do not belief, themselves. It is a fact that our fleet is the only one, with the exception of tho Japanese perhaps, i which is estimated at its full value by English experts. "What is causing the English such grave anxiety is tho possibility that we might block the ports Ijy floating stray mines before or just in the •moment of the declaration of war. And my countrymen may rest ‘assured that our fleet will make - use of the right moment to deliver it's visiting cards. The nervous, way in which a few weeks ago the dislocation of a part of the English fleet at the blockade manoeuvres ot the port of Portland was carried out, clearly shows the respect ; the English have for our navy. There is hardly an intelligent man in our marine force who would underestimate the excellent qualii tics of tho British sailors, but tho same qualities are imbibed into our men, and as far as tho quality of our ships is concerned, in technical construction and armament, wt.are in no way behind the English, it is wrong to place too much faith in a bigger calibre, our llj-inch guns are equal to the. English 12-inch owing to the' greater length of. calibre of our guns; and ours haxo a longer life than tho English wire-wound guns.

NOT YET BEEN TESTED. “The moral effects on the enemy of a number of good hits are extraordinary, and in the -well-known thoroughness and energy in tho artillery training of our fleet we havo the guarantee for an efficient firing direction and for intellectual firing of individual guns, should the apparatus conveying the orders of the central. firing direction become disabled. Of course, the same may be applied to tho British fleet, but one may think of the moral impression the appearance of the first crippled British man-of-war would make in, her homo port; of tho panic, if some English ships, when leaving port, would make acquaintance with our stray mines! Numerical supremacy certainly is not the , only factor in a naval fight, dozens of accidents may decide the fate of the battle regardless of the bravery and numerical strength of an adversary. The naval strength of England and . Germany are two Powers not yet tried in earnest.

"Should the worst happen and we are beaten at sea, England, too, would be wounded to such an extent that it will take her decades of years to recover. And it should - not ,bo forgotten that she would have to pay the bill herself, while we could make our . dear Western neighbour’ bear the burden —our seven million trained soldiers-would demand cash payment! The French navy 'is badly in need of repair and reorganisation, and the British have at present no absolutely homogenous Dreadnought squadron to put against us. Admitted that our fleet is not strong enough to follow up a vic.tory to tho complete destruction of the enemy, ’ because we lack a fourth modem squadron, but our Kaiser and Zahringen class is still a good reserve, and we have no difficulty to man these reserves with trained men. Trusting in our.sea power we can nowadays speak a very energetic word, and we would see that our adversaries would not let H come to the extreme. It is our faintheartedness only that is our worst enemy."