SCHARNHORST AND GNEISENAU.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16292, 27 January 1915, Page 7

SCHARNHORST AND GNEISENAU.

, o WANTED TO ATTACK NEW ZEALAND. AFRAID OF THE AUSTRALIA AND THE JAPANESE. (Fbom Oub Own Cobkespondent.) WELLINGTON, January 26. A very interesting light has been cast upon the attitude of the commanders of the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau during cruisings in the Southern Pacific by a letter which an officer of the former ship forwarded to a friend in America. " You cannot imagine what a time I have had," he writes. ''We have had no holiday, and we have lived through nights of nightmare. We live in a horror of great speeding Japanese battleships and John Bull warships. Dpubtless some British captains have been feeling pretty scared. We did not sink any Australian ships or raid their ports, ana why? Because we could not have done so safely. I think our commanders were very careful of powder and shot, and many of the men were grumbling because there was nothing doing. Of course, our object was to concentrate the whole fleet somewhere, and you will recognise that that was done well. Several times we could have created some sensations for the people of Sydney, and a good many passengers would have kept to their homes had they known how close the Scharnhorst was going to pass their liner. Everyone -in the ship wanted a raid on Suva or one of the New Zealand ports, but always there was the fear of the Australian battleship Australia and of Japanese battleships, which we expected everywhere. We get a good deal of news of sorts, and should have liked to have joined the Emden. We all felt sick at seeing the British flag flying at Samoa, though we hoped to find a small cruiser lving at Apia. What dreadful weeks they were on the Pacific. Day after day we steamed along not knowing when we should Tun up against an enemy fleet. When we were in the region of Australia we hoped to have got among the troopships, but things were altogether too warm for us. What is going to happen to us now I can't tell. We are going into the Atlantic, I think, but we can haTdly hope to get far. Anyhow, there will be no Tunning away."