THE GERMAN NAVY MUTINY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3319, 24 October 1917, Page 14

THE GERMAN NAVY MUTINY.

The Amsterdam correspondent of the Daily Express gives alleged details of the mutiny in the German navy. The prolonged inactivity, the harshness of the officers, reduced' rations, and the Russian naval mutiny at Kronstadt were among the causes.

The revolt troke out simultaneously on four first-class battleships—the Prinz Regent Luitpold, the Kaiser, the Westfalen, and the Heligoland. At dawn on August 20 the crews assembled on deck, hoisted red flags, sang the " Marseillaise," and shouted revolutionary cries. The officers went to their posts, but the men threatened that they would throw them overboard. The officers did not interfere, awaiting assistance. The captain of the Prinz Regent Luitpold hastened aboard his ship, and ordered the men to haul down the red flag within five minutes. The crew replied by bindhim with cords and throwing him overboard, and he was drowned. . A majority of the light guns were thrown into the sea and the heavy guns rendered useless. The authorities at Wilhelmshaven ordered out several battalions of marines, but the marines declared that they would not fire on their comrades until they knew what had happened. Their commander was furious, but he yielded, giving his men the information they required. The marines then refused to proceed, and were confined to barracks.

Infantry were then summoned from Oldenburg (inland from Wilhelmshaven), and some torpedo-boats filled with troops surrounded the five battleships, demanding their surrender. A small fight resulted in two sailors being killed and some soldiers wounded. The rebels soon surrendered, as practically all the ammunition aboard had been thrown into the sea. The ringleaders were shot next morning. Ten others from each ship were court-martialled, and 15 of them were shot. The remainder were sentenced to an average term of 20 years' imprisonment. It is understood that the mutinous cruiser was the Hamburg, stationed at Heligoland. Her captain and most of the officers were absent from the ship. The mutineers overpowered the remainder, and the Hamburg quietly left her moorings for Norway. Many destroyers followed her, and ordered the Hamburg to stop. She was given five minutes to return to her moorings, or be torpedoed. The mutineers obeyed. Thirty of her men were arrested, and it is' believed that the majority of them were shot. A GERMAN LIEUTENANT'S STORY. The New York Sun prints a story of the German mutiny, written by Rudolph Glatefelder, a second lieutenant in the German navy, and one of the leaders in the seditious propaganda, who escaped to Switzerland. He was formerly assigned to the cruiser Magdeburg, and the Russians captured him during the bombardment of Libau on September 4, 1914. Later he was .exchanged incapacitated. Glatefelder relates the organisation of the disloyalty in the navy. The first idea was to agitate in the army in France and Belgium, but it was then decided to concentrate on the navy. The " comrades," many of whom were women posing as nurses, were sent to 16 different centres. Glatefelder's group was sent to Adlhelm Haven, at which port 2000_ prisoners were enlaced on anti-militaristic work, while there 3 wore 1600 at Kiel and 800 at Cuxhaven. Many of the navy officers sympathised with the movement, and one cap-

tain sank his ship at Bremerhavon, but its loss was never admitted. Twelve thousand sailors and marines Participated in the revolt at Wilhelmsaven on Julv 30. There was a Woody conflict from" morning till night. They mobbed an admiral and 50 officers, who preached the Government propaganda, killing the entire party. Then they set fire to the barracks and to some sheds containing four Zeppelins, also the warehouse, wharves, naval observatory, and one arsenal. Tho forts sided with the rebels, and took part in the engagement. Eleven other' forts, bridges, buildings, and four uncompleted warships fitting out in the harbours were blown up. The authorities meanwhile called on the loyal soldiers. The mutineers attempted to reach the warships in the harbour. Some of them succeeded, but others were "mowed down bv the machine guns. Glatefelder wntes : " It is only one of the early incidents of the general discontent in the German navy's ranks, and before this account is printed other grave events may occur. Other nations no longer accuse us of not having such courage as is necessary for making a rebellion. A few hours prior to the mutiny the authorities ordered the sailors and marines from the ivarships, because they could not trust them aboard." GlatefeldeT deplores the. fact that the mutineers had no prearranged plans. He asserts that uglv conditions prevail at the naval bases. The hospitals" contain military repulsive cases, which the Government are concealing from the public. The dead are buried at sea, regular death ferries being maintained. The crew of one ship revolted in June, and threw their captain and several officers overboard, and shot a Lutheran minister who uttered the words " Our beloved Kaiser and Fatherland." Glatefelder's story reached the United States a week before Admiral Von.Capelle made the announcement in the Reich*ta!». The Belgische Dagblad reports that German sailors at Ostend refused to board submarines. An officer was thrown into the sea. Thirty of the mutineers were arrested. The Kaiser, on learning of the German naval mutiny in August, was so enraged that he became ill. The Crown Prince advocated frenzied repressive measures, and urged the execution of 5000 mutineers. To this the Kaiser was inclined to agree, but Admiral von Tirpitz pointed out that wholesale executions would aggravate the disaffection, and might even compel the abandonment of submarine warfare, owing to the inability to get crews for the U boats. DISAFFECTION IN AUSTRIAN NAVY. It is officially reported that the mutinies in the Austrian navy were caused by bad food and the officers' ill-treatment of the men. Clashes occurred between Austrian sailors and the crews of the German U boat fleet at Pola. Sanguinary fighting took place, officers on both sides being killed. The tension, which became most alarming, was due to the Germans' overbearing conduct. Extraordinary measures were taken, and the flotilla was removed further south down the Adriatic coast. The Austrian Admiralty made a desperate attempt to suppress the news, which reached the United States via Berne. Coupled with the mutinies among the submarines at Ostend, this news has accen tuated the belief that the Central Powers are rapidty cracking up. AUSTRO-GERMAN FRICTION. The Daily Chronicle's Amsterdam correspondent says he has learned from a reliable source of serious Austro-German friction. _ Germany sent 100,000 -troops to Austria, and the latter was required to find food for them. Austria resisted tho demand, pointing out her food shortage. Germany has stopped the Austrian mails for Holland since early in October. The dispute remains unsettled. DANCER SHOT FOR ESPIONAGE. Fraulein, Matahari, a beautiful Dutch dancer, was shot in Paris on October 15 for espionage. She betrayed tho intended use of tanks to Germany preceding the battle of the Somme. While fulfilling a dancing engagement in Paris she fascinated an English officer wearing the dragon badge of the Tanks Corps, and they were frequently seen together in cafes. In May,_ 1916, Matahari applied for a nermit to visit a certain port, stating that her fiance, a British officer, was wounded, and wished to marry her before he died. She arrived simultaneously with the first consignment of tanks from England, and stayed a week, having a free run .of the port. A month later she returned to Paris, and obtained a passport for San Sebastian, in Spain. She was there seen in company with a suspected German agent. During the Somme offensive tho tanks were opposed by a new German gun, expressly made for service against tanks, and German prisoners admitted that the tanks wore betrayed. Matahari's trial revealed that she Was duly registered under a number i.o the German spy lists. She admitted receiving large sums of money since last year for information supplied to leading German epics. The examining magistrate in Paris has succeeded in tracing Swiss cheques for two million francs, payable to 8010 Pasha, these payments corresponding with tho monthly instalments alleged to have been promised him by von Jagow, former German Foreign Minister.