South Atlantic Drama

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVII, Issue 21530, 18 December 1939, Page 6

South Atlantic Drama

WFITII her time of refuge in Montevideo harbour ’’ expired, the German pocket battleship Graf Spec becomes the focal point of interest in what is so far the most remarkable incident of the war. Latest reports indicate that the vessel is not likely to choose the ignominy of internment in a neutral port for the duration of the war even though the other alternatives open to her are not attractive. The British cruisers which defeated her in the first action are on patrol waiting for her to put to sea, and the original force is certainly augmented now. It is reported by the Rome radio, which gave the world the first hint of the encounter last week, that the Admiral Scheer, the second of the three pocket battleships, is coming to the aid of her companion accompanied by submarines. It is not mentioned, however, in what way it would be possible for the German forces to unite with British naval units standing between them.

One suggestion is that the Graf Spee might keep to the South American coast within neutral limits, hoping perhaps that Allied vigilance may be relaxed at some point. This would be a vain manoeuvre, for there could be no chance of the enemy finding such a gap in the British and French line. The choice for the already defeated ship lies between internment and fighting, with certain destruction awaiting as a climax to a battle Nevertheless, the offensive capacity of such a ship cannot be underestimated. Here is a situation without parallel in modern warfare, for never has a prospective naval battle had such preliminary publicity. The crudest touch, however, has been given in a report which states that six New York business men are seeking permission to charter an aeroplane to fly to Uruguay to watch the battle. Men prepared to pay money to see an encounter in which hundreds of men might die, are surely the spiritmil descendants of those who were entertained by massacre in olden times. It would be a simple matter to suggest a suitable fate for persons who would regard a naval battle as a spectacle worth paying money to see.