How Goes the Fight?

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11926, 8 February 1917, Page 8

How Goes the Fight?

NOTES ON THE WAR, THE POSITION AHALYSED. OHRISTCHURCH,. February 8. Lord Beresford, in one of hi* "ginger" speeches, wanted the Admiralty to undertake a scries of raids, with hundreds of airships, on the destroyer and submarine bases of the Germans, and he mentioned Zeebrugge In particular as an enemy nest that ought to be attacked. The Admiral ty has by no means ignored the importance of Zecbrugge. At one time the British destroyers and monitors used to stand off shore and shell the harbour and the canal works behind it. but apparently the Germans took steps to render this method of attack •unfruitful and the British had to resort to air raids. Lord Bedford's complaint presumably was that the raids were insignificant, although in one episode as many as thirty aeroplanes were employed. In the earlier days of the war Zecbrugge was easily attacked. The port, which is the sea terminus of the Bruges Canal, is protected by a sea wall. The coast shelves gently and only vessels ot light. draught can make the harbour, even by the channels that are regularly dredged. The approaches are now covered by an extensive minefield. and powerful shore batteries have been mounted to deal with Allied warships that attempt an attack. Behind Zee- ' brugge itself, moreover, a secondary harbour has been constructed, a basin in which submarines and torpedo boats can shelter and refit. This second basin is presumably the one that was attacked in the air raid mentioned in the cable messages.

The Germans have been very persistent in thetr local attacks agamst the French positions in Lorraine and the department of Vosges. The .latestFrench communique mentions the repulse of a considerable aitaek north of the forest, of Parroy. where the lines cover L-aneville. Hitherto ihe activity has been mainly to the south of the forest of Parroy, at any rate since the French regained the greater part of the wood, and the new departure suggests an intention on the enemy's part to move on a fairly wide front at an early date. This "-as the sector, it will be remembered, on which a big German attack was expected last year. The concentration was finally revealed on che Mouse, but at, one time the French observers' believed that the enemy was gathering his forces at 6trasburg rather than Metz, and intended to make another bid for Nancy. That there was a concentration at

Strasburg is certain, but it was subsidiary to the Motx plan and no more than a feint was delivered in Lorraine. This year, so far, little has been heard of movements in the neighbourhood ot Metz, but the cable messages have indicated a considerable increase in the enerav's strength in Alsace, and it is quite possible that he intends to carry out an offensive on the front from Nancy to Belfort.

The French have been raiding energetically in southern Alsace, on the front immediately south of Cernay. Aspach is one of the twin villages of the district, built on either side of the branch railwav that runs from Cernay up the Doller Valley. This front has long been comparatively ff.net, but it U possible that- the French have seen indications of enemy activity in preparation and that the raids were undertaken mainly with the intention of discovering if any movements ot importance are on foot. Recently it was reported that considerable bodies of troops had been concentrated hi the vicinity of Basel, where they would be within easy distance of Mulhouse. Huningcn. has always beeu used as a minor military base, and there is nothing to be alarmed about in the concentration recently reported unless the numbers of troops have been greatly increased. It suits Germany, no doubt, to create a suspicion that she may violate Swiss neutrality. and of course a division temporarily stationed on the Swiss frontier would be readily available in Alsace if occasion required.

The American Government is asking for an extraordinary credit from Congress, in order to expedite the comple-

tion of ships now under construction, and if tho situation develops nioro Beriously authority will also, no doubt, be asked for the speedy construction of ships on this year's programme. At the present time the United States are working to a five-year programme, drawn up by a committee, under the presidency of Admiral Dewey. It provides for two great battleships each year. Two already laid down, or about to be laid down. will cost nearly three and three-quarter million apiece. They will mount twelve 14in guns. ]n addition to the ships of the line the board proposed to build .six battlecruisers. The decision to add these ships to the fleet was a direct result of the current' war, and particularly of tho performance of the ships of the class in tho battle off the Falkland Islands, when their superior speed gave them '"'much strategic value, in that it enabled them to reach with great promptness their field of action.'' The performance also of this typo of ship in the engagement in the North Sea, when the Blucher was sunk, greatly impressed the Americans. Admiral Dewey observed that " when the battle-cruiser type was first brought out it was argued that itcould lie in the line with battleships, and be used as a battleship upon occasion. The experience of the war, however, seems to indicate that their primary function will he in independent action, and that if a possible antagonist is possessed of any material number of vessels whose speed enables them certainly to elude the battleship, and which are so powerful that they need not apprehend torpedo craft, it is necessary to have the battle-cruiser to cope with them.'' In the memorandum quoted Admiral Dewey had something to say concerning the value of submarines, and it is of interest to read his comments now,

when the Germans are engaged in a new campaign against merchant shipping. He said that the deeds of the submarines had been so spectacular that, in default of engagement between the main fleets, undue weight had been attached to them. Tboir importance was less than the public believed. In the North Sea and in tire Mediterranean they scored heavily on their first appearance, owing to surprise, and not to "inherent combatant superiority.'' "As the Allies have learnt in great; measure how to protect their commerce, as they learnt a few months previously to protect their navies from the submarine menace, it is apparent that the submarine is not an instrument lifted to dominate naval warfare,'' he continued. "The submarine is a most useful auxiliary, whoso importance, will no doubt increase, but at present, there is no ovidence that it will become supreme.'' Admiral Dewey's General Board recommended that in the five yea is' programme there should be included nine fleet submarines, each costing .'300,000 dollars, and fifty coast submarines, each costing IoUIHH'I dollars. Tiie Societary of the Xavy, however, while accenting the proposal? regarding the larger righting ships, recommended fifteen floet submarines and eighty-fire eotist submarines, although at the -nine time lie remarked that a few months earlier " a largo majority of the people would doubtless have- voted to go into the building of submarines on a scale so large as to leave little money tor otiiur fighting craft."