WHY GERMANY LOST THE WAR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18468, 21 May 1928, Page 6

WHY GERMANY LOST THE WAR.

TOO MUCH NAVY, STATES OFFICER. (Special to the “Star.”) BERLIN, April S. General Groener, Minister of Defence, has startied Parliament by revealing that the former German General Stall (of which he was a member) regarded Germany s pre-war naval policy as responsible for the loss of the world war. General Groener succeeded Ludendorff as Quartermaster-General of the German Army. He was appealing to Parliament to pass naval estimates for the construction of a new 10,000 ton armoured cruiser calculated to cost £4,000,000. This estimate had been rejected bj' the Federal Council, the majority of which holds that these new vessels (which are not really cruisers but battleships) can serve no national purpose as a means of defence, and are a luxury Germany cannot afford. Boldly facing the paradox involved by his advocacy of the new vessels and his disapproval of pre-war naval expansion, General Groener said: “ I want to confess that I regard that prewar policy as a mistake, not for political*. but for purely military reasons. ■L" IS view was the predominant one in the German General Staff.” General Groener stated that, in 1900, Count Schlieffen—originator of the plans for a march through Belgium—voted against the Boxer Expedition because of his conviction that the fate of Germany as a world Power would be decided solely on her own frontiers. General Groener went on to state how the reverse of this policy lost Germany the world war. “ There was a growing belief in our General Staff that a slightly smaller expansion of the Fleet would have meant a corresponding strengthening of the army. Then in the battle of the Marne, we should have had on our right Wing the additional army corps, which would probably have effected a decision in our favour.” Though Gen. Groener puts it differently, the proposed new coast defence battleships will give Germany, in conjunction with the other fleet units, undisputed command of the Baltic