GERMAN VIEW OF THE BRITISH FLEET.

Woodville Examiner, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4627, 14 May 1915, Page 4 (Supplement)

GERMAN VIEW OF THE BRITISH FLEET.

NO MORE TALK OF ATTRITION

Amsterdam, March 17. According to a telegram from Berlin, Captain Persius, writing in the “Berliner Tagehlatt,” discusses the relative strength of the British and German Meets. After referring to the absurdity of reports that the British Navy has .suffered enormous losses, he says:— We arc confident that our Fleet will, as heretofore, keep the enemy away from our coasts and will damage him by means of submarines and mines: but it would be misconceiving .and underestimating the task of our Fleet to speak now of a substantial weakening of British sea power. Captain Persius then describes the strength of the British and German Fleets in terms of tonnage and weignt of broadsides, and adds : These figures should suffice to show in its true light the mighty superiority in material of the English Fleet. Even if we have inflicted many and noteworthy losses on our enemythis has little significance in view of our relative total strengths and the increase which may be expected. Of course, we, too, can trust that the feverish activity of our shipyards will every month bring us reinforcements. But this reinforcement lean by means be as great as that of England. Before the war the view prevailed—which we in this journal always opposed—that England would suiter from a lack of men for her Fleet, the error of this view has now been incontestably proved. It is, therefore, manifest that we must refrain from estimating too highly the losses o our enemy, or from appraising mstrength inadequately.