Naval War Secrets

Waikato Times, Volume 112, Issue 18803, 26 November 1932, Page 11 (Supplement)

Naval War Secrets

(Trevor Allen in . ONE OF THE MOST remarkable spy stories of the Great War concerns an agent of British Intelligence serving as a German sailor who gave information of which he himself was subsequently the victim. Franz, an Alsatian who became a secret agent because of the Prussian persecution of his people, reported that two German mine-laying boats would leavo Zeebrugge on a slven date to sow mines in the Channel. Two British submarines duly sailed to attack them, and torpedoed and sank one of them. 'lt was subsequently discovered sa vs Mr Hector C. Bywater, in “Their Secret. Purposes ” —that Franz was on Aboard at the time, the explanation being that a day or Iwo after sending bis last report Franz had been suddenly transferred from his own submarine lo one of Ibc PC minelavers detailed for the Channel expedition, lie had no opportunity of telling ns know, and even had lie done so it would have | ieen 100 late, for the British hunting pack was already unleashed. In furnishing us with minute details of the cruise which t he UC was to undertake Franz had literally signed Ids own death-warrant, for it was due to tills information that the U-boat was torpedoed and sunk with all hands. A Bomb Squad. Mr By water relates some astonishing itorles about an Austrian chemist, Luigi Fiedler, who organised a deadly “bomb squad’’ which operated against Italian ports and dockyards. The bombs, with clockwork time-fuses hidden within them, were camouflaged as lumps of coal, oil drums, barrels of paint, and tinned foods and secreted aboard Italian vessels. This bomb squad was responsible for several disasters, including Ibe blowing up of the battleship Benedetto Brin, of I H. 100 lons, with Kid of l h( , t . nnv and I lie new Dreadnought Leonardo da Vinci, of 22.000 tons, with 200 nill-i-ers and men and a number of dockyard hands.

Tlic exploits of Ibc German submarines provide Mr Bywalcr with some stirring stories The senior “arc” or the corps Lothar von Arnatild, was Iho terror of Hie Mediterranean with ills Cab. and destroyed in alt /HlO Odd tons of shipping, mostly by gimjlrcl_for lie had a gunner who was a wizard with a i. 1 -In. gun. and is said to have muttered an ineaniation over every shell before it was insert lhe breech. Von Arnaiild’s most successful oruisc,

Spy Stories : Fighting U-Boats.

in O’ London.) Mr Bywater states, was made from Gattaro in the summer of 1916. It lasted twentysix days and brought him a “bag” of fiftyfour ships with a total of 91,0dd tons. Ail extraordinary feature of this trip was the small expenditure of torpedoes, only four of which were fired. With two exceptions, all the prizes fell to the quick-firing marksman, who tired away 900 rounds of ammunition. On one occasion the U 35 escaped destruction by a miracle. One torpedo launched at il from short range leapt bodily out of the water, shot clean over the deck, slightly damaging gun-mounting and periscope, and plunged into Hie sea Ibc oilier side. Three more followed. One passed underneath, almost grazing the hull; the oilier Iwo missed by a few feel. One serious disaster to mine-layers in a German harbour was caused by a bluejacket wtio made a mistake and was too seared lo report it. This bluejacket accidentally touched a lever which opened the mine-dropping cluile, and a mine promptly dropped into Ibe sea. Appalled at what lie had done the man completely lost Ids head. Without saying a word to anybody lie furtively left the sldp and made for his home in a remote part of Germany. A quarter of an hour later, the safety plug having dissolved, the mine rose from its anchor and bumped hard against the keel of the submarine. The ensuing explosion touched off all the other mines, and three boats wore totally destroyed. What happened to the author of this calamity the records do not tell. Explosive Nets. Mr Bywator states that Walther Sehwetger, the man who sank the Lusitania when he commanded Iho 1120. met Ids Nemesis In September, 1917, in a trap laid for 11-boals off the Horns Beef. When il became known tlial these enemy craft were in lhe habit of diving weli under the Brilisli miiudleld and travelling at a great deplli unlit the dangerzone was passed, explosive nols were, planled below lhe mines. Here Soilweiger's submarine. Ilien lhe ÜBS, fouled one of lhe newly-laid nets. As her nose bored inlo lhe meshes the twin mines linked to litem were brought crashing against her hull and Iho double explosion musl have ripped her open from end lo end. AI long lasi Seliweiger had paid lhe .price for the Lusitania crime.

Mr l!vwater makes some interesting disclosures which make Ihrilling r ,, ading and lift Hie veil from enigmas which have, hitherto been onl\ strictly otllcial history.