Evening star. [volume], October 19, 1939, Page A-19, Image 19

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
Threat to Moral Value of Fleet
Seen in Air Raids on,British
Admiralty's Failure to Adapt Itself
To New War Technique Criticized
By MAJ. GEORGE FIELDING ELIOT. '
It Is now admitted officially that the British battleship Royal Oak
was sunk by a German submarine inside the great British operating base
at Scapa Flow. This has been justly hailed as a feat of daring and skill
an the part of the U-boat commander, Lt. Comdr. Prien, who well deserves
the decorations and honors which he is receiving. But from the British
viewpoint, such an occurrence is profoundly shocking. Quite naturally,
for it was 25 years ago that Admiral Sir George Callaghan, commander in
chief of the grand fleet, was expressing his anxiety as to the safety from
submarine attack of the ships anchored in Scapa Flow, an gnxiety which
was fully shared by his successor, Lord Jellicoe.
writing oi measures taaen iui de
fense of Scapa Flow at the outset
of the last war, the latter officer
says in his book "The Grand Fleet":
•‘It was not felt in the fleet, however,
that these measures gave much
security whatever against submarine
attack. Nothing but obstructions of
some kind could give that security.
The matter was frequently discussed.
Although many brains had been at
work, no satisfactory anti-submarine
obstruction had been devised.”
Elsewhere he observed: “The ques
tion of providing gun defenses for
this base (Scapa Flow) which the
-admiralty had decided a year or two
before the war was to be the main
fleet base, had been discussed on
more than one occasion after exami
nation by a committee of officers on
the spot: but since finance governs
defense, and the admiralty from year
to year had insufficient money for
even more urgent needs, no action
had been taken.”
Obstructions Later Provided.
While anti-submarine obstructions
were later on provided for the var
ious channels leading into Scapa
Fiow “under the urgent pressure of
war,” and while it is clear that there
are some such obstructions there
now, to judge from the reports of
the Royal Oak sinking, it is also
clear that thes£ defenses are in
adequate for their purpose. Indeed,
It is difficult to escape the con
clusion that the discussion and pro
crastination of which Admiral Jelli
coe speaks with such obvious re
straint has continued during a pe
riod of 25 years, during all of which
time it was quite clear that the Brit
' lsh Navy would require Scapa Flow
as a base in case of a renewal of the
struggle with Germany.
The attacks by German aircraft on
British warships lying off the base
at Rosyth. in which damage has ad
mittedly been done to the large
cruisers Edinburgh and Southamp
ton and to the destroyer leader
MOnaWK, ana me suuseuueiu iaius
„ on Scapa Flow itself, resulting in
' damage to the old battleship Iron
Duke (once demilitarized for train
ing purposes, but perhaps since re
stored to her former fighting trim,
as the Japanese are reported to have
restored the Hiei, demilitarized un
der the same treaty arrangements),
demonstrate how closely the Ger
mans are co-ordinating their naval
and air activities. It is a co-ordina
tion which the British would do well
to imitate without delay. Indeed,
unless the admiralty soon becomes
more willing to admit that the ex
cellent staff of the royal air force
has ideas which are worthy of con
sideration by the heirs of Nelson,
the results may pass from the omi
nous to the disasterous.
Established Doctrine Worshiped.
The intrenched conservatism of
official doctrine at the admiralty
has, of course, Its admirable fea
tures, but is little adaptable to revo
lutionary changes and prone to
overconfidence in established meth
ods. The admiralty appears, on the
record so far, to have completely
failed to realize the changed condi
tions of sea warfare in narrow
waters such as those of the North
Sea within easy operating radius of
enemy shore-based aircraft nd of
enemy submarines of highly im
“proved qualities over those of 1914.
The presence of large naval units
In such waters without adequate
protection, and especially without
the protection of counter-offensive
operations against the bases from
Which the danger proceeds—indeed.
Under conditions which so far have
almost completely abandoned the
initiative to the Germans—Is not a
reassuring commentary to Britain’s
allies as to the competence of the
high command of the British Nvy
to deal with the new conditions of
sea warfare.
It would be, indeed, unfortunate
for Britain if further losses should
reduce not only the lighting strength
ol her fleet, but the "prestige of
British sea power in the,minds of
both allies and neutrals. It is British
sea power more than anything else
which holds Italy in check, which
assures Turkey of firm support in
her refusal to be overawed by Mos
cow. It is British sea power which
is Britain's main military contribu
tion to the alliance with Prance. It
is the pressure of blockade, which
rests on British sea power as a house
on its foundation, upon which the
allies count for the flnal reduction
of Germany, now as in 1914-1918. It
is British sea power, meanwhile,
which assures that steady flow of
supplies and foodstuffs without
which British industry cannot op
erate, and the British people cannot
live.
Moral Value Suffers.
The invincible might of the Brit
ish Navy is, indeed, almost legen
dary It has been a rock-ribbed
point of departure for all the allied
calculations. It is not yet seriously
reduced in material strength, but
its moral value, transcending the
material in importance, is weakened
by every German success. As yet
■ 1 1 i
the Germans have not undertaken
really intensive air attacks against
British naval bases; they have rather
sought to injure ships. They have
not risked any considerable part of
their air force. Their raids have
been rather tentative, almost ex
perimental, involving no very con
siderable forces. Save for the early
raid on Cuxhaven and Brunsbuttel,
and the one reported near Emden
yesterday, the Royal Air Force has
been permitted no counter-offensive
opportunities.
These facts are Indeed ominous
for the future. They call for the
most careful consideration in Great
r
Britain, and particularly at the ad
miralty. The British people have
confidence in Mr. Churchill, and it
may be readily understood that he
has been deeply preoccupied with
matters of general ‘policy, to the
partial exclusion, perhaps, of the
operation of his particular depart
ment. But even that confidence
may soon suffer serious impairment
unless it becomes apparent that
there is a dawning realization of the
fact that this war is not being
fought under the conditions of 1914
1918, much less in the fashion of Nel
son and Rodney.
The great new fact of war—de
monstrated in Ethiopia, Spain and
Poland and being redemonstrated in
the North Sea—is that surface
operations by land or sea have little
chance of success unless co-ordinated
with and adequately supported by
operations in the air. This is well
recognized by the Germans, as
proven by all they have done; un
less it is recognized and the recog
nition completely translated into
action by Germany’s opponents, the
results will continue to be painful
for them and may well become
catastrophic.
(Copyright 1030 by New York Tribune, Ine.)
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