Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-10-04
ALLIES MAY STRIKE
BIC KRUPP PLANT
Essen, Not Berlin, Greatest
Prize in Germany, Says
English Writer.
EMPIRES WEAK SPOT
is GUN WORKS. OUTPUT
Army and Navy Depend on This
Great Factory for Their Ordnance
for Ship and Field.

gain most by capturing. This Is be.
cause the German army and navy are
largely dependent on the great Krupp
works. If Germany is invaded I would
not be surprised to see the French and
British armies strike at Essen in an ef-
fort to cripple Germanys gun supply
system. This is weak spot in Ger
many's arrangements.
The navy, as well as the army. is
largely dependent on the Krupps. This
is factor to be considered in the
strenuous efforts the German admiralty
Is now making with view to bringing
the German fleet on something like a
parity with the allies.
Just at present both Germany and
Great Britain are pushing their Ship
yards to the limit 1t is generally be-
lieved that the German fleet is waiting
for new vessels before coming out Of
the harbors to attack the British fleet
in the North sea.
In regard to battleships, the next ves-
sells to be added to the German navy
are the three Of the 1911 program. the
konig. Markgraf and Grosser Kuer-
ting out at Wilhelmshaven dockyard,
the Weser yard, Bremen. and the Vulcan
YARD, Hamburg. respectively. They
We're all launched during 1913. the Ko-
mig March 1, the Markgraf June 4 aN
the Grosser Kuerfurst May 5.
Kronprinz Next Battleship.
The three battleships referred to are
now due for commissioning, and may be
already under the pennant. The next
to follow them will be the Kronprinz,
the only battleship of the 1912 pro-
gram. which was launched February
Il last, and was due to join the feet
next summer. With a little speeding
up; however, it might be possible to
building period. in which case Germany
could add by next spring four new
dreadnought battleships to the thirteen
she had in commission before the war
broke out.
four battleships mentioned are the two
battle cruisers Derfflinger (1911) and
iauneSea ns2 ,s The former fRs was
and Voss yard. Hamburg, and is now
launched Noysmber % n1 last sa''s at T the
Sc Sehichau yard. Danzig.. and it seems
likely that efforts will be made to get
her completed before the end of the
present year.
There is chance, Of course, that the
russians may interfere with ship
ing their armies into East Prussia.
Another battle cruiser is the Salamis.
which was laid down by the Vulcan
Company in January. 1913. for the
Greek navy. This vessel had not been
launched at the end of July. She was
to have received an American arma-
ment of eight fourteen-inch guns
manufactured by the Bethlehem Steel
Company. but 1t is doubtful II they
have been delivered.
Lacks Light Cruisers.
Turning to light cruisers, it is this
oil
such operations Of the was as have
taken place. The Mageburg. Mainz.
Koeln and Ariadne have been destroyed,
in addition to which nine others are
being hunted down outside European
waters. and are consequently not avail
able for service in the North sea- OF the
six on hand, the Graudenz and Regens-
burg, belonging to the 1912 program,
were launched in October and April
last. respectively. and should be in
commission by the end of the year, but
the other four cannot be delivered
until the end of 1915.
1t is in regard to torpedo craft, both
destroyers and submarines. that Ger
many will probably be able to
strengthen her fleet materially and
rapidly. There were in hand at least
a score of destroyers and the same
number of submarines when war broke
out, large number OF which may have
since been completed. If 1t has been
determined to concentrate the energies
of the German yards upon torpedo-craft
construction, as may well be the case,
the output monthly may be consider
able.
There are four yards in Germany
which have been practiced in the
building of torpedo vessels, and be-
fore the war the period Of construction
at these yards was on an average from
ten to eighteen months. AS they built
for foreign governments as well,
their full capacity Is probably three
or four times the twelve destroy
ers and six submarines provided for
annually under the German navy law.
Yards which have not been mainly en-
ployed in torpedo-craft construction can
in an emergency undertake such work,
and no doubt If it is considered desir-
able, at least twelve yards in Germany
may at the present time be engaged in
this branch of naval construction.