The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-12-28
GERMAN VIEW OF
TRES|LENT FLEET
Without 1t English Sea
MightWould Have Ended
War Long Ago.
(By Associated Press)

{By Associated Press)
ZURICH, Switzerland, Dec. 28.-De.
Bcribing a recent visit 10 the German
fleet, DR.. Otto Gaup writes In the
Muenchener Neueste Machrichten:
Our silent feet" says the English.
Our silent feet, can we also say with
equal right, which still and earnest,
unseen and unmarked, day and night,
summer and winter, In storm and In
sunshine, stands on guard in the Mort
Sea and In the Baltic, thereby play.
Ing role. Of whose higher, might
also say more decisive Importance,
only few among us can have any
conception. We hear OF our subma-
rines, which have SO cnhlttcred Eng.
lands sea supremacy, but who has
heard for months Of ouT great bat.
ueships, our large and email cruisers,
our increasing torpedo boats, which
stand behind these submarines and
make their successful activities pos.
sible.
There can DO no German who
doubts that behind the thick veil Gov.
ering our battle feet, everything Is
In the best Of or1c-, the liyeliest ac-
StiYity. never slumbering watchfulness
land everyone burning to serve the
Fatherland, not by passive, but active
engagement In conflict, whose fear.
fullness would exceed even that OF
the fighting In tho trenches. One
need not be long with the fleet 10 be
convinced that the strtctest secrecy in
war, Is for 1t oven more necessary
than for the army. On the warship
one gets the impression OF enormous
concentrated force, and power Of
movement, OF which mobilized feet
Is capable. curt command. and doz.
ems and still dozens of gigantic guns
fire enormous shot, II may be at
distance of twenty Kilometres. An.
other command and few hours lat.
er2the feet are many miles from their
first position. Ships in action must
carry everything they need, for bat.
tie and existence, there are no re.
services for them. no impossible ways,
they cross the waters with the speed
ofErailway trains and a few hours jour
neylcan bring decisive battle on the
result OF which the fate OF world en-
pires may depend. One need only
think a little to understand the ahso-
lutte necessity that nothing at all
should be made public regarding the
movements, the location, the compost.
ton OF the fleet"
After pointing out that the British
Admiralty need hardly trouble 10 ex.
plain to their country the value Of
their fleet In this war, that It const!.
tutes the only protection against the
Immediate destruction OF the empire,
and that It's loss would be followed
by blockade, famine and instant
capitulation, DR.. Gaup goes on to say
that 1t Is not so easy for German to
understand clearly the part the Ger.
man fleet now plays.
at is not Germany's only protec.
tion and only weapon" he writes,
shut the fleet Is piece Of armor GOV.
ering vulnerable spot, and thereby
making the free handling Of arms and
shield possible. Without It the enemy
would lie thick before our harbors
inithe Baltic and the North Sea; with
out It our armies would have to reck-
on with hostile forces landing on our
coasts at any moment and thus tie
8ing up large armies for their protec.
ton. Without the fleet our most i'm.
portant way into the open, leading
over the Baltic. would have been shut
from the first days OF the war. With
out 1t England could have brought
entirely different pressure to bear on
Denmark, and in the Dardanelles, and
might have terroriZed the whole Bal.
kans into joining the entente, with.
Quilt every attempt OF the neutrals
to restrict the English disposition over
i the sea would be hopeless. Only the
existence OF strong German fleet
has forced England TO pay certain
regard to the United States; without
it Englands chances Of wearing us
down into peace, would be ten times
greater than they are today,
~ do not believe that any English.
man with technical expert knowledge
doubts that our fleet has pursued the
one correct, and for England. fatal
strategy, OF continuing as fleet In
being and SO made the enemy's su.
premacy at sea only provisional and
conditional to provoke a decisive bat.
tie against an overwhelmingly super.
Tor force would be heroic, but 1t would
not be war, It would be playing the
Senemy's game. That our navy would
take any opportunity to measure her.
self against the foe, where the chanc.
esSwere at all equal, she has proved
sufficiently and will also prove fur
Sther. 1t is also certain that the Eng
glisf will give them no such opportun.
Sity, sc they. know it. Before the war
II heard In England, over and over
again, that the German feet, ship for
ship, was as good as the English-in
thelmouth of an Englishman the high.
est praise he could give--the expert.
ence they have had since may make
them doubt II they said enough and
nov they may prefer only fight when
they are certain Of having q greater
4orce.n