The Washington herald., 1915-12-26
Kaiser's Impregnable De-
fenses Revealed by English
Admiralty Official to Show
How Unfair Is Criticism Of
Admiral Jellico and the
British Fleet. -
BY JOHN r.. BALDERSTON.
Copyright, Wk)

"oTyrl8ut Olo.D
London. Dec. 2h-From an admiralty
source I have obtained a summary OF
the Information in the possession of the
intelligence department here concerning
the measures taken for the protection
from Admiral Jellicoe of the German har-
bors, coasts and warships.
Ever since the war began the British
navy mas been invited by the Germans
TO come out and Cght," and has silently
suffered the sneers OF its enemies, who
have represented that the most power
fui feet In the world has been afraid
to challenge a weaker enemy In his own
waters. Neutral opinion has been af.
fected by these taunts, and even in Great
Britain a large section OF the public has
vague notion that the fleet has not
done what 1t ought to do.
Now Ready to Give Answer.
The admiralty point Of view is that the
British fleet has fulfilled its mission in
holding the command Of the world 6
oceans, destroying German commerce and
conveying millions Of troops from the
r'ost distant, lands. Until now the ad-
m: 'lty has been content to ignore the
Widespread feeling among friends. en-
emies and neutrals that the fleet ought
to do more; that 1t should destroy the
German battleships, smash I'D the Kiel
canal. bomhard the German coasts and
make possible the landing of invading
armies. The facts given In this article
were forthcoming from a high official aft
er l had represented that Germany was
capitalizing all over the world the ap-
parent fear of Britain to attack her. and
that while the public understood that
submarines and mines protected the Ger
man coasts. II was nevertheless widely
felt that the two-to-one superiority In
ships and gun power possessed by JeIli-
coe would warrant him In concedinR Won
Tirpitz the handicap imposed on an an
tagonist who consents to play the game
on the enemy's home grounds
German Sea Defenses ImprexnabIe.
The following description of the German
defenses against the British fleet lis. I
am assured. the first TO be published
Certainly none have appeared from Ger
man sources. This account is designed
to give the main defensive plans of the
eiermans in sufficient detail to prove the
thesis of the British admiralty that the
German coasts and the German fleet are
impregnable against attack from the
North Sea Not all the details known
to the British concerning the reception
planned for them by the Teutons can be
given. because 1t Is bad policy in war
TO inform tho enemy that YOU know what
lie Is doing unless you are sure that he
knows that you know.
The German coast line on the North
Sea. extending from the Dutch frontier
near Emden 10 the Danish border. il
about 30 miles long. but a straight line
drawn from the mouth OF the river Ems
to the frontier of Denmark. is only IL
miles In length. This line constitutes the
base of what the Germans call the wet
triangle ~
Apex Month of the EIbe,
The apex of the triangle is the mouth
of the River Elbe. For many years II
has been the German aim to make this
triangle invincible against attack, and
the triangle includes. besides much water.
al1> the North Sea coast line excepting
the Southwestern bit which bulges our
between Emden and WiIhelmshaven.
The famous island of Helgoland. ceded
by ENGLAND In an unluCky hour, Is sit
uated about the middle of the base of the
wet triangle
The waters within the wet triangle.
as well as those about the German Frisian
Islands. which extend along the coast
as far as the mouth of the River Jade
are mined So many thousands of mines
are in position that no ship. German or
British. can reach the German coasts
from the North Sea or the North Sea
from Germany. excepting in one of four
ways.
There are four channels through the
mine fields. and only four. Each is less
than 1000 yards wide. These have been
left open for the use of German war
ships. submarines. mine layers and other
craft that may wish to travel between
the four open" ports of Germany and
the North Sea. One OF them leads to