The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-02-08
GERMAN AD MIRAL
ACCUSES ALLIES
OF C0WARDICE
Says Spirit of Nelson No Longer
Lives in British Fleet
GERMANS MORE COURAGEOUS
Although outnumbered Four to One
Tcneons Have Attacked Enemy's
Coast.

Be lin, Feb. Strand Admiral Won
koester, president of the German ma
val league, in an address at Kiel uni
versity yesterday discussed the con
siderations governing the part that is
to be played by the German navy in
the present war lie declared that
the relative strength OF the German
fleet compared to the Anglo-F'rench,
Russian feet is perhaps one to four.
The British, he added, perhaps est-
mated German lust fc battle so
highly that they had said to then
selves. some day they will come
and we shall be able TO assume battle
in situation favorable for u.s.
Another possibility. Admiral Won
Koeste- declared, was that The Brit
ish have higher regard for the Ge'-
man feet than Nelson mad for the
French or the Spanish. That the OF
fensive spirit OF The Germans is great
er than that of the British. the ad-
m. al continued. can justly be assum-
ed when one recalled that the Ger
mans had taken an offensive against
England's east coast whereas the En-
glish had not dared 10 approach the
German coast.
we are full of the drmest conf
dence in our feet" said Admiral Won
Kocstor but we know that sea
battle means death or yict0y. and
that destroyed feet cannot be re-
placed in the course of the war, even
il il lasts for years We must there
fore under all conditions be cautious
in our procedure and allow ourselves
to be melted to no deed which might
eventuate in our defeat
For what would be the situation II
a. sea battle took place tomorrow, n
which each one Of our ships took
hostile ship to the bottom with it. and
perhaps some others? Then we
should be without a feet and Englano
could proceed gradually in its attacks
against our coasts. And you can be
sue, after the conduct of England in
our colonies, that no city would he
spared Our coast from Emden 10
Memel would be most severely threat
ened Landing attempts, If they were
sufficiently wen prepared, could sue
ceed at places most uncomfortable
for us. our fleet must otect us UNI
der all conditions and may accept bat
tie only when it can reckon on vic
tory"
Admiral Won Rooster declared that
the course OF the naval war up to the
present had caused him great SUI
prise. He added that the British sec
retary of state for the navy seven
years ago declared that Germany
would wake up some morning and
find her fleet one He also recalled
the utterance of Winston Spencer
Churchill. first lord Of the British ad
miralty, in a speech At London last
September, in which the German fleet
was designated as a luxury and in
which he said that if the warships
did not come out and fight they would
he dug out like rats in hole" "Af-
te- these sayings, Admiral Won Koes-
ter declared, zone had expected other
things from the British feet than it
has accomplished. am almost
tempted to believe that the spirit or
Nelson 10 longer lives in it,"
In conclusion Admiral Won Koestel
said the fact that Admiral INishe., the
British first sea lord, had not changed
the plans that were being pursued by
Prince Louis of Battenburg, the fer
mer first sea lord, "can be taken as
showing England's intention to die
tate TENS of peace eventually with
its fleet.