Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-06-10
HAS PLAN TO EXTEND
BLOCKADE OF GERMANY
French Vice Admiral Degouy Out
lines Scheme Whereby Kiel Canal
Could Be Made Useless.

Correspondence of the Associated Press.
PARIS, May 20.-The allies could ex-
tend their blockade to the German
coast in the Baltic and neutralize the
strategic advantages of the Kiel canal,
according to Vice Admiral Degouy of
the French navy.
The first OF the necessary operations
to accomplish this. he points out, would
be an attack upon the canal by an
aerial force of 100 to $50 units divided
into iotillas of twenty to thirty ma
chimes each. One of the fiotillas would
attack the bridge of Grunthal, one the
viaduct of Rendsburg. and another
the bridge of Levansau. while three
other f1otillas held in reserve would
repeat the attack after an interval Of
twenty-four to forty hours. The first
after the time required for taking on
fresh supplies and the reserve fiotillas
would follow again as before.
This continuity of attack from the
able by reason of the instability of the
soil in certain places and the insult
ficient reinforcement of certain bridge
heads after the enlargement of the
canal would. Admiral Degouy declares.
assure obstruction of sufficient dura-
ton; whatever defensive measures the
Germans might take against these con-
certed attacks would not prevent fruit
full results.
While the base from which such air
assaults might be made is only limited
at by Admiral Degouy, an operation
speedily executed would. according to
his theory. make possible landing at
an isolated point on the German coast
and it's sufficient fertilization so as
fully to protect the establishment Of
an immense aviation camp within sixty
to eighty miles of the canal terminus.
Would Involve Many Losses.
The forcing Of the straits and mine
fields would involve considerable losses
from submarines and mines before the
entente fleets would get into effective
contact either with the German battle
feet or the defenses of the Elbe. the adj
miral declares, but he did not think this
should be considered as prohibitive of
the effort. Admiral Degouy discards
the hypothesis that it would be possible
to surprise the German feet under pres
ent conditions; it's mobility would be
such that it could meet an attack at
either end of the canal, since 1t requires
only twenty-four hours to pass through
the Elbe and the canal to the Grand
belt.
The entente allies could put into ac-
ton 10 vessels of the line. of which
seventy-Six are dreadnaughts and TWEEN
ty-eight are protected cruisers. against
forty-four German dreadnaughts and
three or four battle cruisers. according
to the admiraIs estimate. The Russian
fleet Is not included in these figures. but
Admiral Degouy points out that even IL
the Russians could not join the British
and French fleets, they would detach a
certain number of the big German units
SO as to enable the allies to present at
both ends of the canal simultaneously
forces outnumbering the entire Ger
man fleet.
This estimate takes no account of
probable losses in approaching the
positions, and hence the admiral holds
that effective operations of the air fleet
on the canal is an essential condition of
a successful attack. The forcing of the
Grand belt and the Langeland belt in
sufficient strength to blockade the ford
of KieI and the forcing from west to
east of the Fehrmann belt, Admiral
Degouy declares. is. notwithstanding
the mine field and submarines, far easier
than the forcing of the Dardanelles.
and entirely feasible with the co-opera-
ton of an aerial fleet.