The Washington herald., 1916-06-05
"Why the German Fleet Won"

The editorial so entitled in morning con-
temporary's Sunday issue is altogether admirable
except its title and possibly an cxaggeration of
the utility OF Zeppelins. Another victory or two
of the sort would leave Cermanys naval
power even more hopelcssly inferior to Great
Brtan's As in the North Sea fight Germany
claimed that the British battleship, Lion, was
sunk, she now claims that the Warspite and
Marlborough were destroyed, and from the first
she has undercstimatcd her own losses; but the
German people before long may find out that it
is Germany and not Great Britain that has
suffered the greatest loss of Dreadnoughts.
Would Germany have undertaken this enter
prise if she had thought she would suffer such
loss of men and materiel and leave her enemy
still no less paramount than before? Whatever
that enterprise to the North" was on which her
fleet sailed out, it has been perforce abandoned,
and the German navy, depleted in and
materiel, has again retired to the shelter of its
mines and defenses shore 1t is bottled up
again more securely than ever, and cannot we'll
incur the risk of another such venture.
Admiral Beatty must have felt sure that the
main fleet Of Great Britain was within supporting
distance when, although greatly outnumbercd
and outclassed he attempted to interpose his
SO to prevent their escape and detached one
OF his swiftest cruisers 70 bring the British bat
tleships up. This movement was not merely an
other instance Of the dalntlcss courage and au-
dacty of the British sailor who is sometimes too
ready, like Paul Jones, Lord Dundonald, or Sir
Richard Grenville, to attempt without adequate
means what seems almost impossible
He is the winner who accomplishes the main
object with which he sets out, whether it be the
capture OF Paris, the breaking uD Of the Russian
army, or bursting through the Ypres gate to
Calais. Germany's naval feat is not even so sue
cessful or so promising her work at Nerdun.
Our contemporarys theory that the Germans 80
maneuvered as to draw the inferior British cruiser
fleet into action, inflicting heavy punishment be-
for. British battleships could come to the res
cue, is rejected by naval experts, including Sir
Cyprian Bridge, who seems to incline to the
theory that the British tempted the German fleet
by detaching a comparatively small force in the
hope that the Germans would attack and could
be kept engaged till the British battleships came
up and took part. But, our contemporary
says, "a night engagement then ensucd between
the two battleship fleets, during which the Ger
mans retired and reached their base with COM
paratvely little damage" There is no doubt
that the Germans, as King George has said, di.
"Ot 'aIly ~ hSht II OUT ana IN view OF the
accounts proclaimed az first bv the Germans
and their insane jubilations at Berlin, it is not
surprising that contemporary refers to their
comparatively little damage This is now proved
to be erroneous, and, as the facts arc ascertaned
the German losses in mon and matericl are shown
to be more and more serious. and their want Of
respect for the truth and for the intelligence Of
an observing world has been rendered still more
apparent. The reaction, in their policy OF
"frightfulness" is bound to be all the more dis
astrous to their cause