The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1917-05-17
THE BRITISH NAVY
Sidney Brooks Tells What It Has Ac-
complished for the Allies Since
Commencement of War.
France Would Have Been Completely
Subjugated in Few Months Had
England Remained Neutral.

Z :
Sidney Brooks, the famous English
writer, in an article in the National
Geographic Magazine, graphically
portrays what would have happened to
France and Russia in the first months
of the European war had it not been
for the activities of the British navy.
Mr.. Brooks could have also truthfully
said that the United States would
have had serious trouble with Ger
many long ago had it not been for
that same British navy, even as far
back as 1898 in Manila Bay.
We quote from Mr.. Brooks interest
ing article:
II like to think Of some future
Mahan using the history of this war
to point the deadly realities of sea-
power. He will need no other exam
pie: Everything that naval supremacy
means or can ever mean has been
taught in the past 80 months in a
fashion that he who runs may read.
Suppose Great Britain had re-
manned neutral and the British navy
had never moved. What would have
happened? The German and Austrian
dreadnaughts, with a five-to-one pre-
ponderance over the combined dread
naught strength of France and Russia.
would have held an easy command
over the sea. Germany could then
have supplemented her land attack by
disembarking troops on both the Rus
sian and the French coasts in the rear
of the Russian and French armies; she
would have shut off all the French
oversee trade; she would have cap
tured or destroyed or driven into port
practically the whole Of the French
and Russian merchant marine; France
would have been blockaded; with her
chief industrial provinces in German
occupation, she would have been pre-
vented from importing any food, any
raw material, any munitions; while
Germany would have been free to draw
on the resources Of the entire world.
In less than six months, for all her
magnificent valor, France could not
but have succumbed.
'That was the Prussian calculation
and it was perfectly sound one; but
it fell like house Of cards when
Great Britain interviewed. Instead of
securing at once the command Of the
sea, Germany lost it at once. Every
thing that she had hoped to inflict up
on France and Russia by maritime SUI
premacy was in fact inflicted upon
herself. What has made it possible
for us to land some 100000 men on
the continent of Europe, equipped with
every single item in the infinitely
varied paraphernalia of modern war"
So. y 4 x
The United States has built up with
the Allies trade that throws all pre-
vious American experience of foreign
commerce into the shade. But how
many Americans, wonder, stop to
ask themselves how it is that this vast
volume of merchandise has crossed the
Atlantic in the midst of the greatest
war in all history almost as swiftly
and securely as in the days of pro-
foundest peace?" ..---..
** Il
Defeat the British navy and the
war is over in six weeks. There lies
Germany's hope not only to peace, but
to full and final victory. Take away
from the grand alliance the support of
the British navy and the whole struc-
ture collapses into nothingness."
Germany has really had no option
but to use her submarines for all they
are worth. Her one chance of STAYING
off defeat is to raise the British block
ade, to break British sea-power, to
starve Britain into surrender. It is
a ten or twenty to one chance against
success. But what does that matter
when it is her only chance?
"She sees and sees correctly that
our control of the oceans is not a mere
adjunct to the strength of the alliance.