The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-09-26
DOVER STRAITS THE COCKPIT
OF BRITISH NAVY AS BELGIUM
IS OF ARMY, DECLARES EXPERT
Fleet Activities Off Belgian Coast Reveal Dependence of
Trenches of Naval Flank-Foci of Conflict Must Co
operate to Gain Final Success.
~ the Naval Correspondents Of The
London Times


-
Hy the Naval corresnondeuH of The
Iondon Tgr,es
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70 ny iiisr 10 = mo-
News 5ureAu, mt
mere can pc Few Questions arisins
U ~, oi .ne conouct OF tne operations Oh
sne war more imporr1nt ana lnterest-
man ina. Oh the herman oecupa-
uons ~ the osisian coast. tnls
nsisnpornooo tnat serves as the haunt
OF submarines which prey upon our
Soninerce' OF torpeoo craIt wnicn at
tempL 70 RAID our transport traIric IN
me Ensnsn channel ana shell UT
srores oy night ana OF aircraI.' potn
1eppenns anu aeropianes, wnlcn nave
80. Anu .aA
W.. - neipless woe anu ID e
no con.inueo oceupa'ioii9 " Ing p ,sA
sian coast rceloh py our enemies mas
reacneo position wnen. II NOT SO ser
ious as 70 aIIect vitality the chances OF
victory. 1t has become an fntoieraoie
nuisance
some iontns now apaie iIo,ii
tne submarine attacRs upon tne 80 49,
oA tne Wofio, the belgian coast mas
pcen pracucaHy tne ohiy place IN
Whicn fghting Dy sea mas peen going
ion- what large part OF the naval
warfare mas peen Waseo IN tnat COM n
parativeiy small paraAeiosram from
Nieuport OF the belgian Dutch IRON
TIER ON the one sioe, ana from lover
10 Harwicn on the otner- IN the area
water oounoeo ps tnese ewo coases'
Ine sreater part ot sne HsnLng us-
tween the Sernan anu DIuisn Aiee.s'
apart from tne larger acaons IN .ne
NOTTn AGA. DR0n
oeen known In history as ine cocApil
OF europe.
IN appraising the sltuauon wnicn
came about wnen the Germans seized
tne 6eisian coast towns anu V.iiases,
the peculiar character Of tne FORMER
mas o1ten peen torgolten, especialiy
the sdifference between Ostend ana
1eeprusge- Inc former Is an open
roaostead' watn naroor OF no great
importance. even as port TOT .orpeoo
craft ID very muchS EXPOSED 70 na-
val attack' anu Wnen sucn ae.ach -
combined with aeriai attack, the place
u very Vulnerable. Tne cneI tning
wnlcn mas prevented the oestructlon
OF ostend as naval nase mas peen me
presence OF the German ions Ianse
guns mounted penlno the ounes'
'"hicn nave const.uteo 9 o,lticui. pro
position 10 deal Win On the occasion
wnen. a naval force mas approached
the place 70 carry out pomparoment
i mas usually been owing 70 Iriendiy
Toe OF mist rnat these nlocen guns
nave not tn1hcteo damage OF loss upon
the attacKrrs-
AS showing what can be achieved py
bold and skillfup method. however; the
neavy oompardment OF Ostend py
FORCES from the lover patroi on June
otn last rs Illumination. AS result o.
this attack. the majority OF the work
shops IN the dockyard basin, the
wharf, the submarine shelter. and
destroyer under repair We're paoiy
damaged. while several vessels We're
sunk All this was confirmed by pho
tograpnic reconnaissance by. X. N. A
y. machines. and the Work OF the Pho
toerapners IN this connection was MT
tie short OF marvellous. The selections
from their pictures which the Admir-
atty allowed to be published have been
among be most wonderful photo
GRAPHIC records obtained In the war
me effect OF the bombardment OF
June 9TH was to clear the harbor Of
Ostsnd entirely or enemy shipping
the airmen reporting that the place
presented deserted appearance
zeebruGge Ia In a very different po-
~~~~~~N~~o - $40 NSe~N- 49, AS<'SA~ q
port, its connection by canal with
Bruges gives II manifest advantages
There torpedo and other craft anchor.
ed off Ostend would be forced to put
to sea by an aerial or naval lombard
ment. others In Zeebrugge sharbol
could retire through the canals to q
more secure locality. Bomb-prool
shelters In Bruges hsve saved many q
German submarine from disaster dur,
ing the allied raids, so that even thu
most successful of the latter may hav,
failed to attain its most desired OBJ
5ect--the destruction Of the enemy
mobile sea forces. A port in itsel
does not command the sea, but whe1
it confers such advantages upon thu
ships which use the sea, it increases
their striking power and effectiveness
to q considerable extent
The story of the British naval oper
atoms off the Belgian coast opens witt
the despatch In the first month Of tn
war of a brigade OF Royal Marines I,
Qstend. for the occupation of tn
town and the surrounding district
The need for this force, having pass
ed 1t was withdrawn a few days lat
er. Early in October, 1914, however
the Germans foiled In their plans 70
advancing upon Paris. turned thei
attention as an alternative to tn,
coast, and began their push for Dun
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