Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-07-16
GERMANY RUNNING
SHORT Of WEAPONS
FOR SUB NJ N Es.

WAoI11-NN1ON, July lo-1nere Is
reason to believe that the German
torpedo supply is weakening, says a
statement issued at the Navy League
headquarters.
The increasing frequency with
which press dispatches report mer-
chant ships as successfully lodging
German torpedoes, says the state
ment, suggests to the technically
trained mind that the German torpedo
is detoriorating> in speed and hence
in accuracy of fire at long range.
AT the outset, the statement CON
tinues, the Germans were extremely
careful to conserve their torpedoes.
Merchant ships were sunk by gunfire
wherever possible. But the arming
of merchant ships and the constant
improvement in the Allies system of
defense against submarine attack has
uI4fCu tAS ouDthel luSS ulIuSI WdISI
and they are now forced to use tor
pedoes in almost every attack. The
increase in the number of sub
marines has further added to the
strain upon the German stock of tor
pedoes.
An analysis of reports on subma-
rine attacks now indicates that this
precedented expenditure of torpedoes
is beginning to tell upon the effec-
tiveness of the U-boat warfare. The
Germans are pressing their subma-
rine campaign with all possible
vigor and the number of attacks on
merchant ships appears to be increas-
ing, Also the zone of submarine
operations is constantly widening
Yet this increased fury with which
the U-boat warfare is being waged
has failed to increase the merchant
ships sunk. The Germans apparent
y are being forced to constantly
greater efforts to maintain their
average of sinkings and even so are
slipping back slightly.
The explanation of this offered by
certain naval experts is that the
Germans are being pressed for time in
the construction of torpedoes that
they can no longer maintain their
speed and their accuracy of fire. 1t
is estimated that the German torpedo
has lost nearly ten knots in speed
from the standard torpedo used at
the outset of the war.
1t takes normally six months to
construct a torpedo and costs many
thousand dollars There is also a
chance of Germany running short in
some material essential in theil
manufacture Whether this has oc
CURED is not known but the con
clusion has been reached that the in
dividual German torpedoe is losing in
efficiency.
The U-boat warfare as now being
waged. it is said, was undoubtedly
not thought out and prepared for by
Germany before the war. Therefore
the stock of torpedoes was not suf
ficient for the purpose. The deficien
cy has been made up by increasing
the output of torpedoes But with
the tremendous land operations she
has essayed, Germany could not have
devoted maximum of labor or ma
terials to the making of torpedoes.
Had she done this it is not doubt
ed she could have kept up the sup
ply. But sacrifices in the torpedo
supply were made to satisfy the folly
of the Crown Prince of Verdun.
Naval experts ar rightly con-
tinuing to stress the vital importance
of attempting to destroy the power
of the submarine by some new de-
fCioPAlShI III H@Fdi SIioIo6y. No uS-
gree Of deterioration in the effective
ness of German torpedo attack would
lessen these efforts at effective war
fare against the submarines, Yet the
interest of naval experts has been
attracted by this recent record of
performance of the German torpedoes.
They are wondering whether Ger
many can sbandt much longer the
strain of this staggering expenditure
Of torpedoes.