The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1918-11-20
HOPE RESTED ON
BLUFF AND LIES
Capt. Persius, Famous Ger.
man Naval Critic, Makes
Sensational Disclosures.
MANY SHIPS DlSMANTLED
This Necessary to Secure
Metal for U-Boats-Fleet

| iu VOA PC
London, Nov. 20 3 IN. S.)-(By
British Wireless S)-The hope
that the German ,,sould be able
in a second Skaget Ebattle to beat
the British fleet I'd upon bluff
and the lies of German naval
authorities, writ Sapt. Persius.
famous German q critic in an
article in the B( ( Tageblatt.
Capt. Persius - hosen the mo-
ment when the g vessels of the
| German navy AZ . out to be sur
| rendered to thei to publish his
sensational reverr.~-Jns about the
l'German navy.
British Tonnage Double.
In August. 1914. Germany had
about 100000 tonnage in warships
while Great Britain had more than
double that amount. and. thanks to
the mistakes of Won Tirpitz, the
German material was quite inferior
to the British, Capt. Persius points
out.
In the Skagerraek battle the Ger
man fleet was saved from destruc-
tion partly by good leadership and
partly by favorable weather condi-
tions. Had the weather been clear
or Won Scheer's leadership less able,
the destruction Of the whole German
navy would have resulted. The long
range British guns would have
smashed completely the lighter armed
German ships.
Enormous Losses.
As it was, the losses Of the Ger
man fleet were enormous and on
June /, it was clear to every think
ing man that the Skagerrack battle
must be the only one of the war.
On all sides Won Tirpitz was ad-
vised to construct only submarines
but he remained obstinate.
On Oct. 1, several members of the
reichstag made an earnest appeal to
the army command and not to naval
staff with the result that an order
was issued terminating the construc-
ton Of German battleships in order
that the material might be employed
in building U-boats. In the mean
WHILE. there was so great a scarcity
of materials that it became neces-
sary to disarm a number Of battle
manner, at the beginning of 1915,
armed, among them one newly built
cruiser. At the beginning of this
year, concludes Capt. Persius, the
German navy consisted only of
and battleships of the
Kaiser and Margraf type
and some few battle cruisers.
Cost lnnumefabIe Millions.
All of the ships which Won Tirpitz |
from 1897 to 1915 at a |
cost of innumerable millions, had |
been destroyed and the U-boats were
unable to fight against the British |
Persius, in his article, goes on to
say that Won Capelle constructed
very few submarines and work was
continued only on the construction
of bigger U-boats.
Claims Untrue.
The report that Germany's sub
marine losses were negligible is uE-
rue, Persius says.
In 1917 eighty-thre submarines
we're constructed and siXty-siX were
In April Of that year,
Germany had 126 U-boats and in
October, 146. In February, 1918.
Germany had 1856 submarines. In
[une of the same year. the German
lavy had 113.
Those were called front submar-
nes," though as a matter or fact,
,ery few of them were actively oc-
.upied.
In January, 1917, when conditions
we're favorable for submarine activi-
les, 6hly II percent were on active
luty. Thirty percent were in har-
,ors, and 3S percent. were under
,oing repairs.
Submarine crews were not sufti-
iently educated and trained and
ooked with great distrust upon this
Weapon. In the last months of the
var it was very difficult in Germany
o get men for submarine crews,
ant Persius admitted.