The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-01-08
Wemyss' Appointment Presages
BIG Allied Offensive on the Sea?
German Naval Eggs All in
Heligoland Basket, Says
Fiske, Smash Them, She
Can't Win.
BY FREDERICK N. KERRY.

does the appointment of Wee Ad-
miral Sir Rosslyn Wemyss as first sea
lord OF the British admiralty foreshad
ow a change in allied naval strategy?
VIII the long contemplated direct at
tack on German naval bases be the
result? Can the German fleets, hid
den behind the mine fields and batter
les Of Heiigoland. be successfully at
tackled? II so, how?
put these questions TO Rear Ad-
miral Bradley A. Fiske. former aid for
operations of the L. S. navy. president
Of the Naval Institute. and inventor of
the torpedoplane. the telescope sight
that has revolutioniZed naval gunnery,
and many other naval appliances.
The history o. u.a.c,,le shows that
where decisive battles have been fought
IL was In practically every case the re-
suit of strong attack against a point
that was vital to the enemy and yet
comparatively weak" answered Ad
Iiniral Fiske.
THAT is the essence of successful
sttategy.
Noting this. we can realize that Ger
In;lny's weakest point Is her navy, that
II IL vital to her, and that. therefore.
a strong attack should be made upon
1t.
THE whole German navy is now con-
cehtrated in the region of kielS and
Wilhclmshavcn: she has, so to speak.
all her naval eggs in one basket.
Her naval power lies behind great
mine fields just as the garrison OF "A
fort in times past was protected be-
hind the thick walls Of a fort.
HRnt when ttnrkfnrcg ftpnp f,uinl
that 1t could not break through The
walls of the fort, il utilized scaling
ladders to climb over: and these Ger
man mine fields, If they cannot te
broken through. can be flown over with
!, airplapes. ,.ta,.
II believe that air attacks ON scale
sufficiently great would smash those
German eggs.
mo military defeat now possible
could injure Germany as much as
would the destruction Of her fleet.
THAT fleet could not possibly be re-
placed. @
without II. Germany could not even
put psa pretense of hope for achieving
the ambition for world domination with
which she commenced this war. or u
chance of maintaining even mediocre
place In the family Of nations.
apparently the submarine campaign
il losing some Of its effectiveness
but whether or not the U-boats
have been beaten, We have got to re-
member that the submarine is only
one Qf lpaHM naval wea.ans, and naval
T strategy recognizes the fact that SO
long as an enemy's fleet exists as a
fighting force, it constitutes Il ocntin-
ning menace. from which an attack of
some kind may be expected nj any mo-
ntcnt.
For this reason. no mere drop in
the curve OF submarine sinknss should
blind us to the desirability Of sinh ing
or disabling the German feet.
THE possibility of doAg this lies
In q direct attack.
THE distance from England Ia kiel
is only as miles. and from northeast
ern France to the same place is only
400 miles; while the distance from
these points to Wilhelmshaecn are only
go and 300 miles respectively.
"A squadron of Caproni airplanes re-
Gently made trip of S75 miles without
stopping.
"Airpianes capable of carrying fun
sized torpedoes from England to KEEL
OF discharging them and returning sue
cessfuliy, can be constructed. II they
do not already exist.
In my opinion all the elements OF
successful direct attack upon tho
German navy and it's bases are avail
able. The appropriate mechanisms fol
the work already have been invented.
The effect of the destruction of Ger.
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