River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-01-10
10 CURB III" BOATS
Sea Jitneys" Suggested for At
tack on German Bases.
canadian Naval AirpIane Fighter,
Home to Recover From ShrapneI
Wounds Expresses an Opinion.

Theorizing about war conditions has
grown quite as tireSome, no doubt, to
ne people who read newspapers as it
las to most of the people who write
.or them. Yet, now and then, you
meet a man who theories from the
Jacts of experience and knowledge and
Who points something out that gives
tood for thought. Such a case, 1t
seemed to several of US, when a quiet
little chap, son of a Canadian million
Are, told us his view of the war in
is present stage. a New York CORE
gpOndent of the Cincinnati Times-Star
writes. His brother was killed at the
Marine and he himself is home to re-
when he was flying a naval airplane
some thousands of feet above town
)n the Belgian coast.
"The outstanding fact, just now,"
ne said, sis that the German U-boats
are doing pretty nearly as much as
hey were expected to do and that we
have no effective defense against them.
The Germans are almost justified in
believing that they are on the way to-
ward starving England into submis-
sion. If we don't find a new and sue
lcessful way to combat the U-boats the
situation in England will soon be very
Critical. Of course, I fancy way will
be found. But it must be something
entirely new in warfare. For my part,
L am convinced that success can be
obtained only by the apparently des-
perate undertaking of assaults by sea
upon the U-boat bases. I say 'appar-
emily Desperate By any known or
tried method such assaults would be
simply useless and suicidal.
'The German harbors are mined,
netted from end to end and fortified
with tremendous shore batteries of
heavy and aircraft guns. How can the
bases be attacked? Well, of course,
that will be settled by some one else
than /, but I have heard a theoretical
plan of attack proposed by one of our
naval men which made great impress
sion on me. He said we must build
thousands Of small submarines-sOme-
thing like the sea jitneys' which man
ufacturers have talked abOut-and go
into the German harbors with swarms
of them, at the risk Of losing ninety
nine out of every hundred boats and
crews. Barrage fire and bombing have
been the new and successful things in
land fighting.
"This officers proposal is for some
thing like an undersea duplication OF
this plan of attack. Most of the little
boats would be lost, no doubt, but most
of them would succeed in doing ma
terial damage with one or two tOrpe-
does. Nets would be blown away, mines
exploded, guard ships sunk and such
other Reorganization of the harbOr de-
lenses accomplished as to give the big
ships a chance to complete the work.
Yes. it's true that a man would hardly
need to worry about his return trip
il he went in on one of these little
boats. 1t would be work for volun-
teers. But the volunteers would be
plentiful enough. That | am sure OF.
eff such attacks promised to win
the fight against the U-boats, men
would be willing to go. It would be
enough for them to know that they
we're striking the sea murderers at
their home, and that some of them
might possibly get back"