El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-10-24
GERMANY 'SLAST
HOPE HERFLEET
Signs Multiply That She
Plans a Great Naval
Offensive.
By W. p. CRoZTER-
4 Leading British Military and Naval
Writer.

London. Eng. Oct. 24.-Win Ger
many's waning fortunes on land drive
| her to use the high seas fieet2
There are already signs Of com
ing change OF policy. Won Holtzen-
dorff. the chief Of naval staff. has
been dismissed His successor is Won
Scheer, the commander OF the high
seas fleet. and our opponent in the
Jutland battle.
There is no reason why Won Scheer
should be brought from the fleet
merely to conduct an intenser sub
marine campaign But II il is a ques-
ton Of using all the resources Of the
navy on offensive lines. there is good
sense in making Won Scheer respou-
sible for the general plan OF opera
tons and appointing one Of his eX-
perienced subordinates to command
the fleet.
May Try for Sea Room
The report that Won Capelle, the
naval secretary. has also been dis
missed and that Won Behncke has
taken his place. points IN the same
direction. for Won Behncke was At
the admiralty in its more aggressive
days az the beginning Of the war
The German general staff mem
hers know in their very bones
that the British fleet has de-
prIved them OF victory in the war.
They make no secret of II.
Baron Won Freystag. the deputy
chief OF general staff. has complained
that Germany's conquests on land
would have given her the final vic
tory in any other war. But the con-
troll OF the sea has put the resources
OF the world at the service Of the
allies.
Sea Expresses Germany.
Today the sea Expresses Germany
more than ever For the American
with ii wanes all hope OF a German
victory in the west
Let US put ourselves IN Germauy's
place
war which in our opinion we had
fairly won on land II we had a tire
mendous battle fleet intact. equipped
with a great array Of submarines and
aircraft-new arms Of as yet meal
culable power2
The Germans will be no more con-
tent than we should be II we were
in their shoes.
They are always being consoled for
their deprivations by being promised
a swift end TO the war. But the end
Last year It was TO have been
.reached-in six months'-through the
submarine.
The submarine failed. And Capt
Persius. the naval expert, has now
constantly TO argue that the fault
done wonders" hut with the too
high expectations raised concern
ins It.
There IS the faint possibility OF an
eastern campaign-a return to Hin
denburg's east.
And there is the fleet. Observe how
many arguments the German staff
can use in favor Of aggressive naval
methods
II the high seas fleet does not
move. Germany's position must be-
come not better. but definitely worse.
The submarine campaign, already
hit. viii dwindle and wither.
The German naval staff might have
said until recently that IL is only the
existence OF the battle fleet that pre-
vents the British from mining in. II
not actually attacking. the German
bases. The fleet protects and makes
possible the submarine campaign
Challenge to German Fleet.
But II the German reports are 20
be trusted. the British are already
carrying their mining schemes to-
wards the German bases in defiance
OF the high seas fleet The Ger
mans say that the other day British
light forces went close in 10 the Ger
man coast TO lay n mine field, sup
ported by n great battle fleet That
is 4 definite challenge to the German
fleet TO come out and prevent their
bases from being blocked
1t is true that submarines were
used by the Germans in the battle OF
the Hellgoland Blight in 1914. and in
the battle OF Jutland in 1916. and that
they proved to be unsuccessful against
the high speed our maneuvering
power of the English battle squad
rons- But 4 great deal has been
earned about the management OF the
submarine during the last two years,
and the Germans would be dullheads,
indeed. II they did not hope 10 turn
to good use the experience which
they have accumulated in their long
contest with our swarming anti sub
marine flotillas-
subs Are Dangerous.
Submarines which have specialized
against conveys and fought with the
escorting destroyers. seaplanes and
balloons will be more dangerous op-
ponents for battle fleets. than the
comparative novices who attacked US
two years since in the Jutland battle
Nor ought the allies to underesti-
mate the possibilities OF aircraft IN a
future naval battle. II the Germans
can choose their ground they viii
seek to engage a section Of the enemy
fleet near TO their own bases, hoping
both to secure the advantage OF sur
prise and to have behind them the
means OF safe retreat. In such a con-
test they would reckon with reason
on having far more aircraft avail
able than the allied fleet could carry
with II, and they would use their ma
chimes not only for reconnaissance,
but for attack.
Bare Chance of Victory.
These advantages, il will be said,
are problematicaL But so is every
thing in war. No plan. no tactic. no
new arm can be Judged until it has
been tried. no victory. as marshal
Foch has said. NO battle. 10 deci-
sion
It Is difficult to believe that the
great German fleet viii suffer the
humiliation Of seeing its bases and
its submarines mined in without
striking a blow. In this connection
we must not forget the German peo-
pie. The continuance Of the war de-
ponds on their fortitude.
Nothing would more inspirit them
than an aggressive naval policy
against Britain and America. the
enemies who mean Germany's IN