The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-11-29
PERSIUS LAYS BARE
GERMAN NAVY BLUFF
Many Capital Ships Were Stripped to
Build Submarines, Ger
man Writer Asserts.

LONDON. Nov 29.-Captain Persius,
the German naval critic, has chosen the
moment when the finest vessels of the
German navy have been surrendered
70 the allies to publish in the Berlin
Tageblatt an article containing reve-
lations regarding the German fleet. Cap
tain Persius SAYS the hope that the
German fleet would be able in second
Skagerrak battle to beat the British
feet rested upon the bluff and lies of
the naval authorities.
In August, 1914, Germany had about
one million tonnage in warships, he
saws, while Great Britain had more
| than double that, and thanks to the
mistakes of Won Tirpitz. the German
material was quite inferior to the Brit
ish. In the Skagerrak battle, he de-
clares, the German fleet was saved
! from destruction partly by good lead
crship and partly by favorable weather
conditions. Had the weather been clear
or Admiral Won Scheer' s leadership less
able the destruction of the whole Ger
| man navy would have resulted The
long range British guns would have
completely smashed the lighter-armed
]
| of the German fleet were enormous.
| and on June !, Captain Persius says,
1 il was clear to every thinking man that
the Skagerrak battle must be the only
\ general naval engagement of the war.
\ nSall sides, continues the writer. Adj
4 miral Won Tirpitz was advised to con
\ struet only submarines. but he remained
obstinate. On Oct. ], 1915, several mem
berS of the Rcichstag made an earnest
appeal to the army commandments to
the naval staf'-with the result that
an order was issued terminating the
cOnst ruction of battleships in order
that the material might be used for
the making of UbOats. In the mean
time so great q scarcity of material
had arisen that it became necessary to
disarm number of the battleships and
take the metal. In this manner, at the
| beginning of 1916 twentythree battle
| ships had been disarmed, as we'll as one
newly built cruiser
At the beginning of this year. Cap
tain PersiuS states. the German navy
consisted only of dreadnouehts and
battleships of the tIelgoland Kaiser.
and Markgraf types, and some few bat
tic cruisers. All the ships which Won
limit had constructed from 1897 10
1906, at a cost of innumerable millions.
had been destroyed, and the U-boats
that had been constructed had proved
unable to fight against British war
ships
Admiral Won Capellc during his peri
Cd rs head of the navy. says Captain
Pcrsius. constructed very few subma-
rineS, work being continued only on the
4 construction of submarines of the large
8 type. but in official quarters il was still
stated that Germany possessed an enor.
nous number of Uboats, and that the
losses were virtually nil
4 That was not true. the writer admits
4 In 1917. he states SO submarines were
constructed. while &C were DESTROYED
In April, 1917, Germany had l26 sub.
marines, and in October, 146. In Fehru.
airy, 1918, she had 1856, and in June OF
the same year IS, according to Cap.
tain Persius's figures.
Only n small percentage Of these sub
marines were actively operating at any
given time, Captain Persius declares
In January, 1917. for instance, when
conditions were favorable for subma-
rlne work, only . per cent were active
while 30 per cent were in harhor, Is
per cent Were under repairs aud 90 pei
cent were 'ineapacitated Submarine
crews, he says, were not sufficient,
educated and trained, and they looked
with distrust upon the weapon In IN,
last nonths, he reveals it was very
difficult TO get men for submarine work
as experienced scamcn looked upon tn,
submarine warfare as political stupidi
ty,
Captain pcrsius tells of the mutin1
4 that broke ont al the beginning of thi,
\ month, when the German navy was or
dercd out for attack. Had the seamer
obeyed. the writer remarks, innumera
I Re lives would have been lost, and hi
declares that every thinking man
therefore, is of the opinion that til,
s"amen on Nov. ; rendered an invalu
able service to their country