Carroll County democrat. (Huntingdon, Tenn.) 188?-1971, 1918-01-18
TO CURB u" BOATS
ASea Iitneys" Suggested for At
tack on German Bases.
Canadian Nsva! Airplane Fighter,
Home 70 Recover From shrapnel
Wounds Expresses an Opinion.

Theorizing about war conditions has
grown quite as tiresome, no doubt, to
the people who read newspapers as it
has to most Of the people who write
for them. Yet, now and then, you
meet a man who theories from the
facts of experience and knowledge and
who points something out that gives
food for thought. Such case, 1t
seemed to several Of US, when a quiet
little chap, son of a Canadian million
aire, told US his view Of the war in
its present stage. a New York corre-
spondcnt of the Cincinnati Times-Star
writes. His brother was killed at the
Marine and he himself Is home to re-
cover from shrapnel wounds received
when he was flying naval airplane
some thousands of feet above town
on the Belgian coast.
THE outstanding fact, just now"
he said, sis that the German U-boats
are doing pretty nearly as much as
they 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 submits
sion. IL we don't find new and sue
cessfJh way to combat the U-boats the
situation In England win soon be very
critical. OF course, fancy way will
be found. But 1t must be something
entirely new in warfare. For my part,
/ am convinced that success can be
obtained only by the apparently des-
perate undertaking of assaults by sea
upon the U-boat bases. | say 'appar-
emily desperate. BY any known or
tried method such assaults would be
simply useless and suicidal.
1.-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 l 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 submarlnes-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 end
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
terlal damage with one or two torpe-
does. Nets would be blown away, mines
exploded, guard ships sunk and such
other DISCRIMINATION 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
If he went in on one Of these little
boats. It would be work for volun-
teers. But the volunteers would be
plentiful enough. That / am sure Of.
IF such attacks promised to win
he fight against the U-boats, men
would be willing to go. It would be
enough for them to know that they
were striking the sea murdcrers at
their home. and that some of them
might possibly get back"