The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-01-03
WAY YT0YlCT0RY
IS BY AIR ROAD
TO NAVAL BASE
Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske
Points Out Ease Of Accccc;
to Enemy
WOULD BE DAMAGING BLOW
No Other Defeat Would Equal
Destruction of German Fleet,
Says Expert.
ev FREDERICK N. kERBY

new 1OTk., Jdu. O'"DO0o sAo "P
polulment OF ' ice Admiral Sir ROsslyn
Wemyss as first sea lord of the Brit
ish admiralty foreshadow change In
allied naval strategy? Will the long
co-temnlated direct attack on German
naval bases be the result? Can the
German fleets, hidden behind the
1u.ue nelds and batteries of aHeligo-
land, be successfully attacked? II
so, how?
| put these questions to Rear Ad'
miral Bradley A. Fiske, former aid
for operations of the U. S. navy, pres
ident of the Naval Institute, and in
ventor of the torpedoplane, the tele-
scope sight that has revolutionized
naval gunnery, and many other naval
appliances.
"Tbe history of warfare shows that
where decisive battles have been
fought in practically every case the
result of a strong attack against Il
point that was vital to the enemy and
ye comparatively weak answered
Admiral Fiske "
"That is the essence of successful
strategy
.'Noting this, we can realize that
Germany's weakest point Is her navy,
that it is vital to her, and that there.
fore, a strong attack should be made
upon it.
"The whole German navy is nov
concentrated in the region Of Kiel
and Wilhelmshaven! she has, SO to
speak, all her naval eggs in one bas-
ket
"Her naval power lies behind grea;
mine fields. just as the garrison Of
a fort in times past was protected be-
hind thick walls Of a fort.
"But when an attacking force
found that it could not break through
the walls of the fort, 1t utilized seal
ing ladders to climp over; and these
German mine fields, if they cannot be
:: : = : i: 5. : :. (: : :
{: THREE-EYED ROSIE. ::
:: is the nickname by which Eng ::
:. l'sh sailors affectionatoly refer % ::
:. Vice Admiral Sir Rosslyn We. =
:. myss, the new first sea lora. The :
:. name was, or course. suggested :"
:. by the adniral's ,nonocle. :
:. \ Eritish sailor now in ,.)rth =
!: Atlantic port, who was with the :
!: new first sea lord off Gallipoli, :
:. told Tribune correspondent: ::
:. "Tne old man sees everything =
:: the other Ofcers see and what ::
: they miss he spots with that +
:. pane of glass of his. You can't :
$. bamboozle three eyed Rosie. He's =
(. holy terror. You can't artful :.
:. dodger him. But he's grand :
:. fighter" ::
!. {: : :, i: I: :: :: = :: :
broken through, can be flown over
with airplanes.
II believe that air attacks on a
scale sufficiently great would smash
those German eggs.
"No military defeat now possible
could injure Germany as much as
would the destruction Of her fleet.
"That fleet could not possibly be
replaced.
without It, Germany could not
even put up pretense of hope for
achieving the ambition for world dom.
ination with which she commenced
this war, or. chance of maintaining
even mediocre place In the family
of nations
apparently the submarine cam.
raign is losing some of its effective
ness.
but whether or not the U-boats
have been beaten, we have got to re-
member that the submarine is only
one of many naval weapons, and naval
strategy recognizes the fact that SO
1 long as an enemy's fleet exists as a
fighting force, 1t constitutes continu-
ing menace, from which an attack of
some kind may be expected at any
moment
"For this reason, no mere drop in
the curve of submarine sinkings
should blind us to the desirability Of
sinking or disabling the German fleet.
''THE POSSIBILITY OF DOING
THIS LIES IN A DIRECT AIR AT
TACK.
"The distance from England to
Kiel is only 375 miles, and from north.
eastern France to the same place is
only 400 miles; while the distances
from these points to Wilhelmshaven
are only 27O and 300 miles respect.
lively.
"A squadron of Caproni airplanes
recently made a trip Of S75 miles with.
out stopping.
"Airplanes capable of carrying full.
sized torpedoes from England to Kiel,
Of discharging them and returning sue.
cessfully. can be constructed, II they
do not already exist.
I'm my opinion all the elements OF
successful direct attack upon the
German navy and its bases are avail.
able. The appropriate mechanisms
for the work already have been in.
vented.