The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-06-30
GLAD OF SINKING
GERMAN FLEET
Former Commander Chief
Rejoices at Sailors Show
of Spirit.
STAIN NOW WIPED OUT
Old Sea- Dog Philosophers on
Recent Events, Disclosing
Some Novel Ideas.

Weimar June 2s.--(By Telegraph
to New York World, copyrighted y
Il rejoice over the sinking of the
German feet in Scapa Flow" is the
statement made to me by Admiral
| Scheer, formerly comander-i chief
OF the German high seas fleet.
Il am very happy for two reasons
| The first is that the feet was pre-
vented from falling permanently into
| the hands of the British; 1t would
have been painful for our good ships
after sailing the seas for years, ia
come under enemy flags. This hu-
initiating and painful sight is now
spared us by the brave deeds In
Ccapa Flow. The second reason
rejoice is that the stain of surrender
has been wiped from the escutcheon
of the German ueet.
"The sinking of the ships has
, proved that the spirit OF the feet Is
,, not dead. This last act was true to
/, the best traditions of the German
! navy. The deed was spontaneous,
and | am convinced 1t was not orr
dered or inspired from Berlin. 1t
was never our intention to send the
high seas fleet out to its certain de-
struction. At the beginning OF the
outbreak OF the November revolt we
were on the eve of undertaking a
naval operation from which we
promised ourselves the utmost sue
cess. This operation, after nearly
, two years, at last had been made
possible by the discontfnuance Of our
submarine warfare during the nego-
/ tiations leading up to the @rrnistice."
| u Lacked Flank Protection.
For nearly two years we had been
unable to undertake an operation on
a large scale with the high seas fleet.
This, first., because the fleet was es-
sential to protect he base of subma-
rine warfare; second, because, while
our submarine warfare was carried
on, we lacked all strategic flank pro-
lection for a long distance naval op-
Grafton. Our fleet attack could pro-
ceed only from the narrow wet tri-
angle behind Helgoland, and to this
base also we were always forced to
return. An operation af osir high
seas fleet against any point on the
British coast left both our flanks
exposed.
THE battle of Jutland proved we
were not afraid of encountering the
British grand fleet on a fair field
But even if we had succeeded in
drawing out the British grand fleet
and beating it, we always had to
figure on the danger of being cut off
on our way home, because no mat
ter how victorious we were, some OF
our ships would inevitably bring
home holes in their bodies. In an
operation against the British coast
our strategic left flank was always
exposed to the attack of British ma
val forces coming from the channel
and our right flank to attack from
the north. With the suspension OF
our submarine warfare this unfavor-
able strategic situation was suddenly
changed. We now had plenty of
submarines to use for the flank pro-
lection of our high seas fleet in any
possible operations. With our hands
thus freed, we decided at the begin
ming of November that our fleet
should and could strike a hard, per-
haps a decisive, blow. We decided
that while our armies were stub
bornly and heroically resisting in the
west our fleet should not remain idle
offered Chance Of Success.
'In our plan offered every chance
of success. 1t was not one to send
the high seas fleet to its death, but
to attack the coast of England in the
direction of the mouth of the Thames,
employing our submarines as flank
protection to guard our left flank and
also our rear. BY this plan we hoped
to draw the British grand fleet out
of it's Scottish lair and down toward
the mouth of the Thames to give us
battle, in which case the grand fleet
would have run into our flanking
submarines.
"Our plan was carefully worked
out and offered the certainty of sue
cess if the grand fleet came out. The
one chance of failure, we figured, was
that the British feet might not be
coaxed out by our channel attack.
This plan, naturally, could not be
disclosed to the men of our feet.
From the preparations for this oper-
alton they got the fatal idea into
their propaganda turned heads that
the fleet was about to be sent out to
its death. They argued: why should
we die on the verge Of peace and
with negotiations for an armistice
going on?' In this misguided frame
of mind they mutinied and started
the revolution which they have since
come to regret bitterly.
IT am convinced that not an officer
or man would have been willing to
take the ships over to Scapa Flow II
they had known how the peace would
ultimately be imposed"
Admiral Scheer has little faith in
the league of nations. He said: II
cannot quite believe in the league OF
nations. 1t is unnatural and abso-
lutely contrary to human nature and
human Instincts" He advanced the
novel argument that if the principles
of the league of nations were not
abnormal, nature long ago would
have organized the animals into
some sort of league. He expressed
the belief that the submarine as a
weapon has a future and will never
be discarded.
His Remarkable Ideas.
OF the terms of peace, Admiral
Scheer expressed the novel idea. IF
the kaiser and the German military
leaders really are placed before a
court of the allies, history will re-
gard it as greater disgrace to the
allies than to Germany, which sur
rendered her leaders"
The admiral made the remarkable
statement to me that Great Britain
could have ended the war quickly in
its early stages by bold naval Of
fensive in the spirit of Nelson. Ger
many's returned admiral was dressed
in a navy blue mufti and wore
double breasted REFER. He is modest
of bearing, free from vindictive Bit
terness toward anybody. and dis
cussed the recent history with calm
old sea dog philosophy. II have faith
in Americas Justice" was his laconic
and only comment about the future.