Evening star., 1925-03-28
DECISIVE BATTLES
HELD OUT OF DATE
War Becoming Matter of
Watching and Grinding,
Cambridge Professor Says.

is the world reaching the stage
where war will be nothing more than
perpetual shaking of fists, with
no decisive action on either side.
The trend seems to be in this direc-
! tion, John Holland Rose, professor of
| naval warfare at Cambridge Univer-
| sity, told large audience at Cor
coran Hall last night. Democracy
in government, great masses of men
and wireless telegraphy were cited
as the factors that are reducing war
| to an absurdity
DR. Rose took the World War for
| an example, and described the trench
warfare, which kept opposing armies
! at a standstill. He drew more lessons
from the naval engagements of the
war to show that the element of
surprise, now virtually impossible,
| has been lost, and without it the
| naval battles will not occur.
| Element OF Surprise.
The great victories at sea in the
| past, Prof. Rose pointed out, have
| been almost always due TO the
element OF surprise. Wireless tele-
graphy has completely eradicated
this element. The only modern ex-
ceptions, the lecturer said, were
Deweys victory at Manila and the
japanese sinking of the Russian fleet
| in the Sea of Japan. In both of these
cases victory went to a far more
efficient fleet. Such sea heroes as
Lord Nelson. Rodney or John Paul
Jones, he said, won all their victories
by catching the enemy unaware.
Prof. Rose revealed the inside his
tory of the battle of JutIand, as
| shown by the British admiralty rec
ords, in this fashion. Won Scheer, he
! said. had evolved a perfectly sound
plan to set trap for Jellicoe. He in
| tended to dash out of Wilhelmshaven
and she'll the important coal port of
Sunderland on the North Sea coast
OF England, at the same time hastily
| laying an extensive mine field to the
| north In the waters through which
Jellicoe must pass to save the be-
| sieged town. When the British fleet
! approached the German had intended
| to run and watch from a safe dis
| tance the effect of the mines. If the
| British fleet was sufficiently disabled
| ne might have attacked at close quar-
| ters.
Had Chosen Same Might
This plan failed because JelIicoe
| curiously had chosen the same night
| 20 try another ruse on the Germans
Both were trying to trap each other
[ Off
| from Sunderland by the fact that the
British fleet actually was off its base
at the time. Hence, purely by ac-
| cldent, there was drawn battle
which naturally was indecisive:
war cannot be very efficient Under q
| democracy. he said, and this form ot
government obtains in practically
every CIVILIZED country. Even such
old autocraeies as Turkey now are
republics. The democracy, he said
can indeed mobilize greater masses
! OF men than was possible under an
1 autocracy and inspire them with
greater fervor. But always the war
is managed by committees, some
where back of the lines. There can
never be-. the same swift, concen.
| tratet1 movements of troops such as
brought about the great victories OF
Napoleon and Frederick the Great
| Sound in Theory.
Prof Rose said that submarine war.
| fare was entirely sound in theory
| whatever might be the moral objec-
| tions to it, 1t was the logical course
| for the Germans to follow, consider
| ing the fact that Won Scheer's fleet
| was considerably inferior to that o1
| Jellicoe
The admiralty office, he said, was
| dDie dl all times 10 keep Jelllcoe al
Scapa Floe informed of any move.
ments of the Germans. Probably the
| German admiralty was able to keeI
Won Scheer constantly informed OF
the slightest unusual movement in
, the British fleet.
| Vision Is Extended.
There was no possibility of sur.
| prise. The vision of the sea fighter
once confined to the range of sail
| or's eyes from the masthead, now
has extended around the world ano
into every corner of the seas through
radio. The fleet no longer can hide
| behind the horizon with complete
| security while the admirals lay clever
plans to destroy each other.
The age of mechanical slaughter, ht
! said, has removed the last argumen
for war. When battles were fought
| hand-to hand it might have been 6
useful but rough-and-ready device fol
i killing off the unfit and thus improv'
ing the race, Today the survivor wal
usually the man with the least square
Ifnches of bullet space in his body and
hence not the most desirable fol