Evening star., 1942-02-14

IiioV Sdii Oc SpdIcu 1IOIIl llOIIlc
defense Is scattered over the far
flung bases Of the empire.
For many months British bomb
ers had been attacking the battle
ships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst
and the cruiser Prinz Eugen in the
harbOr of BreSt. But in this in
stance the plane did not have the
battleship at its mercy. The battle
ships anti-aircraft defense was SO
effective the bombing did not so
cripple them but they could put to
sea. evidently at full speed.
A decision was made for their
dash to reach Kiel, the great home
German naval base. There they
would join the giant new battleship
Won Tirpitz, sister Of the lost Bis
marck, the two surviving German
pocket battleships, the two aircraft
carriers, other cruisers, destroyers
and converted merchant ships, in
Guiding the famous liner Bremen.
All German surface warships would
be together as unit.
British Line Spread Too Thin.
A sneak around the north Of
Scotland, which was well guarded.
and then along the covered way"
Of the Norwegian coast was dis
missed In the preliminary survey
in favor Of a shorter distance.
Audacity and surprise called for a
run through the converging English
Channel leading into the Dover
Strait, which is only 20 miles wide
between Dover and Calais.
So thin was the British naval
line, so spread on it's errands, that
no battleship blockade of Brest
could be maintained. The Germans
air scouting and intelligence doubt
less learned the location of British
naval units in neighboring waters.
They knew the range and accuracy
of the big British land defense guns
on the Dover cliffs. which can bonn
bard the French coast in the mar
rowest part Of the strait. And next
to torpedo planes which make hits
below the water line, these are sup
posed to be the battleships deadliest
foe. But the Germans. too, had
coast defense guns mounted at
Calais to counter their fire.
Nothing is more certain than that
one mind in unified command was
over all preparations and execution.
and presumably that of Grand Ad-
niral Erich Raeder, since the task
was primarily naval. 1t was for him
to give the directives for sea. air
and land forces in timing and CO.
ordination, leaving each chief to
meet any emergency in his branch
in understanding teamwork.
Infinite Pains Taken.
The battleships and cruiser had
between 800 and 700 miles to steam
before they had refuge under the
guns of the powerful German fort
ress Of Helgoland. This would re-
quire at best "a hours. The exit
from the harbor and the finish could
be made under the cover of dark
ness.
Infinite pains must have been
taken in every detail. Diversion
tactics would aim to conceal at the
outset the route to the goal. In
place of a smoke screen in the
critical guantlet of the strait, British
fighter planes should be occupied by
a bombing attack on Southeastern
England.
Preparations complete-ready! But
what of the weather forecast when
weather is so frequently an impor-
tant factor in strategic plans? Thus
the Japs chose the dry season for
their sweep into the southern seas
at a time when no typhoons would
wreck or monsoons delay their con-
voys.
The Gneisenau, Scharnhorst and
Prinz Eugen were not exposed, I'M
supported, in a bright tropic light
as were the Prince of Wales and
the Repulse, which the Japs sunk
in the Gulf Of Siam. They had the
support Of 1and-based planes, shore
guns, destroyers, submarines. speed
boats and the fire of their own guns
in the outstanding running land
sea-air battle Of the war.
U. S. Exploit Commended.
Striking with superior force where
they had a favorable opening, they
broke through the strait under over
cast skies in dirty English Channel