Evening star., 1942-02-14
The Dover Bottle

That 22-mile bottleneck of
tide-ripped sea known as the Straits
of Dover has known many a mo-
mentous conflict through the ages.
Yet this water moat of island Britain.
once traversed by the galleys of
Caesar and the galleons of Spain,
never witnessed struggle more fate
full than the furious sea-land-air
battle just concluded.
Acting with great skill and daring,
the Germans have extricated their
heavy naval units long bottled up in
the western French harbor Of Brest
and brought them safely within the
shelter of Helgoland Blight, their
home base. Every factor seems to
have been nicely calculated. Under
cover of night and thick weather.
the German squadron was almost at
at the Straits before it was spotted
by British air patrol. At once, the
R. A. F. swarmed to the attack, while
British torpedo boats and other light
naval craft dashed out of nearby
Channel ports. Even the big guns
high on the white cliffs of Dover
Joined in the fray, answered by Ger
man guns on the French side. How
ever, the Germans were we'll pre-
pared. Their precious capital units
we're protected by destroyers, E-boats,
mine sweepers and fighter airplanes.
A thick smoke screen added to the
murky atmosphere in obscuring the
targets, and the R. A. F. ran into
veritable inferno of anti-aircraft fire
which caused heavy losses. Even If
British claims of bomb and torpedo
hits are correct, no vital damage
seems to have been done.
From the technical aspect, this
successful maneuver produces new
shift in the ever-changing balance
between the capital ship and the
airplane. Before the war, naval ex-
perts mostly believed that modern
battleships were almost unsuitable
by air attack Then a series of sad
experiences, from Norway and Crete
to the Bismarck and Prince of Wales,
gave support to the belief that capi-
tai ships we're highly vulnerable to
air attack, especially in narrow seas.
Now, however, naval opinion is con-
fronted by an instance where capital
ships, amply protected, have come
through the most trying conditions
to places of safety. A new balance
may have been established, due to
perfected naval and air co-ordina-
tion.
From the strategic angle, the re-
union of the German battle fleet in
home waters presumably will necessi-
tate a redisposition of British and
American battle units. Germanys
apprenticeship Tirpitz, mate to the
lost Bismarck, is believed to be in
full commission, while two other
units of the same class are being
rushed to completion. The combined
menace henceforth must be continu-
ally guarded against. This need for
added safeguards in the Atlantic
comes at an extremely unfortunate
moment, when the Pacific situation
is so critical, and when the Indian
Ocean soon may become a new thea
ter of naval action after the loss of
Singapore.
Psychologically, the battle Of Dover
Straits hits British morale, already
depressed by the Singapore disaster,
in a peculiarly tender spot. Con-
versely, it doubtless will be welcome
fillip for German morale, lowered by
the gruelling ordeal on the Russian
front. The psychological effects upon
Vichy, Spain and other peoples at
this tense stage of the world situa-
ton also should be taken into &C
count. At such crucial moments,
dramatic incident like this may have
profound and far-reaching conse-
quenceS.