NAVAL POLICY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20040, 12 September 1939, Page 9

NAVAL POLICY

ENEMY SUBMARINES SINKINGS NOT ANNOUNCED LESSONS OF PREVIOUS WAR No surprise need be created at the announced decision of the Admiralty not to disclose in the meantime demils of the sinking of German submarines. From the experience of the last war, comfort may be taken in .he Admiralty statement that it should not be assumed that no success has been achieved. When submarines began operations in the war 1914-18 the early British policy was to announce the fact that ,i submarine had been sunk and to five its identification number, if known. Such announcements were heartening to the British public, bin later it was decided to suppress news of the actual sinkings. This policy nad a two-fold effect. In the first place, it denied to the German Admiralty vital information concerning ihe progress of their U-boats, and, what was more important, the location of the vessel engaged in combating the submarine menace. Withholding of Information It will be readily realised that, when it becomes known that submarines are likely to encounter trouble at any given spot, the reasonable thing to expect is that following submarines will avoid that particular danger zone and that once again every resource will have to be utilised and valuable time lost in discovering their new course. On the other hand, if his information is withheld, it is a reasonable expectation that submarines issuing from Germany will continue to follow the usual course and fall into the traps awaiting them. A secondary but very important result was the effect on the morale of .he crews of the submarines and on their relatives at the bases ancl other parts of Germany. Submarines were always sent out with definite objectives and with orders to report at regular intervals and to return to thenbase on or about a given date, the exact time of return depending on the hazards of war. Periods of Anxiety Time after lime a U-boat would leave its base, make one or two eleven more reports, and then them would be silence. This would be prolonged up to the due date of return and then there would be a period of anxiety which would become deepen and deeper as further days passed without a report from the vessel. Finally the hour would come when it would have to he posted as “Missing: believed lost,’’ and relatives ol the officers and crews would have to be advised. It was not until after the war hod ended and full announcements were made that many of the German relatives knew exactly where the cicws had met their deaths. Ibis was one of the contributing factors to the lowering of the morale on the German home front.