The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES." SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1939. A DARING EXPLOIT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20122, 16 December 1939, Page 4

The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES." SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1939. A DARING EXPLOIT

More detailed accounts of the naval engagement off the coast of South America confirm the initial reports of an outstanding British victory. At the same time, the battle and its consequences raise a number of questions of first-rate importance. Dominating everything else is the irrefutable evidence of the skill and courage of the men of the British Navy. Information which has now been made available shows how vastly superior was the armament of the Graf von Spee to the comparatively small British units, the weight of a broadside from the German ship being half as heavy again as that of the three British vessels combined, in addition to which the German had the advantage of a much longer range. In these circumstances, the British cruisers would have been fully justified in waiting for reinforcements, but, instead, they engaged the enemy and by skilful seamanship and dogged perseverence scored a victory which will go down as an epic in naval history. The hunt for the Graf von Spee in the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean has been a long one but it has now ended in such a triumph as, in “Taffrail’s” words, brings a glow of pride to the Empire and to none more so than to the people of New Zealand whose ship and seamen covered themselves with glory in their baptism of fire.

To all intents and purposes, the Graf von Spee, the pride of the German navy, is out of action for the duration pf the war. Had she not taken ignominiously to her heels she would have been sunk. ' As it is she is now taking cover in a neutral port where she must either remain until the war ends or else face certain destruction from the British warships which are lying in wait for her. Apart from the actual loss of this ship its defeat in battle by light British craft will compel Germany to revise her ideas of the invulnerability of her “pocket battleships.” The claims made on their behalf have been shown to be exaggerated, for it is clear that while they may be successful as raiders against defenceless merchantmen they are no match for even comparatively small ships of the British Navy. The navy still retains command of the seas and it is fitting that its long and arduous watch since the outbreak of war should how be rewarded by such a distinctive success. Not only will it give new heart to the men of the “silent service,’’ but it will compensate them to some extent for the heavy losses which they have sustained in bearing such an onerous part of

the war burden and will convince them that their exacting and patient work is not being done in vain. The German version of the battle is deserving of consideration if only to demonstrate tiie absolute unreliability of reports from Nazi sources. Berlin claims that the Graf von Spec scored a notable victory, that she is not damaged, and that she only put into Montevideo for supplies. The most effective answer to these claims will be provided when, and if, the Graf von Spee puts to sea again. In the meantime, the Rome radio—and it is hardly pro-British—gave a fairly striking commentary on the rival reports when it staled this morning that even while Berlin was broadcasting to the world that the Graf von Spee was not damaged the people of Montevideo were flocking to the waterfront to see with their own eyes just how extensive the damage really was. Further proof of German mendacity was provided from the same source when it was stated that the Ark Royal and Renown —which, the Rome radio recalled, Germany had claimed to have sunk months ago—were on their way across the Atlantic to Montevideo. The Nazi claim that the British warships used mustard gas was, as Mr. Chamberlain said, characteristic —a cheap excuse for defeat —but it does provoke thought as to whether German chivalry, once a tradition of a great race, has been completely killed by the Nazi regime. One other point in connection with the Graf von Spee that commands attention is the fate of her victims, Perhaps the first thing that emerges in this respect is that of nine ships which were sunk by her the losses of all but two—and these apparently sunk only this week—had previously been reported by the British Government, this providing proof that Britain, in striking contrast to Germany, does not conceal bad news.. The next question is: What has become of the crews of those ships which fell foul of the Graf von Spee? According to reports from Montevideo, there were G2 prisoners, including the masters of six ships, aboard the German vessel. This total would not provide the complement of one moderate sized victim and the inference is that the remainder were left to their fate. It is difficult to believe that the German navy, despite its campaign of unrestricted warfare and its many violations of international law, would treat fellow seamen in this brutal and inhuman way, but the fact that some hundreds of men have not been accounted for remains to be explained. Apart from this aspect the successes of the Graf von Spee, considering her almost limitless opportunities, were not outstanding for, after all, on an average she secured less than one victim a week.