NAZIS UNPREPARED FOR NAVAL WAR

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5317, 1 February 1947, Page 5

NAZIS UNPREPARED FOR NAVAL WAR

fPress Assn.-

doenitz's opinion GERMANY - LOST BEFORE g]G STRUGGLE STARTED

-Rec. 9.30 p.m.)

LONDON, Jan. 31. Germany, in one sense, lost Ihe war before it. started, because it was never prepared for a naval war against England. According to the German Grand Admiral Doenitz, in historical documents, dealjng with Germany's naval war published by the British OfRce 0f Naval Intelligence. The documents comprise an essay 1)V Doenitz covering the whole course of the war and also pppendices, one of which reports the interrogation of Doeritz in September, 1946.

Doenitz artributes the inadequaey of the German Navy to the fact that Ihe dennan Armetf Forces were desisned fnr a continental war, with Emrktm! «m the side of Germany. Germaiiv nevt-r cnvisaged the possibility pf a' naval war against England until because the Governnient was j!!-:iihise! politieally. Doenitz says that Germany's failui'e toinvade England, to occupy the Eastern Jleditemuiean, and to prevent the Allied invasious of North Africa and Europe. were all due, largely, to inadequate naval forces. A favtor. itt the last months of the war, which mntributed most directly to Germany's collapse, ' was the overwhelmiug Allied aerial bonvbardment which. annmg uther things, delayed the priitluction of new types of UImats. Doenitz says that Germany failed, hefore tlu* war. to recognise the signifieance of radar. which was a decisive disadvantage in the conduct of the war at sea. 11 e criticises Hitler's decision to forni flying units needed by the Xavy. within the framework of the Luftwaffe which precluded the formation of an eft'icient Naval Air Arm. Doenitz says that the destruction of t h.* British Expcditionary Force in France and the weakness of the Kiigland land defence "caused us to entertain the idea of deciding the war in our favour by a I rapid invasion of England." Hitler, therefore, was advised to prepare an attempt at invasion before the autumn of 1940, but Hitler toled t> abamlon the invasion yvhen k Luftwall'e failed to defeat the foyal Air Foive during the Battle cfBritain. sim-e it was clear that the feiuui Navy could not protect the invasiim forces against the Royal Xavy. Doenitz sai-i when the "Battle of UBoats" endeil JO.OOO men had been lost. of the r-bnat arni's approximate strength of IS.000. Germany had expected. in March, - 1945, that the U-boat warfare would eiiter a new and successful phase with the operation of u new type of prefakicated l'-boat. One type had a range of iNijhiO miles and was capable of seouring all the waters of im- , portance to ;h,. 11-boat war without suvfacino- i.m the "German capitulation eut short this new effectiveness." German Fleet Poor Copy Of British, Said Hitler LONDON, January 31. Hitler at one ( f the naval conferenees de.scribed the German navy as a mere copy of the British and a i very miserable t.ne at that. This and many other disclosures were made in Ihe documents translated and published in relation to the High Seas Fleet and the resignation of Grand Admiral Raeder. The docijiDents reveal that Hitler w»s neurly always heated when matters lelatbg to naval warfare were disctissed and at the conferences talked a'lort tim superiovity of the British Xavy. Ile complained once that the dennan ships were not in operational readiness, and said: "They are lying idle in fiords, utterly nseless hke so much old iron." The documonts show that the Gernian High Seas Fleet was de-commis-sioned and partially serapped as a resnlt of inter-service conflict and by a direetive issued by Hitler on January 25. 194?,. Tiit. order was given on phi'uary J to cease all work on hattleships; heavy and light cruisers, aivcraft eatrieis and troop transports. After the scrapping order was issued the Scharnhorst was the only 'arge warship to venture out. She steamed into a British trap and: was sunk. •y a coni'eiciu-e following the aetionin wh'.-h the cruiser Hipper was criPpled and a German destroyer sunk, thert- was another outburst of anger with special reference to the ^ that the artion was not fought to a nnish. Hitler said this was "typical of eOiian ships, just opposite to the f'tish who, trae to their tradition, °a?ht to the bitter end." Haeder then resigned ancl Doenitz ^cceeded hini. Admiral King, United States Navy jfmniander-in-Chief, acknowledged lat the Allies were completely unth^n ^ie war Had ended that ® German High Seas Fleet had been n oat of action.