THE GREAT SURRENDER.

Taihape Daily Times, 22 April 1919, Page 6

THE GREAT SURRENDER.

A GERMAN VIEW. "THE FUNERAL DIRGE OF OUR NAVSt'S HONOUR." It is remained for a German newspoper and a former German naval officer to speak in terms of becoming contempt of the shameless cowardice of the Hun navy. In the "Hamburger Correspondent," of jfcb'ruafy 8 a captain named Schneii ("retired) thus refers to the action of the High Seas Fleet in preferring the humiliation of surrender to a stand-up ffighfc with the British Navy: "When the honour of the German Navy was carried to the grave on NavembyT, 18, 1913, (the day the

U-boats set out for surrender to Admiral Tyrwhitt at Harwich), was there a single naval officer who tailed to think with bitter grief of the manner in which we had set out, at the end of July, 1914, to the rendezvous in the roadstead of WilheTns'haven? "In those days we were inspired by burning patriotism, a confidence' in victory founded on our righteous cause a solemn and dignified readiness to give up our lives. To-day there remains nothing but complete collapse, the consciousness of being delivered up helpless into the hands of a merciless fooj Worst of all, there is the inexpressible disgrace of our fleet itself, our beloved, respected, and, one may well say our dreaded fleet, still unconquered and with so many splendid successes to its credit having betrayed itself and the Fatherland in the hour of gravest peril —an ignomin : ious betrayal that wrought destruction.

"And from sheer cowardice! From fear of another naval action, in whi-ih the officers would have sacrificed the men by thousands. As if the o'ueers would have neon mere onlookers from places of safety on shore! Thj accusation oan have no other meaning; for ; t lies in the mi* ere of war that Liu individual must !f,"fi*D hiniscl" f>: t!ia community. T"'\ H ifc not p'e;v ant t<> die. Whether Ihe r'sking cf incr.v lives for any ni'tiJ'jln, venture 13 "\i? tified is a matt -r "'huh from ill tin,;. end in all armies end navies, his been decided by the leaders, and m: uy those who are led. "All the world knows how eonsider-

ate and how conscious of their responsibilities German officer- in particular are wont to be in decling with the human lives entrusted io them. But, disregarding this, the sad and rif fact remains that German seamen mutinied from 'ear of death fc- the Fatherland—a stain on the spotless shield of our honour that cannot easily bo effaced.

On November 18, 191 S, our fleet, the hope of all Germany, set out once more, but this, time in bondage and degradation. Tak e comfort you seamen and stokers.! You are not going forth litis time, as in July. 1914, to death, but only to dishonour! Rejoice, therefore. and celebrate the preservation of your wretched lives, bought at the price of your honour! Oh, the shame of it! They decked the departing ships with garlands as though they were returning from a victory! They sent them off with cheers, as if some great victory had been achieved!

"Those hurrahs wore the funeral dirge of our navy's honour, the garlands its funeral wreaths. All sympathy for these officers. and all honour to them, when, with bkeding hearts they carried out the painful duty of 'ading this fleet to its grave, ovorcon'i?g their righteous disgust for the sake of the common weal of the nation as a whole.

"Two expeditions, July, 1914, rind November, 1918, separated by a period cf four ami a-half years, and by an impa ible and boundless dissimilarity betw- 1 i the spirit of the masses and pure rninciples of manly honour! Will

C.' fl< i. if in rhc future we should again bave a fleet, over set out on a third expedition i:i which it will be able to wash away this stain upon its shield?"