GERMAN WAR SECRETS REVEALED.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3430, 9 March 1920, Page 6

GERMAN WAR SECRETS REVEALED.

HOW U—BOAT VVARFARE WAS DEVELOPED.

Some secrets about Germany’s Üboat warfare were revealed when Admoral Von Capelle, fo_rmer Chief of the German Naval Staff, gave‘ evidence before the sub-committee sitting in Berlin, which is inquiring into the possibilities of peace during the war. You Capelle stated tliat. altogether SlO U-boats were ordered before and during the War, of which -15 were ordered before the War, 186 by Admiral Von Tir-pitz during the war, while he was responsible for the remaining 579. That only 90 were ordered in nine months in 1916 was, above all, due to the political situation, the decision to postpone unrestricted submarine warfare being taken in March, 1916. At this point Herr Von Bethmann— Hollweg denied that the Government had in any wise influenced the U-boat building. Admiral Von Capelle, however, reasserted that as everything was against the U-boat War it would have been improper to draw up a. programme on a big scale for the building of U-boats. He further remarked that there was never any question of bringing England to her knees. It xv’-as, however, thought that success would sufiice to make England ready for :1 practicable peace. Captaiir Brueninghaus, a former offi-(-ial of the German Admiralty, contended that in telling tlle_C‘illancell<)l' "' I being built he was not .s.“.yiing'\\'l_l:l: was false. for to put under construction was a technical term meaning the same as ordering‘. ' The discussion on the technical side of the U—bo:lt question then came to a close. '

According to the Exchange version, Von Capella sfatod that the Army Comman(l___ll9_y§;_QollSnlfod him on the question of building sub--Izial'ixlos, and when two DO/l110(‘1‘:1fiC }mliticialls wrote to Ludendorff in No\'ombel', 19.17. asking him to expedite the building of submarines he replied that “’hé did not think that was possible.’’

None of the naval (-xpcl‘fs lJulievo<'l in a wllolo.<alo un(le}’So‘;l l)lO€‘l{a(l«‘ of England. The naval <-ommandc-r~in-chief was disinclined 1:0 sfarf. the Submarine Will’, and only (lid so xvlmn ‘rho Kaiser compelled him.