THE AUSTRIAN FLEET.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 February 1918, Page 2

THE AUSTRIAN FLEET.

HOW TO DESTROY IT. AX OPPORTUNITY FOE ArRCRAFT.* Basing his argument upon information which lie has received from Italian official sources, Mr. Wythe Williams-writes in the Toronto Globe:—There is one quarry that the Allies can have if they want it. It is the Austrian fleet. Naturally they can have it only if they want, and a price must be paid. But New Year's resolutions for the Allies might he for them to want ardently and unitedly any of the few quarries that are in sight. This quarry, the Austrian Fleet, is more important than Jerusalem, or as a balance of the German sain before Cambrai. In fact, it is so important that if the Allies decide they want.it, and act accordingly, then some other fat quarry might turn up. KF.Y TO' ADRIATIC PROBLEM; "The prpblem of the Adriatic." has been discussed by Italian naval experts for many months. "If t!ie, Allies ,ge.t interested in the Adriatic they, can do something," has been their, common .shout. But getting the Allies interjfstcd . in anything which they., -have .not thought of before has.been difficult unless Germany thought .of ,nY first. . '.'■:■; .The Austrian, fleet will never.: eome .put to accept or give battle to., the Italian-French fleet. If it did it would :-.ipec<ltlv so out of existence. ; : '-■-'.... ■•, Moreover, the can always get reinforcements from the British.fleet. This situation; as. Opposed - to that of the Austrian fleet,, is ■•■ a great' argument why the Adriatic should now' be shifted from ft defensive to an offensive problem. The Austrian fleet is.in the impossible position of receiving no reinforcements from the Germans or Turks, j . ... SMASH NAVY WITH BATTLE • PLANES.. - .'.. • : ,, ; Meanwhile, what is the use ■ of' this enormous strength which the Entente possesses? It is'of nowise, because the aim of that fleet is td destroy: the enemy's fleet. ■...-.•■ ■■. -,■ Many persons think that the ItalianFrench fleet could enter the. Adriatic and compel the Austrians to, accept battle. No idea is more erroneous; What is the answer to this'riddle of the Adriatic? Here is the (answer—an answer for the New Year, when the. Adriatic nights are tine and the nights on the North front arc cloudy: The only way to destroy the Austrian fleet is'to bomb it from the sky, with machine guns hovering over it, dropping systematically tons upon tons of "explosives. Then if the fleet remains in port it will be blown up in a short time. If it comes out of port it can be made the victim of Allied submarines and mines. The Austrian fleet of big ships is now in the harbors of Pola and Cattarp, with a few strays at Trieste. Although bottled up, its existence at those bases prevents the destruction of submarine bases, which ar.c the chief seat of trouble, , " .''" "":'■' If the Austrian fleet is destroyed what will happen? Tricst will fall,, also Ppla and Cattaro, and the whole' Dalmatian coast, with its islands, which,have been such' priceless submarine bases for warfare'in the Mediterranean as well'as the Adriatic. WILL AID LAND VICTORY. ' ■Rut a great deal more' than this will happen Once the Austrian fleet, is'- destroyed the Austrian army irtthe plains of Venetia can, in the opinion of Italians, be cut off and destroyed' if it does not surrender. .. ' > 1 It is a German lake to-day, and tha.i \ is one great reason why Italy_ is hungry, . and why France is not so comfortable as' '■ she might be. Primarily,the Adriatic is ; a defensive rather than an offensive pro- . iblern. The Adriatic must 'remain open or Italy and the other Allies will suffer. . 'later it can be decided whether Italy ' can administer the Adriatic. ' I repeat that to-day the Adriatic is.a German lake, ani the Allies suffer in consequence, even with so great a preponderance in strength of the ItalianFrench fleet over the Austrian!,