March 19.
After months of comparative inaction, the German air arm staged a small raid over Scapa Flow and the Orkneys on Saturday night, and have come out with the usual tall stories of enormous damage done to British war vessels. British naval circles speak of the whole affair as a mere skirmish, only a small portion of the force which the enemy sent out actually caring to go into action. Some damage was done miles away from gestion that the German airmen chose Scapa Flow, and a civilian killed, the sug-
to bomb well away from the heavily protected harbour age where the British fleet wus reported to be. The German claims to have done damage to four large British war sels were only to be expected, but when they go on to suggest the same old names as those of the vessels damaged, the whole thing assumes the old familiar "the above-named gentleman playing the before mentioned instrument." The German propaganda is run~ ning true to form, and is proving just as unimaginative. It is one of the most remarkable things concerning German propaganda ¢|that their aeroplanes have never been sent out on a mission without it having been suecessfully accomplished. That is of course what they would like the world to believe, selves, and while it will undoubtedly seem Rood news to Germans, who have access no other information than that handed out by Dr. Goebbels' ministry, it will fail to convince any reasonable person one moment to consider the circumstances in which the raid was carried out, It is definitely established that the raids occurred from 7.50 to 9.15 pam. on Saturday. It was of course dark, sunset having been at 6 pan. while the only natural light was that of the new moon just past its first quarter and consequently nut able to illuminate the scene any too well. It was nevertheless a ight, so that the comparatively poor visibil~ was not further diminished, and the Germa aviators should have been able to ascertain their whereabouts and sce the British vessels lying in Scapa Flow, dark spots on the somewhat lighter water. That they could identify the vessels is utterly out of the question, and all the German propaganda burbling about having hit the Repulse, the Renown and other such vessels must be taken for exactly what it is worth, fand that is not a great deal, The German claim that three battleships a cruiser were hit and heavily damaged, while it was thought probable that two other war vessels were also damaged. If these claims were true, it would mean that added alleged to have been done to British capital ships since the commencement of the war a very substantial n of the British fleet would now be completely immobilized. The German propaganda machine makes no such claim, nor apart from the stories alleged to have been told by the raiders themselves on their return to Germany, is there any attempt to glorify what, if these stories were true, which they are most patently not, the heaviest re~ verse which has been inflicted upon the British Navy since the commencement of hostilities. The practice of telling the lie big enough has been adhered to, but there is fan absence of enthusiasm in propagating it which suggests that the enemy is not too certain as to how much of this cock-and-bull story the world will accept. The fact of the matter is that the raiders met with such a reception that few of them could penetrate the defences, and even they in their end-favours to escape had to unload their bombs miles away from their objectives in places where little damage beyond the death of one man, the injury of two or three other people and the collapse of a cottage was done, The point is very well taken by British naval circles that the "fact that the German high command is so eager to magnify the air skirmish over Scapa Flow, and the ridiculous claims they have made of inflicting damage on units of the British Fleet, betray undue nervousness, and an almost childish desire to have something to boast about." In other words, whistling loudly to keep their courage up. It may safely be conceded that the bombing of the civilians was not planned by the raiders. That has all the appearance of being accidental, but when it is remembered that this took place five or six miles from the harbour which was supposed to be their objective, there is ample ground for believing that the' bombs in question were released out of sheer panic, and for the purpose of lightening the machine, and making a quick escape.
inevitable that this raid will stimulate the activities of those in Britain and France who are agitating for a more positive conduct of this present war. There are military and naval objectives in Germany which can properly be regarded as targets for the Allied flying forces, and they should be given the opportunity of retaliation, of which they would be only too willing to avail themselves. Apart from that the whole affair has no particular significance, save in one respect only. It has been the German claim that because the British Navy left Scapa Flow, as it did in the early days of the last war, it was to be taken as complete proof that! the German air arm had complete con-rol of the North Sea. The claim was releognized as preposterous at the time, and taking the German admission that the pre= sence of the fleet in Scapa Flow had been known to them for some days prior to the raid, the question may very well be asked fs 10 exactly what sort of control it is when the British fleet can yo back to its harbour-age and remain there until this abortive attack was delivered against it, Ordinary prudence would require that, if the German aeroplanes were the menace to the safety of the fleet which the enemy claimed them to be, the British lect should have remained based on Lough Swilly, and the fact that it was not, but was back at its old base, suggests that this alleged German control ik hold in contempt by the British naval com= mand. The attempt to magnify this comparatively trivial affair into something of the first magnitude only serves to show how completely bankrupt the German Ministry of Propaganda is of ideas. It cannot afford to Jadmit to its own people that any move which is made may have proved abortive. There would be nothing particularly damaging to morale if they were to do so. Nevertheless, if these cheap paper victories are necessary to the German Government in order to bolster up the splits of its people, the only conclusion to be drawn is that there must. more cause for anxiety in Germany than has up to the present transpired. The doctrine of German invincibility is apparently not enough; it is necessary to claim successes where in fact none exist.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.