Last Paladin

Grand Admiral Alfred Paul Friedrich von Tirpitz, creator of the Imperial German Navy, went to a sanitarium in the pine forest back of Munich five weeks ago, tried to shake off an attack of bronchitis. Worn out with coughing, his 81-year-old heart gave way last week.

"The Empire dies out," commented Berlin's Der Abend (Socialist). "One of its last Paladins is now gone. Indeed in the whole period of the Empire there was no man who played a greater or more unwise role for Germany than Admiral von Tirpitz. He was father of the naval policy that brought Germany foolishly and unnecessarily against England and isolated her in a World War."

Not quite fair was this abrupt dismissal of Admiral von Tirpitz. He did alienate Britain with his ship-building program in the years before the War. More important, his ceaseless insistence on ruthless, unrestricted submarine warfare was the direct cause of the U.S. entry on the side of the allies. Yet for 20 years the commanding gentleman with the white forked beard was a German figure second in popular familiarity only to that of the Kaiser himself. (Almost unknown until 1916 was grave, grizzled Paul von Hindenburg, general of division.)

The Grand Admiral was one of the world's greatest naval technicians. When finally adopted in 1917, unrestricted submarine warfare, which had been as bitterly assailed in Germany as abroad, came within an ace of accomplishing its prime purpose: the starvation of Britain, Germany's U-boats sank 5,500 allied vessels.

Alfred Paul Friedrich von Tirpitz was born in Kustrin, Prussia, in 1849. At the age of 16 he became a cadet in the so-called Royal Prussian Navy, which then consisted of a handful of sham frigates.* In 1897, by steady regular promotion he had become German Naval Secretary and an intimate friend of the Kaiser. In 1900 his "von" was registered in the Almanach de Gotha. In 1911 he was appointed Grand Admiral, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. All this time, with the Kaiser's enthusiastic approval he was turning British sea lords livid by building up from practically nothing a navy that was to be nearly Britain's equal in fighting strength.

Years before the War, Herr von Tirpitz gave up hope of beating the British fleet in open battle, concentrated secretly on submarines, then little more than an experimental toy. Many are the stories told of the grand admiral's extraordinary technical knowledge. It was a matter of pride with him never to speak from notes. Aides recall that during his years as grand admiral he could recite from memory the name, speed, armament and displacement of every battleship in the world.

With the outbreak of the War, Fork-bearded von Tirpitz got into difficulties. It was his fate to know a great deal about machines, and very little about human nature. In 1915 he let the Lusitania be sunk, was acclaimed in Germany, "The Eternal." But the Kaiser, always picturing himself as the Christian Warrior, refused to sanction unrestricted submarine warfare, refused to risk the full German fleet in a pitched battle with Britain. Other German parliamentarians, not unnaturally, blamed von Tirpitz's big-navy program for Britain's entrance in the War. In 1916 Forkbeard broke off a 20-year friendship with his sovereign, retired. Recalled to service in 1917 he was at last given his chance to start ruthless submarine warfare, almost achieved success.

Until two years ago he served as a nationalist deputy in the Reichstag, saying little, a confirmed but silent Monarchist. Since then he has lived in comparative seclusion near Munich. Softened by Bavarian good living he recently developed a great admiration for his former enemies, Britain and the U.S. He publicly advocated a British-German U.S. alliance.

* Corresponding to the modern cruiser, frigates were men o' war, variously rigged, smaller, lighter than Ships of the Line.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.