10. That the British Fleet when it has returned to the North Sea, whether northabout or through the Straits of Dover, may have to fight a general battle at once with the whole strength of the enemy; |It is almost hopeless to forecast what may happen during this critical time. No escorts could then be spared.| and that during the preliminaries, the progress, and the aftermath of this battle attempts may be made either to reinforce the original landing or to make further landings at other points on the British coasts.
Resident Germans may certainly be expected to co-operate locally. There are always a number of officers over here map-making.
11. That sabotage, i.e. acts of treachery before a declaration of war, are improbable, but that they may occur simultaneously with the first military hostilities, and that in any case they are not included in the present phase of the inquiry which deals essentially with military operations.
W. S. C.
April 26, 1913.
B.
Certainly.
1. It is useless labour to work out in detail a series of conventional operations. It is only necessary to work out real operations, i.e. the sort of operations an enemy might be expected to attempt. The numbers of these are limited: there are only four types.
Except local co-operation (see A. 11).
2. First, sabotage, by which is meant acts of treachery perpetrated by persons or vessels in disguise before any declaration of war. Instances of these acts are given by Captain Hankey in his paper. They are an important study, but they do not touch the problems we are now examining, and they are therefore excluded for the present.