New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-09-21
The Deadlock on the Aisne River.

attacks and counter attacks. Neither side clauns
more than draw in these operations. The Ger
maus have been technically on the defensive al
tboucb they have assaulted the Allies at many
points. While they were falling back from the
valley Of the Marine their engineers selected a
strong line behind which the retreating columns
could reorgsnize make good their losses with rein
forcements hurried up from Belgium and the Rhine
depots and secure their communications to tue
northeast and east. The battle of the Aisne has
therefore gone in their favor in so far as it has
ended the retreat from the neighborhood Of Paris
aud given them breathing space in which to reft
and make new plans.
How important this negative success has been
will depend upon the next moves in the campaign.
The German army did not rush into France merely
for the purpose Of Selling good line, ntrenching
il and beating off a series of French attacks. The
plans Of the Berlin General staff involved assuIn-
ing the offensive and resouely maintaining it until
the French mobile army should be crushed and
Paris invested Any abandonment Of the offensive,
even for couple Of weeks must upset those plans,
since the German scheme for a war on two fronts
provided for a quick smashing Of the French de-
fence and a subsequent shifting Of a large part Of
the western forces to the eastern frontier If the
deadlock on the AiSne is to continue, reinforce
ments can 90 from France to East Prussia, Poland
aud Galica. On the contrary, losses in France viii
mount so high that only small proportion of Ger
G-g+ limo rosor,oc cop IN c,arad for YSp alsp
where In order to reap any positive advantages
los prolonging their stay in France the German
armies will have TO resume the offensive and make
one more gigantic effort to dsorganize and scatter
the forces of the Allies.
The French and British have not repeated on the
Aisne their impressive successes on the Marine. But
they have just as much cause to be satisfied with
the results Of the fighting of the last week as the
Germans have Their tactical position is better,
since. if they still retain superiority in numbers
they can afford to hold the German right centre
and centre by frontal attacks and meanwhile
threaten the German right on the flank and rear
General Won Klucks army, has apparently bent back
its right wing to the north of Noyon, but the French
do not have TO 90 very far on that side in order
envelop the enemy. The excessive rains Of the last
three or four days have increased the difficulties Of
French turning movement But if one is pushed
..,e the present German intrenched line will be.
..le untenable 1t has no firm support the
rthwest and will find none until it gets well back
.ovarl the valley of the Sambre.
The present German position is in fact, good
enough one to halt in but not a good enough one
TO settle down in definitely for defensive purposes.
II the Kaiser is going to yield the offensive Al
France the natural line for his armies to make q
stand on is back along the Belgian and Luxembourg
frontiers, the right covering Charleroi and Namur,
the centre about Sedan and the left extending below
Metz But to assume such position would be to
admit that the German campaign in its first pha sc
has failed completely and that Germany will here
after occupy herself defending her own territory.
Had the Germans just reached Laon and Rheims
for the first time German prestige would still be
unimpaired and the situation Of the Allies would be
held to be highly critical There were many mill
tary experts who thought that the German armies
could not penetrate Wltnln TWO mOhlhS time as
far as Frances second line Of defence-Rhelms-
Iaon-La Tere. The rapid success of the turning
movement by way of Belgium excited German hopes
of another Sedan. Then those lopes were punct
ured by the defeat the Marine and the retreat to
the Aisne All Of a sudden the imposing tradition
Of German invincibility was shattered The Allies
have rcgained an amount of confidence in them
selves equal in value to the reinforcement of a new
army. The road TO Paris, which seemed so open
aud easy now bristles with difficulties Fighting at
Rheims after having been within sight of the fo-ti-
acations Of Paris, the German army has lost its
terrors for others and large part Of its blind faith
IN itself
The course Of the war 50 far confirms the general
opinion that frontal assaults have lost their erec-
tiyeness With anything like equal numbers op-
posed they lead only to hideous slaughter One
turning movement brought the Germans from Brus-
sells to the outskirts Of Paris. Another pushed them
hack sixty miles to Noyon aud Rheims. 1t begius