New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-28
Germany Sill Unable to Maintain
the Offensive in the Western
War Theatre.

., -, tbe,r lines in France and Belgium for aoou'
Nth +bev had begun what looked like new
offensive campaign by capturing Antwerp ana push
inc westward toward the Gngish Channe' p'i''
rrnsv had occupied Ostend and we're evidently aim
~ .. ,sttine possession Of Dunkirk, Calais bou
,ocne and Dieppe. But the stout resistance oueFeu
Nv the allied forces on the line Of the User River
s.,,, N,arnort TO Dixmude and thence on an arc
=, o,rclo bending toward the east to Armenteres
,6Is Rssses had made any swift dash WESTWARD
imnossIble. The question was whether the Gefm"n
.roons released by the fan of Antwerp ana TIE re-
,.....aroents brought I'D from Aix-la-Chapelle ana
-, .bo limo Of tho Aisno could start anotler
forward movement and get results approAlDna''is
.,oso % the August September dash for Far1S
,,esl,s fighting has gained the Germans very
-, .o,,nd in the direction Of the Channel mar
,ors The River User has been crossed u' o"'
o,n+ after heavy sacrifices, but the German 'lO0p'
.Do oo.st have been driven back ana no neau'
-. hoo, made in the Roulero-CourtTai-l1He
..a,or The same condition Of deadlock seems H0"
- .vist on the northerly prolongation OF 'ne si'"'
,.. 80 hattie through Belgium to the sea as mas
-, Gov. siv weeks past from Arras TO RoYon'
.-bol, ,ispe line and in the Meuse Nalle!'
Although the Germans are still technl''"' ''''
.o.sor. and nrobably attack oftener and at more
-. .boD the Allies do, the offensive from the
.-,o,. - Grand strategy has passed pretty
.,r,,,.tolv from their hands Since the retreat
.,.. ,,o-ra m the Aisne they have had 70 COZ
Gown, tbair tactics 10 the tactics Of the Allies
..-., 1.0ra has controlled the Development ol
.,. ,.,,,,aion in Northeastern France Inc Ter
man General staff has had to folIoT ms moves
...,,,ol,v extending the German right fsom Noyon
...,.,o- and further north in order to meet the
French development The focus Of the struggle
has thu. been pushed further and further ava!
from Paris. until now the point Of sharpest contact
..,reo, the two armies is across the Belgian Dor
H.. oDd only about fifty miles west Of Brussels
IN order ia counteract tho French turning move
mont the Kaisers forces in the western war theatre
bava now been uassed largely on the German right
The French official reports say that the Grand
nrle Albrecbt Of Wurtemberg has been trans
fsrred from the Aisne 10 Belgium and that tue
German line running east from Noyon TO Nerdun
has been stripped in order to strengthen the con-
,,,oerts in the north. General Won Kluck once
Fl, command of the extreme German hight, Is now
nesr the centre three or possibly four armies hay
ing been assigned to prolong the line north"ard
from his position. But all this Encouragement OF
eorcas has been dictated by General Joffres
strategy. In the larger miltery sense the Often
s,ve in the western theatre has been exercised FOL
six weeks past not by the Germans but by the
N Allies.
y The importance OF the capture % Antwerp j.
now seen IN the proper military perspective We
pointed out at the time Of the captuaHOn that il
could not materially affect the course Of the western
campaign. We also said that the German attack
On Antwerp fitted better into the purposes OF a
defensive cappaign than into the purposes Of an
offensive one The reduction Of fortress which
threatened German communications through Liege
was of more Importance to army considering It's
own safety In case OF a withdrawal than to an
army prepared to carry the war into the heart Of
France. The deadlock on the Nieuport-Dixmude
Roulers.Iulc line shows how little military sig
pdcance attached 10 the fall Of Antwerp In itself
il was not the beginning Of Il new German often
,iye. and apparently the strength is still lacking tc
push home such a new offensive
Il Is nearly three months since the German in
yasion Of Belgium and France began. Although
the war in the west is still being conducted on
German soil there il little consolation in that fact
ror Germans who remember with what large ex-
pectations the rush for Paris commenced. A crush
ing victory in France Was an absolute necessity
10 Germany II her plans for q successful war on
.wo fronts were TO go through. But the decisive
blow in the west was never struck. When the
line came to strike it the German attack fzzed
cut
The battle Of the Alame turned the German
armies back in their tracks, and they have made
no progress since. Oyerconddence caused by too