The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1914-10-27
THE GERMAN ADVANCE
TO THE CHANNEL

To explain the present operations
in Northwestern France, which arc
reported in dispatches announcing
the German advance upon Ostend.
the seizure Of Lille and the massing
of Allied troops south Of Lille and
north Of Arras, II 10 necessary to re-
view briefly the progress Of recent
events in the western field. It il
similarly essential to recognize that
in the last four weeks the whole Ger
man plan has been modified-or ra-
Their q new plan has been adopted.
During the first six weeks Of the
war, that is, from the attack upon
Liege to the battle of the Marne. the
German general stan attempted to
destroy the military power Of France
by launching one terrific drive at Par,
is Of the whole German military ma
chine, save for few army corps re-
tanned on the Russian boundary.
Could France be crushed, Paris cap
tured, the chief enemy of the Ger
mans would be eliminated in the first
weeks of war, the German masses
could then 60 east and dispose Of
Russia. After that England would
remain, but only as a sea power. This
followed the strategy Of Napoleon in
his Austerlitz campaign.
BY narrow margin this colossal
effort failed. At the battle of the Mar
ne the Germans we're thrown back.
They were not routed, but It was nee
essary for them to fall back upon a
selected position, concentrate and 70.
nt. This work covered the period
from September until September
10. when the Germans were aaain
concentrated behind the Aisne, all
armies again in touch and their line
of communications intact.
Once this concentration was achiev.
ed there began promptly fresh ef-
fort to take the offensive. From the
Disc to the Mouse, along the broad
front on which Scissors and kheims
are placed, there were In the days
following the end of the German re-
treat from the Marine desperate strug-
giles which marked the final attempt
of the Germans to resume their Until
al plan to crush France by a single
blow.
But by September 20 1t was plain
that the opportunity had vanished;
gains In certain places were made,
but only minor gains, while allied re-
sistance behind intrenchments be-
came more and more sustained: 1t
was plain to the whole world then,
probably to the German general STAFF
before, that the first German at
tempt, after great temporary triumph
had missed. 1t remained to begi:S
another.
Before a new attack could be made
however, certain conditions had to
be faced. In their rush toward Paris
the Germans had left the Belgian ar-
my behind them at Antwerp an Eng
lish force at Ostend and the French
channel ports uninvested., Parts TAX
en-. the main French armies destroy
ed, these could be dealt with In their
turn and were without value. But
Paris untaken, the allied military
power unbroken, they constituted at.
ter the battle of the Marine. grave
meance to German communications,
a peril to their rear il they were COM
pelled to leave the Aisne and drain
upon their field armies, since they
held back troops needed In France
Thus In the last week Of September
Il became clear that the Germans,
temporarily abandoning their offens.
live In France, were setting out meth
odically, deliberately, 10 clear the
flank and rear in Belgium Of the enc
my. First In the road was Antwerp.
Until Antwerp was captured their
whole hold in Belgium was precarlous
for Antwerp was east Of the Scheldt
and from it Belgian troops could cas-
ily reach German communications.
So the Germans proceeded to be-
siege and take Antwerp. This gave
them possession OF Belgium east cf
the Scheldt. that is, more than three
quarters of the kingdom; 1t also gave
them the line of the Scheldt river as
a barrier against any Anglo Belgian
attack coming east from Ostend. But
it did not greatly shorten their line
and it left them still faced with the
possibility of the eventual arrival ON
their front from ostend from Calais,
from DInkirk, from Boulogne, OF
British armies sent across the chan