The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-10

To understand the fighting which marks the beginning of the great FTanco-German conflict it Is necessary to grasp clearly just one simple geographical fact, says the New York Evening Sun.
 From the Rhine, which is the base or German operations, three routes lead west and south into France. The first starts at Cologne, crosses the Belgian frontier just beyond Aix-la-Chapelle, reaches the Mouse at Liege and ascends the Mouse to enter France between Maubeuge and Givet by natural gap in the divide be- tween the headwaters of the Disc and the Sambre This is the route followed by the main railroad between Paris and Ber- lin. It was employed by the allies in the second campaign in the French revolution The invaders were defeated by the French army celebrated in song and story as the army of the "Sambre ct Mouse" at the decisive battle of Fleurus.
 The second natural avenue to France starts at Coblenz and ascends the valley of the Moselle until 1t arrives at Lux emburg It then crosses into France by Longwy and the gap of Stenay. This route was lOliOWtQ Dy lilt Cuht ol ioi diif'- wick in the first invasion of France at the time of the revolution and by Bleucher
 in 1874. The first attempt penetrated through Longwy, passed Verdun, which surrendered and was checked at the fam out "cannonade of Valmy."
 Pierces Saverne Gap
 The third approach follows the Rhine valley from Mayence to Strassburg and then turns west through the famous Sa- verne gap to cross the frontier of France near Luneville and Nancy and directly in the center of the open space left by the French between Epinal and Toul This was the route used by all invaders prior to the time when France seized Alsace in the seventeenth century, and it was to close this gap that Louis XIV and Richelieu struggled to acquire the Rhine frontier.
 It will be seen, then. that conforming to the geographical conditions. the Ger mans are directing at France three great armies, the army of the Mouse, based on Cologne; the army of the Moselle, based on Coblenz. and the army of the Rhine, based on Mayence and on Strass- burg. The first would naturally become visible when it touched Belgian territory; the second when Luxemburg was invaded the third would remain masked behind the Notifications of Metz and Strassburg The first two would arrive in France behind the Befort- Verdun barrier of forts and pi esumably compel the French army or | this line to fall back-opening the way for
 the army of the Rhine and permitting
 the concentration of all three German | armies well within French territory and north of Paris, the German objective.
 Now it remains to consider what has happened. On Sunday a German advance guard walked into Luxemburg and occu- pied the principaity. Since German mob ilization had only just been ordered, this was plainly only flying expedition made up of garrisons of frontier posts. Having occupied Luxemburg, they began to skir
 msh in front of Longwy, and this fighting has continued growing stiffer as the mass of the army of the Moselle came up. Showed Approaching Storm
 In the same fashion they also began on last Sunday skirmishing on the bor- der facing Strassburg. Grey was seized raiding parties crossed the boundary and dirigible dropped bombs in Lune. vile. the first considerable town on tho line of the approach of the Army of tho Rhine. Enthusiastically and even before war was declared the first firing showed exactly when the storm was coming ir lthese two quarters
 It remains to consider the Army O. the Mouse, which had assigned to il the most difficult preliminary role. Be tween Cologne, its base, and the from tier is a distance of 25 miles. Plainly the advance guard, probably the army corps reguarly quartered at Cologne
 reached this point on Sunday, for or Monday came the first statement of the violation of Belgian territory. preceded