New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-08-14
Still in the First Stages of the Orea'
War.

Germany, IN order 10 begin an invasion OF pIan'''
h,s bsd 70 push to the front from 10000 %
100000 men. The civilized world has never 'e'
seen So large force assembled and operated IN
q single theatre Of war To get 1t ready lot coii'
certed action in less than two weeks Wouo DE
,.,n,r- snnroscbIpc the miraculous in military
dexterity.
Noitke was one OF the greatest organizers Of
modern times. He was the father OF the modern
general stan system. with its programmes OF moo
u,zst,on and attack prepared long in advance
His success in modelling the Prussian army IN
1870 and in getting quick military results out OF
his prearranged strategy was phenomenal let
II took him nineteen days TO bring the Prussian
and South German troops to the front in sufficient
strength to make operations against the French
practicable
The notice Of mobilization was sent out IN
Prussia on July -. 1870 and in Sa1ony, Bavaria
W1rtemberr and Baden on July 16 and IL.
Saarbrucken. the first engagement of the war
was fought on August ., and 1t was brought Oh
br an offensive movement the part Of the
trench The first serious battle for which the
Germans were more or less ready was fought
AZ Weissenburg on August 4 Then followed
Sp!chern and Worth on August s. In the latter
battle Marshal MacMahon's army was routed and
disappeared from the front for more than week
Marshal Bazaine was driven back on Metz by the
battles Of Colombey, August ID; Nionvile-Mars
Ia Tour, August Is and II, and Gravelotte-St
Privat. August IS and 10. MacNIahon's army was
surrounded and captured at Sedan septem-
Der /.
Moltke got about 475OO0 men together for these
operations. The French ha' less than 100000,
since there was practically no mobilization in
France and the first part = the war was fought
10y the regular forces stationed in Alsace and
Lorraine The French general staff Of that day
was purely ornamental excrescence.
since 1870 the means Of communication in Ger
many have been multiplied, and troops from dis
tant parts Of the empire can reach the Rhine and
the Reicbsand by rail without great delay But
the present German army operating against
France is nearly twice as big the army which
Moltke assembled. aud the difficulties Of transport,
ommisssrst and supply increase dlspropQrtion-
atey as the density Of the mass to be supplied
increases In spite Of the vast improvements IN
railroad and other transportation it is probably
lust as hard 10 mobilize 100000 men to-day as
II was to mobilize 100000 to 100000 in MoItke's
time
Germany declared war on Russia on August
last so that only thirteen days have been con
sulned so f,r by the German General Stah
against Moltkes nineteen. For over week the
Germans have been assaulting the forts at Liege
and they have now pushed their lines forward
over large portion Of Southeastern Belgium
Undoubtedly the first troops available were sen
TO the Belgian frontier since Germany hoped e
steal a march on the French by getting acros
Belgian territory and making a movement OF
Paris from the extreme northeastern corner o.
France. That move. had it been successful
would have uncovered the whole line Of fortressc
along the Franco-German frontier from VerduI
south 10 Belfort 1t would have opened the short
est and easiest road to Paris.
The refusal Of Belgium to allow her neutrality
n be violated and the heroic resistance at Leg
disclosed the German plans and gave Belgium
France and Great Britain precious ten days il
which TO prepare TO checkmate them. The Ger
man army Of the Meuse lost time at -iege no
only because the forts held out Unexpectedly, BIZ
because Il was not in sufficient strength both 4
invest the forts and TO continue forward move
ment into Belgium against the allied forces Whici
had been quickly assembled But the steady Ger
man push forward from Liege shows that The
supports behind the northernmost army are com
inc M and that the German General staff Is read'
10 try 10 open by force the convenient route across
Belgium which il hoped 10 seize by surprise Wit.
what was really only an advance column.
II seems pretty clear that all the engagements
So far fought have been merely preliminary try
outs The machines Of attack and defence arc
not yet gcared up 10 top power If Germany has
moi been able TO mobilize 100000 men for an in