The sun., 1914-08-25
FRENCH CAN CHOOSE
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
Germans Can Select Time. but
Their Enemy Will Fix
the Place.
ONLY ONE WAY TO FRANCE
Line From Maubcuge to Lille
Virtually Only Pos
Sible Road.
ONLY ONE WAY TO FRANCE
From the EVENING srS Of yesterday.

''O"s 'N' isNENlFN' SlN OJ yfS'TUuV.
To understand the next and second
phase % the German operations in Bel
giuu' there are certain geographical and
military circumstances which must be
remembered
When the German advance stepped over
into Belgium on August It's obvious
purpose was to seize Llege and then
Namur and open the road to France by
the Meuse Valley. Had 1t succeeded the
main German advance need not have
gone to Brussels. The side trip TO Brus-
sells was imposed by two interdependent
circumstances. The resistance of Liege
gave France time to reinforce the Bel
gian garrison at Namur and prevent any
seizure OF this fortress 10y a sudden a.
tack This closed the valley OF the
Meuse and the Sambre above Namur.
the direct line to PARIS. The prolOuga-
ton OF the resistance at Licgc enabled
the field army of Belgium to come up
on the right flank OF the Germans.
Under these circumstances the Ger
mans were compelled 10 go west. not
south, to roll up the Belgian army and
sweep 1t back into Antwerp and to open
a road TO France west OF the Meuse. since
Namur was on a war footing AS the
Belgian field army continued to put up a
gallant and effective resistance and Llegs
delayed the mass OF German infantry
there was a period when 1t seemed posi-
bic that the French and British forces
might arrive In time to confront the
Germans or the famous Lines OF the Dyle
east OF Brussels and compel Il to open
a way to France far inside Belgian ter
rtory.
But fortunately FOR the Germans, at
least as Il now appears, the French
and British failed to &c; up. apparently
by "A narrow margin OF time. for French
troops in considerable force were Just
south of the Belgian line at Gcnbloux
when the Germans. by wide sweep to
tho north. broke in upon the Belgians
At Louvain, threatened their line of re-
treat upon Antwerp and thus compelled
them to retire rapidly on that city. Thus
by last Thursday the Germans had ac-
complishci the task which constituted the
first phase Of their operations TO get at
France and stood in force at Brussels
while their cavalr.' vas sweeping west
and north toward Ostend and Ghcnt.
Only One Route.
From Brussels to France three i'm.
portant lines OF rail and roadway lead
south TO the French border some fifty
miles away. That TO the west enters
France at Lille, where It Joins the Ghent-
Antwerp-paris line The middle line
crosses the French boundary north Of
Nalenc'ennes. The eastern line Joins the
Liege-Paris railroad az Charerol and
enters France at Maubeuge. Maubeuge
and Lille are perhaps hfty miles apart
and Vslenciennos Is almost equidistant
from both. Maubeuge and Lille are fortl-
hed towns. each surrounded by a circle
OF detached forts. with Valenclennes
Conde lie Quesnoy and Mons. the last
named now In Belgium. they constitute the
famous Belgian Belt" constructed by
Va, ,hu IN, n ln tn1a ~
French and English history But only
Msubeuge and Lille are now fortified.
There are. however. In addition several
detached forts between the two cities,
occupying vantage points and to he
reckoned with still Finally. across two
thirds Of the gap between Lille and Mnu-
beuge runs the Scheldt River, a sort OF
moat In front OF the Naubeuge-Lille line
For an army at Brussels and intending
TO invade France the gap between Maui
beuge and Lille In practically the only
possible road To 20 to the ives; beyond
Lille would mean TO extend an open flank
TO the Anglo French forces from, Namur
TO Lille, while the narrow stretch OF land
between fhlle and the sea Is hanked again
by the hrst class fortress os Dunklrk
such detour Is also far off the main
railway lines. To go east OF Maubeuee
by the Meuse is equally difficult and un-
attractive 20 an army whose time IL
llllllN'u' rN'iuNt Nilt htuSe route Is closed
by the fortress OF Namur and by French
forces at Dinant and French forts at
Glvet, li!rson and Mez.eres
II IL fair to assume. then, that the
German plan OF campaign after the tal,
OF Brussels included an advance upon
tho Maubeuge-Lille barrier. While both
places rank as first class fortresses,
neither Is comparable with Antwerp,
Strassburg or Belfort. To force either or
both would be a considerable but by no
means hopeless undertaking. As for
the forts between, they would be OF i'm
mense help to field army defending the
gap between the two cities, but not 10
be compared with the forts at Liege. The
fact that the delay Incident TO Belgian
resistance had permitted the British 10
come UP and the French to complete their
concentration would increase the difficulty
OF the task but short OF abandoning the
whole offensive through Belgium, an un.
thlnkab!e thing. there could be no choice
for tho Germans