The Washington times., 1914-09-28
THE END OF STRATEGY ?

This is the seventeenth day of the
continuous slaughter that is called
the battle of the Aisne. 1t is strictly
a modern battle. If Napoleon OF
Wellington, Marlborough or Prince
Eugene, Stonewall Jackson or Phil
Sheridan were commanding on either
sice, pre- sumably it would have baon
a very different scrt of contest.
There would have been daringly
magnificent moves Of big bodies of
men, surprises in attack and with
drawal. If, for example, Lee and
Jackson were commanding the allies,
and should apply the strategy cf the
ALtietam campaign, there would he
something new every few minutes,
with the invading Germans getting
smashed in new and utterly unev-
pected quarter by foe whose ex-
lstence and location they didn't oven
suspect.
All that is plain enough on CON-
parison of this seventeen-day battle
with the operations Of older wars.
Plain enough, but is it true?
How is commander to engineer Il
Napoleonic surprise movement when
aercplane scouts are scurrying
through the ether mile above the
whole field of operations, signaling
to TIE opposing staff the results of
his observations? How shall the
enemy be nisled as to the Location of
forces and the dispositions for a new
movement, when it is practically in
possible to conceal anything: Wire
less telegraph outfits can DE hurried
around the field of operations on ar-
mored motor cars, and conlmunica-
ton established in fashion tnat
makes even the field telegraph lircs
Ct a few years ago seem medieval.
Lee and Grant, say nothing Of Ma
poleon and Wellington, never dream
ed of telephone and wireless, though
field telegraphy by wire was used in
some of the civil war operations to a
considerable extent.
Napoleon's war game was to mis-
lead his enemy into dividing. and
then defeat the detachments one at
a time. Going tn Italy, he wrecked
three Austrian armies, one at a
time, and every one of them strong
er than his own.
But what chance would his STRAIT
egy have nowadays,-with an aero
plane corps notifying his enemy of
his every move?
The answer to these queries may
be read, seemingly, in the dispatches
from the north of France today. The
very things hat, in other wals
would have been most sedulously
are most freely given to
the public, With no fear that they
will equip the enemy with import
ant information. THUS from the be-
ginning it has been understood that
the French British strategy was to
turn the right wing Of the Germans. |
Both sides have understood that. No
tody attempted to conceal it, be-
cause concealment of the plains of
France from the air scouts was about
as promising an enterprise rs shut
ting off the supply of sunlight from
half continent.
Sc the strategy of surprise and !
sudden movement, ASIDE from the
night attack which must BE- perpc-
trated when opposing forces are very
close together, is APPARENTLY elm
mated from the conduct Of modern
war. The battle of the Aisne shows
two vast arrays of fighting men and
machinery, drawn up facing each
other, devotjng themselves to re
business; Of shooting each
-ther for few weeks at spell.
zach entertaining the cheering hope
that it will be ahla to keep = few
men in action after the enemy mas
,een destroyed. 1t is just wholesale
laughter, stretched clear across the
in order to provide plenty of
,arget.
MONEY AND BANKS.