The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-08-12
A GENERAL SURVEY
OF THE WAR TO DATE
The Situation as II Has Developed in
Ten Days Since Mobilization
Started.

1 Ten days after the mobilization of tn
a French and German armies, that is o
the day when, according to militar.
writers, both nations should have prac
tically all OF their field forces at tn
frontier and prepared for offensive op
erations, IL is perhaps appropriate Il
examine briefly the situation as it ha
developed. Since the German offensive
is the really decisive element, such sur
vey win naturally amount to a review
OF German operations, always with th'
fact in mind that the German necessity
is to crush France before Russia is abb,
to take the field.
To begin with the Liege operations
the most considerable so far, on Monday
August 3, German soldiers, evidently an
expeditionary corps, kept ready for a
sudden swift invasion of Belgium
crossed their own frontier near Aix-la-
Chapelle and moved on Liege. They
were in front of Liege on Tuesday. The
obvious purpose of this invasion, as the
German official statement has explained,
was to seze the town by coup de main.
The attempt failed, and German Off
cial reports do not claim that German
troops entered the city until Friday
night, Confused stories of bloody bat
ties and terrific losses have come from
Brussels, but should be accepted under
lgreat reserve. What is vital is the com
ment of the German war Office that
there was delay due to the resistance
Of Liegc.
a .tF1h lar utaf1 - t...
rs necessary to grasp the object of the
German advance, which was not to CON
duct operations in Belgium but to open
way into the north of France beyond
the barrier forts. The Germans were
before Liege on Tuesday morning; on
Wednesday they should have been at
Huy and on Thursday at Namur if
Liege had surrendered promptly. Such
Ia quick thrust, had it succeeded
would have given the Germans posses
sion of Namur, before the Grench could
conceiyably have reached that town.
Had the German plan succeeded there
by last Saturday the advance guard of
the army of the Mouse would have been
on either side OF the Meuse above Ma
muir, its right flank protected against
Belgian or English attack by the forts
of Liege Huy and Namur. Its left wing /
would have been in contact with the |
German army of the Aosele, whose adj |
vance guard occupied Luxembourg on the /
same day the army of the Mense began I
to march toward Liege, while the left /
wing Of the army OF the Moselle would /
have been solidly protected by the Ger
man forts OF the Thionville- Metz barrier
west OF the Meuse, its cavalry could
operate via Brussels 20 the French
frontier at Lille.
such is the conception of the German
operations which all commentators be.
fore and since the war broke out have
held. They foresaw that Germany would
attempt to throw its main force upon the
iank and rear of the French barrier
forts OF the Verdun Belfort line To
German forces advancing from the cor
aer of Belgium into France the sole
natural barrier is the Meuse river from
serdun to Namur. Had the Germans
in taking Namur they would
ave held both banks of the river and
he French defensive would have been
brown back somewhere on the Verdun-
Rheims Laon line of defences far within
french territory.
Now consider what happened. Liege :
lid not surrender, and instead of arriv- !.
ny at Namur last Friday the Germans
My succeeded in getting into Liege that
light. Meantime French and Belgian
roops had time to occupy Namur solid
Y and the line of the Mouse became
ormidable obstacle to German advance
rom the fortress of Verdum to that of
samur. French concentration on the !:
outh bank OF the Meuse was made pos.
ible; in fact, French offensive opera
ions north of the Meuse toward Luxem-
urg have been reported. l
What has happened at Liege since
riday night remains complete mys.
cry. The best information availa BILE Z
oints to the prolongation of the battle I;
Y some OF the forts at least. Opera I:
ons to the north toward Tongres also /.
pnfirm the Belgian assertion that the !;
erman army of the Mouse has been I,
,mpelled TO turn north to face a Bel I,
ian and French force coming from Brus. (;
is and Antwerp to the relief of the 4
ieee forts. Had the Germans taken /;
iege they could rely upon its forts to =
sfend their flank and resume their I:
arch south !:
The army of the Mouse, then, so far !;
il is possible to interpret present dis /:
'tches, has been delayed and detected. e
hat, then, has happened to the army l;
the Moselle? Its position in Luxem y