The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-12
A GENERAL SURVEY
OF THE WAR
From the Evening Sun" Of yes
terday


ers. both nations should have practically
all of their field forces at the frontier and
prepared for Offensive operations 1t IL
perhaps appropriate to examine briefly
the situation as II has developed. Since
the German offensive Is the really decisive
element. such a survey will naturally
amount to review of German opera
lions. always with the fact In mind that
the German necessity is 10 crush France
before Russia is able TO take the field.
To begin with the Liege operations
the most considerable 50 far. ON Mon.
day August 3. German soldiers. evil
IDENTITY an eNpcditiondry corps kept
ready for n sudden. swf. invasion of
Belgium, crossed their own frontier near
AiN-ln-Chapellc ami moved ON f.iege.
They were in front Of Iiege on Tues
day. 1yc obvious purpose of this nva-
sion. ae the German official statement
has explained, was to seize the town by
"a coup de- main
The attempt failed. and German off,
c!al reports do not claim that German
troops entered the city until Friday night
Confused stories Of bloody battles and
terrific losses have come from Brussels
hut should he accepted under great re
servo. what H. vital Is the comment OF
tho German War ONCE that there was a
delay incident to the resistance of l..cge.
To understand the meaning of this u
Is necessary to grasp the object OF the
German advance which was not to con-
duct operations iu Belgium but 20 open
% way into the north Of France beyond
the barrier forts. The Germans WEI. be-
fore I.ioge on Tuesday morning on
Wednesday they should have been NJ Huy
sud ou Thursday AZ Namur II Licgr had
surrendered promptly such 4 quick
thrust had II 81 .coedCi. would have given
the Gcrw1us possession Of Namur he
fore the French could couc,l,ab'y have
reached that town.
Had the German plan succeeded there
by last Saturday the advance guard Of
tho Army Of the Mouse would have been
on either side ~ the Meusc above Namur
Is right flank protected against belgian
or English attack by the forts Of Lege
HIy and Nlmur It's left wing would
hav" been iu contact with the German
army Of the Moselle, whose advance
guard occupied Luxembourg on IN" same
iay the Army Of the Mcuse began to
march toward Liegc, while the left wing
Of the Army of Nosellc would have been
so'tllN protected 10y the German forts Of
'p. Th.ouvllc-M barrier west ~ the
N"us' and ifs .lvalry could operate vita
brussels 10 'he French frontier A. lille
such is the conception ~ the German
operations which an commentators before
and since the war broke ont have held
They soresiV that GERMANY would at
'snpt TO throw itS main force upOn the
flank and rear Of the French barrier forts
Of tho Ncrdun- Bcfort line To German
forces advancing from the corner Of Rel
riu,n into France the sole natural barrier
is the Neusc River from N"rluu TO Ma
muir Had the Germans succeeded In taxi
.uE \amur they would have held both
aorrs OF tine rive, and the French laren.
sive would have been thrown hack some
where on the Northumberland aou line
of daferr.s far within wrench territory
Now consider v-h,, hammered lasge
adj mo-, surre,t.r and instead OF urriy-
Inc "a, \,,,,ur last FRIDAY mo Germans
o,I, ,ii,c,al.d I'm -.t,fug into IJere that
MINT N,,rti,,. French AMI Relr.,p
,r,,nns mad .iue 20 or.upy T,mur solidIv
,,d ~. lin. n, tho u.,,... hc.,,,,. , for
,,,,I,tl. ,hs,,,,o 20 ,,ar,,,, ,dvs,,, eror,
~, e,r,roSs ~ vsri,,r ,o ,b.t ~, \or,ur
Iy,,. i-.. ,,.,,,.,o,,.l ~, I 10. sine. l,ri-
d,, uipbt rer.airs - ro1lul,,. mystery
n, t.s, i,,.,,,,,,t,, ,,.,t',i.. ,,,.Y.s g.,
,. ,.,,,..,,,.,,..,, ,f ,h. n,.,r. lac. s,,,.
~ ,1g f,r,. ~, r,.s. or.,,,,.r. -. m.
,c,,b ,o,.art T,,rr,, ,ls, ..rur,,, ~.
u,r.,,, ,.s.,,fo,,. ,r-,. ,to t,,..,.t, .,.,,. ~
49," II, r,. i.., ,.,'....,i..J y, ,,,r,.
,,-,I "a ,,... , psi,,,r ana I,r,,.r ror,.
..,,ir,, t,',,,, p,,ss,ls md A,,,,.r, .,
,ha ,'li., 81 ,ho iego f,r,. u,I I'm,
,,,,.,,, 49,, I ,,. r.. ..,,,Id -. ,,,,,,
,,s ,,r,. 80 deferd ,hoir 0,,,k and ros,,,,.
49, ,,,,rcb sn,,,h
~ 80 ,,. ,t.,,., ,b., ~, for
=, +, 10 ,ossihIa 90 irtarrro, ,,rescr,
dasrstc5os has hoo, DELAYED and de1cctad
49,. No., h,., na,',.,.d ~, t. ,,,,,,.
NJ rho NI,sc,lno IL nos,tior IN I.nx.m-
b,,rg hos L,,r r.ror,,d Al regular intar.
,L- !, seems Yesterday 80 nav,
s,r..t,bed an, toward Frame t,liur tho
i.,,lr t,Vn or T.oupu,nr on Nh, road 20
N.rlur and N.Il across tina French IRON
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