The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-09-19
Entire German Campaign
at Stake on the AiSne
Decisive Defeat Cannot BE Denied if Great Battle Now
Raging Is Lost by Armies of
the Kaiser.
ISSUE Is NOT VITAL TO THE ALLIED FORCES

rob them of the whole advantage gained
in their first terrific drive into France
In word the battle OF the Aisnc II
the Germans lose IT, will probably prov.
tho ruin of the whole gigantic opora on
for which the German General Staf h,,
been preparing for years. 1t will make
utterly worthless the advantage sought
and gained by the dash through Belgium
which brought England into the war. and
lis moral effect upon Germany will he
very considerable. II after eight week.
of war the German armies stand IN
the French frontier again the most con.
sentative OF German war experts will no
longer be able to decry the dccisiveness
Of German defeat
II the allies lose they will presently
have to retire again new German
advance to the Marine. another effort TO
Isolate Paris and the barrier forts IL
inevitable. A new battle OF the Marne
will have to be fought But in the mean
time the allies will have received thou
sands OF reenforcements coming from
British colonies. They know now exactly
what German strategy contempiates. The,
will no longer have to fight under tNe
shadow OF an uninterrupted series OF DE-
feats.
Moreover. II should always be rcmer.
bered that Germany must still win de
cisively or retire. SO long as the allie
hold the sea her right will be exposed 10
attacks from expeditionary forces landing
from Ostend to Dieppe. In addition until
Verdiun falls she will have to occupy
western Belgium to protect her main lin.
of communication and this means employ
ing not less than 10000 troops sadly
needed on her battle line in France.
Original Plan Clear Now.
We see now precisely what German
plans contemplated. There was TO he
rush through Belgium to northern Fran~
Once the main German army swept south
OF the Aisne the Crown Prince was 20 en-.
circle the barrier forts from the west. Gen
Won Heeringen was to come in on the east
and south Of Nancy, Vcrdun. Toul and the
connecting forts were TO be reduced. Then
Germany would have short line OF com
munication through Metz and Strassburg
the main line of railways in eastern
France would be in her hands. Belgium
could be evacuated and all her troops cor
centrated in northern France.
The plan was compromised by the re
sstance Of the Belgians. II was TEN
porarily wrecked by the failure OF tes
Crown Prince to take Nerdun before the
defeat OF the main armies at the Marine
compelled its retreat. Failure To r~rtst
properly put the Crown Prince in some
peril because the French offensive her
was rapid. and since the French he'd
NerfVn they could operate on both side
OF the Meusc on his line OF retreat.
Briefly summarizing. then. a victory 70
the allies at the Aisne would almost coz
tainly be decisive so far as the first phase
of the war Is concerned. Further Ger
man retreat would mean a retirement IN
the frontier along the Meuse II there were
no disaster. nothing hut an inevitaho
yielding to superior numbers or to flank
pressure. \ defeat for the allies would
mean the loss of much that was gained AZ
the Marne. the necessity to fight II all OUT
again. but the time gained would insurt
the arrival OF valuable rcenforccments. the
information acquired permit new effective
resistance.
For the allies, then. the battle or The
Aisne is an important but hardly vital cor
test. aside from the possibility that thov
meet disaster: for the Germans II means
the salvation or destruction of their whole
campaign against France. their great ~.
fensivc. now gone 10 tho defensive, hu'
palrably striving to get In motion once
more