The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1914-10-15
THE
MARINE TO
THE A|SNE

When General Won Kluck fought
his way out of the trap set for him
near Paris and started north, he was
exactly in the position of the Allies
during the long retreat from the Sam
bre to the Marine. All that time Ger
man strategy had labored, first to
encircle the allied left and roll 1t up
interposing between 1t and Paris; Sc
cond. to crush the allied army when
at last 1t made a stand at the Marne.
Now the Allies on Won Kluck's front
and flank were driving at the same
object.
From September to IA vC.l Kluck
went north. On the 18th, with their
right flank protected by the Disc he
yond which to the west strong flank
guard stood at Noyon, seventy miles
north of Paris, the German forces
began to take root behind Scissors,
with the Aisne in their front. I'm
der the pressure they gave slightly
and stood on the heights to the north
from Laon east through Craonne,
across the Aisne north of Rheims to
the Argonne, beyond which the Crown
Prince was struggling desperately to
get out OF trouble. On this line Won
Buelow, Won Hansen, and the Grand
Duke Aibrecht had taken position,
falling back and keeping In touch with
Won Kluck.
In all this time French strategy 70.
vealed itself in an effort to get on the
right flank of Won Kluck, in pressing
hard upon the center at the same
time, and in a hard drive to catch
the Crown Prince. In the general
advance of the Germans, the mission
of the Crown Prince had been to
surround the barrier fortresses OF
Verdun and Toul, while General Won
Heeringen, coming west against Nan.
cy from Alsace Lorraine, had endeav'
ored to cut them off to the south.
Had this move succeeded there would
then have been opened short road
between the Germans and their own
fortresses and railroads at Metz and
Thionville and the long and danger
GUS route through Belgium could be
abandoned and the thousands OF sol
diers occupied in guarding it releas
ed. When 1t failed, 1t left the Crown
Prince west of Verdun. still untaken,
with his line of retreat in peril. be-
cause the French at Verdun were on
both sides Of the Meuse and nearer
than he to his road home.
Thus in the fighting that followed
and still continues the object OF the
French was and II to attempt to turn
both tanks Of the German position
between the Disc and the Neuse,
while at the same time eXerting pres.
sure on the center to force a general
retreat out of France.
As for the Germans plan 1t has not
yet been fully revealed. Their stand
might mean that they were making
a tremendous rearguard fight to let
their heavy artillery travelling over
muddy roads, get safely away. u
might mean that they were endeav.
oring, by severe resistance in the cen
ter and on the right, to prevent the
Allies from sending reinforcements
against the Crown Prince. But aside
from those defensive operations. all
preliminary to q further retreat this
time behind the Mouse. 1t might also
mean that the Germans, having fall
ed In their first great drive to de
stroy the French army on the Marne
had fallen back to selected position
strongly fortified in advance to rent
To replenish their ammunition ex
bausted In the recent fighting, to
await the arrival of reinforcements
from East Prussia before advancing
again.
IL the last were the case IL might
be expected that presently they Mould
begin to strike out to regain the Of
fensive and certain movements about
September II seemed to confirm such
view. AS for the Allies, 1t became
matter Of gravest Importance for
them TO keep the Germans on the de.
fensive, to compel them to continue
the retreat before they were strength.
ened by new regiments, for II they
resumed the offensive the victory on
the Marne might prove to have been
only technical victory and the battle
have to be fought over again.
The Battle of Cambria proved to
be the defeat OF the German plan to