The Hawaiian gazette., 1914-12-29
GERMAN CHANCE
! HAS now PASSED
Overwhelming Numbers Oppose
Army's Courage and Peo-
pies Determination

f0ur months anu naif after the
arst German declaration Of war, that
against Russia, certain ssrategieal fea.
lures Of the conflict have become un
mistakable.
Above all else II e plain that the
FIRST great German war plan has failcd
utterly, probably irrctrlevabiy. What
ever the future may hold, y Is PLAN
that France Il not to be destroyed.
She not only win not be destroyed, NJ
seemed certain in the early days Of the
war and as was prophoUied BY the Ger
man military writer's, but when the
great war Is completed France win re-
tain her place a. a great power and her
army win continue TO be factor
in European combinations Eighteen
weeks Of furious fighting have settled
this. In the latter part Of August ana
the early days Of September repeti.
ton Of Sedan seemed possible Up u
the middle Of December France has not
only escaped any real disaster, but,
with british and Belgian reinforce
ments, has checked every German OF
fensiee movement in the west since the
battle Of the Marne.
Undertaking Too Great
In a military sense Il Is too carly 70
speak Of a conquered Germany, Int IL
Is no longer premature to assert that
the vision OF conquering Germany
has been laid completely at rest. For
the past six weeks Russia has claimed
the attention Of military men through
out the world. The German strategy
was faulty which planned, in the open.
ing weeks OF the war, to crush France,
while Austria held Russia in check and
before England could mass her army.
While Generals Joffrc and French we're
defeating the several German com
manders in the battle Of the Marine,
the Grand Duke Nicholas was beating
down Austrian armies and carrying the
war into East Prussia and Galicia.
From the battle Of the Marine two
months ago up to today, the problem
Of the Germans has not changed. 1t
his been their design, in fact their
necessity, to hold back the Russians
until they should crush the Allies, or at
least SO arrange their battle line that
they could turn east and deal with the
failed. All the enormous concentration
Of men in Belgium and Northern
France has failed to advance their lines
from the very position they took mp IN
the middle Of October, after their rush
to outhank the Allies and to push their
way along the coast. All the later
fighting along the User and the canal
country thereabouts has left them just
whore they stood when, Antwerp hav-
ing fallen, they began their new drive
for the channel ports.
Allies Now Stronger
In this time, too, conditions in the
west were changed wholly Day after
day the British have rushed in rein.
forcements. France, too, although
early reports were TO the effect that sbe
was IN prepared TO equip and arm thc
troops Of her second line, must lave
remedied the deAeienees, at least In
part. Today II Is hard to believe than
the Allies do not possess an equal num-
Der Of men, IL in fact they are not SUI
perior TO the Germans In number. The
added million from Lord Kitchener S
new army would seem 20 make II dan
gerous for German safety in Belgium
and Northern France.
II is in the east that the downfall Of
the German hopes Is most apparent.
Three times the Germans have driven
eastward In their effort to relieve Aus
tria from the ever growing pressure
of Russia s masses in Galicia. Three
times, also, the Germans have advanced
towards the Vistula. The first effort
failed and receded before Russian adj
vance, which has since firmly estab.
second driye--that towards Warsaw
lished itself in Eastern Prussia. The
seemed more successfnl, but as we have
mentioned before in these articles, this
was part Of the mhsterful Russian
strategy, and after the German artil
.lery had doomed at the doors Of the
Polish capital and Warsaw seemed
about TO fall, the furious counter at
tack Of the Grand Duke Nicholas drove
them with tremendous losses back tc
their borders.
Today Craeow il hemmed In on tire,
sides by Russian hordes.
Counter Offensive Failed
In the past month we have seen an
other desperate, daring venture Of Ger
man strategy 10 relieve 0alicia. Within
the past three weeks German force
has driven eastward along the Vistuls
towards WARSAW, made some progress
then came to halt, and now Is re
ported In retreat II is not necessary
TO accept any of the Russian rumors q
perceive the single essential fact, which
Is that the latest venture has failed alb
solutcly, since IL has brought no relisi
TO Galicia or Eastern Prussia, wher'
the Russians seem to be firmly estab
lished. II Is becoming more and NOR
clear chat German resources, great n
they are, and German courage an,
military skill, splendid as they unques
tionably are, are insufficient 10 bridg
the distance between the two BATH
lines, while Austrian military assist
anee has fallen TO the point whore 1t |
now burden.
10 American military students th
boast six weeks must inevitably augges
the history Of the confederacy in 1865
As the Germans have been defeated 4
BELGIUM and in Poland, 50 in 1868 tn
Confederaey failed at Gettysburg an
Il - n 4 4