The Washington times., 1914-09-10
BRITISH ARE TERMED
MA|NSTAY OF ALLIES
General French's Review Gives
EngIand's Warriors Praise
for Fighting.
By ED L. KEEN.

] LONDON, Sept. 1o.-That the present
successful situation in France is due
to the efforts of the British troops is
insisted on by war office chiefs today
| The more that the text of Sir John
trench's review of the operations made
is studied. the more important Is seen
to be the part played by the British.
| Fresh from the concentration camps.
even before their supplies had been
| taken from the transports, the British
force of 10000 men, later increased by
So.oH, was thrown against an attackins
force of five German army corps, and
from August Il to August 2S the burden
or saving the French left wing was car
, ried by the British. Hay they faltered
under the strain. General French frank
y admits. the complete collapse of the
French defense must have followed.
But their line held. and the left wing
was saved.
Praises Two Generals.
1T is impossible for me to speak
too highly of the skill evinced by the
| two generals commanding army corps,'
says French. the self-sacriicins and
devoted exertions of their STATS, the di-
Erection of troops by the divisional, bri-
Sade. and regimental leaders. the COM
mand of small units by their officers.
and the magnificent fighting spirit dis
played by the noncommissioned officers
and men"
There is very apparent disposition
In army circles to criticise the French
cooperation. The statement was made
by General French that at the most
critical point of the entire fighting.
when he called on General Sorded ard
his three divisions to aid, the French
horses were so badly spent they We're
unable to be Of any use at all. The
British were on their own resources all
OF August 26. when the hardest pressed
Military experts say this has shown
that the French failed to appreciate the
seriousness Of their own situation.
The friends of Gen. Sir Horace Smith
Dorrien are jubilant over his work.
which was continuation Of his bril-
liant service in South Africa against
the Beers. Had it not been for his
work. General French says. the entire
British column must have been ami
hilated.
Still Going Forward.
There was nothing added today by the
war office to the statement of early
morning that the situation in France
continues to show a continuous forward
movement by the allies. Reports per-
sist that the British have cut the Ger
man lines of communication by a move
ment from the seacoast, presumably OF
either the oft-reported Russian expedi-
tion or of the Indian troops reported as
landing at Ostend and Havre.
These reports are not officially con-
flrmed by the war office. but it is stated
there that this aCtiO nhas been expected.
1t is still insisted that if the French
center continues to hold the throwing
back of the German right and left will
put the entiYa German army now oper-
ating in France in jeopardy,
The news from Vienna is astonish
ingly pleasing to Englishmen generally.
While it had been realized that the Rus
sian operations were most formidable,
the announcement at Vienna that 10000
they the first line
troops. the very cream of the Austrian
been killed. wounded or
taken prisoner. with all OF their sup
plies. seems hard to comprehend.
AS a result Of this news the predic
ton is freely made In official quarters
that the complete collapse of the Aus
trIan defense against Russia impends.
Four Austrian army corps already have
been practically annihilated by the
Servlans These, added to the admitted
losses Of the Archduke Francis Fred
erick's army in Galicia and Russian
Poland, means the complete crippling
Of Austria in the field.
OF the forces remaining more than
half are Slavs who are utterly opposed
to fighting the Russians or Servians.
The Austrian first army totals only
$50, 900. to Wnlch can De adueu doout
30 900 of the I.andwehr and Hondved
divisions, but there are grave doubts
regarding the advisability of many of
the latter forces
The Russian foreign office at Petro-
grad is quoted in DISPATCHES received
here as protesting to expect that Aus
tria will sue for peace independently of
Germany within the next ten days. II
she does not. the Russian foreign office
is said to believe. revolution Is GER
tain. Austria Is bankrupt. and all er-
forts 10 float war loan have failed