New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-29
Won Moltke's Retirement and LIS
Relation TO German Strategy.

from liver complaint and tnat ois uu'i'S "
,.r,orn,ed temporarily by General Erich Won raj
,s,b.ven. who has been the representative OIL 'ne
War Ministry IN the Rechstag.
Three weeks ago the report came from AnS'ef-
dan, that Won Moltke's place had been gwen u
Major General Won voigts- Rhstz the former chlef
- ,tso of the Guard Corps. It WAS officially an
rounced later that Won voists1RhetS had really
DISPLACED ouartermaster General Won STEIN WHO
Rad been IN charge Of the Military Information
r,--oo,, n R.YIin But undoubtedly there was some
,sx,s even then for the statement that von Moitke
had ended his career as chief Of staff 10 coiu-
,,o,tinr IN The Amsterdam dispatch Of October
Vac, va said that. although unconHrmed, it did no
great violence TO probabilities 1t vas pretty s'fe
nresunption three weeks ago that the KAISER WAS
leaking about for scapegoat on whom to saddle
tha shortcomings Of the German campaign.
Won Noltkes illness came at the psychological
moment" A successful ceneral-especiaAy gen
emil who does not have 20 share the hardsnlps OF
active csmpaigning-is not likely 70 be incapa0-
,,+ed 30 Illness There is no tonic ike success, and
victory in the greatest war in history would make
oven q valetudinarian strategist walk on ar u
asr the German military system there is no excuse
-. tho breakdown Of a successful chief OF staff
When the war breaks out his period OF mental re-
,.votior begins. Now ! can lock my desk and
s. 1res the saving attributed TO the great Motke
=, 1870 when Bismarck had succeeded in entrsp-
pin- Napoleon III into declaring war on Prussa'
There was little exaggeraton in that remarh since
T., neace time the General star was supposed to
have worked out war plans covering every possible
military development 1t is also recorded OF the
older Moltke that when the news Of Frances &C
ton IN 1870 was brought to him the only order he
gave was open drawer Number So.and-so''
Drawer Number So-and.So at the General stan 5
HEADQUARTERS was undoubtedly opened on August l.
when Russia returned no answer TO the Kaiser 5
ultimstum. Another drawer WIS unlocked when 1t
v,os broun IN August that Great Britain would
make common cause with France and Russia. But
the plans In those drawers did not bring the smooth
mechanical victory which had rewarded Moltk'
.e-o =. ,o.,.od ,or o time a,
,,,-. ..,,.,. eo,.orons- & tbov ven
l..... ....o,,, -, France has bec,
o,,oo
=, 40. .,,o ua,ser sbon,d want 70 tr,
euosn s.ort u,t, q new adviser in chief
- oil c,sar with whom the real fault la,
.. ,,o oorsrso Of the German offensive in tn
-, ,.or .boatre Won Moltke may not hav
hoon directly IN blame. Yet it was Il penalty az
,acbinr 70 his position that he should accept re
scoDs,hnitv. even ~ he had been overruled by som
ono still higher in authority It was enough 70 i'm
ner,l his tenure that after nearly three months o
,r,r Germany stood practically on the defensive Of
both fronts and had far less 70 show for her sacri
fees than She had only four weeks after the va
began.
The first failure Of German strategy was tn
weakening of the armies IN France and Belgium ii
order to check the Russian invasion of East Prus
sla. That invasion was itself only DIVERSION