The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1914-08-07
u. 5. ARMY men
WATCH GREAT STRUGGLE
Lightening-like Strokes Fail to
Fall to Surprise Of Mill
tary Men.

Washington, Aug. 3.--Wth a hast
lily drawn map, a thCater Of the prob
able war N Europe before them,
army sLratesists mere today we're Gag
ery1 scannt g Ae news reports of tne
stilr.ng events that we're mJmentdr-
lly Cakng place IN Germany, Russia
AID France.
! There was O complete lack CT Of
! fic.al inf.rmat.ol, fJr the American
military attaches at t,!e various Eu-
! ropeaa embassies aud the legations
are ST. cut CT touol with the War
Dap- I,me.s
Some surprise is expressed by the
experts AZ the comparatively slow
| beginning Of the German campa' gn.
The American War College, pattern
ted alrge'y upon the great German
war mach ne known as the General
Staff, had understood that SO per-
feet y had every detail an offensive
Campo en- against both France and
Russ been worked cut by the Ger
man Kr egspiel players that the first
blows would fall like lightning
strokes out Of a clear sky, and chat
within twelty-four hours after the
declaration Of war, or indeed after
order 70 mobilization, the first Ger
man battaiCn would be many miles
advanced across both eastern and
western boundaries into the elem-
les territory.
1t was believed that the only man
| ner IN when tn execution of these
carefully lad plans could be defeated
would be by the interposition to the
advance Of living walls Of French and
Russian l.glons, yet there has been
no report of battles on any large
scale.
Consequently the belief is expressed
among military men here that in
visible w,ros are holding back line
dogs Of war. and that the full
strensti. of the military forces on all
sides IS beng withheld while the
statesmen and diplomatists in the
European capitals are playing tie LAST
cards in the desperate game Of dip
lomacy in the hope now, not of
ayertlng general war, but of secur-
;n% vduallv such advantages as
my be obtained thru delayed ac-
ton.
After looking over al available da-
Ia Of tOday's operations, the strate-
Sists weru unanimously of the opinion
that the plans Of campaign had not
SO far unfolded as to admit of a
guess as to the real purposes of the
great military leaders. What has been
done by the German army in the
East in the invasion of Belgium is
regarded as purely precautionary and
calculated rathe to prevent a possible
quick dash by the French legions in
to the fatherland than with the pur-
pose Of beginning a deliberate and
progressive campa!n toward Paris.
The clashes reported to have taken
place On lie border Of Lorraine, are
looked upon as insignificant and as
mere felnts to develop the French
strength in that 1u.c ter. Military
maps h~-- brought about up-to-
date, d.sclt Sc an astonlshingly large
German military force in that neigh
borhoot. There appear to be no less
than three army divisions within
striking distance Of The French from
tier Oh a line less than u 100 miles
in length.
If a general campaign had been n
itiated, there was sufficient German
force, in the opinion Of the experts
here to have broken thru the French
lines at any poiEt where there We're
no great fortre sses such as Nancy and
Strausburg.
OF course, Gcording to these same
calcu atoms, ibis German advance
might be only temporary, as it is
known that the French army is gath
cred in great strength in the two
fortified towns named and as it wOulC
be only a question of time before
they WOULD fall upon the German
flanks in the effort to cut the lines
of commune cation, isolate and de-
stroy or capture the invading army
before it could bring up its reserves.
So far as can be discerned here. the
German campaigns in the east are
on a different basis and at this
stage at least are rather defensive
than offensive in character.
Reports have come from Berlin that
German troops actually have crossed
the Russian frontier. south OF Dan
zic. But this movement is believed to
be calculated simply to harass the
Russians and TO retard the organi-
zatiOn of the great army OF the Gar
which finally must be reckoned with.