Grand Forks daily herald. (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1914-1916, 1914-09-24

New York, Sept. 24.-The chamber
Of German-American- commerce, In
c%orporated, announces today that
there had been no battle Of the
Marne," and that all the stories writ
ten OF the advance to the gates of Pa
ris Of the German armies and the sub
sequent defeat and retreat OF those
armies were Inventions pure and sim
pie. 90, ~
That such a battle as was described
in the newspapers early, this month
never occurred was claimed in a
statement written by 1.-THE military ex-
pert of the chamber Of German
the statement Battle Of the Marine,
a colossal myth"
"For several weeks" he writes, 1.-The
American papers have been filled with
descriptions OF the enormous battle
on the Marne," lasting for ten days
or longer on a front extending from
100 to $50 miles, where the German
armies were defeated and driven back.
ut should now be plain to Ameri-
can editors and their military experts
that such a battle has never taken
place and is an invention pure and
simple.
'"The situation is this: After their
victories at Mons, Charleroi and other
places, the Germans followed the en-
envy very quickly. Energetic pursuit
of the enemy Is of importance but not
without danger and especially If the
enemy's forces are not completely de-
feated. as reinforcements can be
brought up from various directions.
"On or about September 5 the Ger
mans recognized that their lines were
too far extended and that the dis
tances between the troops. and the
bases. Of supplies were becoming too
great.
I'm addition, the German right wing
under General Won Kluck was threat
ened by an army to the north Of Paris,
probably formed by the Paris garri.
son. forces withdrawn from the vicin-
ity of Belfort. French troops from
Morocco and perhaps British REIN
forcements.
General Won Kluck's lines, which
had penetrated as far as Provins.
fifty miles from Paris In a southeast
erly direction and near the Seine
river, must have been rather thin,
and 1t would have been extremely haz-
ardous to accept q battle with a large
ana closely concentrated force OF
fresh troops. Besides. a part Of the
German right was undoubtedly so a
from the main army that 1t had be-
come extremely difficult, If not Inn
possible, to bring UP ammunition, and
50 forth, in sufficient quantities for a
regular battle.
Under the circumstances 1t natur-
ally became necessary for the Ger
man commanders to concentrate the
vast army, to draw in: the detach-
ments which had been advanced too
far and to; take q, position where the
forfes could be used with, tellingsef-
feet, !. How well this movement .ves
executed need not be dwelt upon. be-
cause 1t is clear to every observer
During this movement there was,
OF course. q number Of collisions such
as are generally designated rear guard
actions. They were scattered over a
wide area. entirely separate from each
other and In no case the result Of
concentrated action.
In the course of the movement the
Germans naturally lost a number Of
prisoners. because many small .detach-
ments We're too far away to. be. able
to reach the main army Quickly
enough, and also some guns. because
the heavy rains had made the roads
impossible and ammunition had be-
come scarce. A concentrated move
ment on SO large a scale cannot be
executed without losses.
THE German general staff undoubt.
edly speaks the truth when It declared
that the allies have won no victory.
NO real battle was ever fought. and
the whole lighting consisted in a Sc
r1es or occasional encounters which in
no wise hindered the Germans finish
ing their own concentration, An army.
beaten IN q struggle lasting ten DAYS.
and driven back as we constantly
near, could not make so firm q stand
mander. The whole great BATHS On
the Marne' is a myth and has neyer
taken place."