Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1915-07-29
FIRST YEAR OF THE EUROPEAN WAR
AS seen IN France
By WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS
United Press STAFF Correspondent

PARTS. July 2s.-General Joe
Joffre must be enumerated among the
great French successes Of the frat
twelve months OF the war.
This goes as it stands, whatever he
may or MAJ not do in the future. /
say this because Joffre is not without
his critics There are those who say
he ought to move faster.
Joffre already deserves the undying
gratitude of his country il he never
strikes another blow. He refused at
Charleroi TO sacrifice his men for
brilliant but temporary success,
though he must have known the coun-
try was waiting for him to make
good: he ordered that soul-sickening
retreat before a superior foe when he
knew that every heart I'm France was
weighted down by the doubt concern
ing him and his army: he patiently
sought and seized the opportunity he
was looking for then instantly trans
formed the swift German advance on
Paris into q disorderly retreat; he
stopped short the mighty second Ger
man offensive in the west against the
Channel ports and pinned his enemy
down for a long winter trench cam
paign where he held the advantage:
he won the confidence OF his men. in
dividually the most intelligent sol
diers in the world giving them rea-
son for their cheerful courage which
never faltered even on coolest, wet
test mid-wintcr days.
Lastly but by no means least, he so
handled his resources in material and
men that now at the beginning Of the
lsocond year of the war the French
army is the finest fighting body IN the
melee Joffre was the one man in
Frances forty million for the Job
AT that. Joffre was an accident!
! That France had the right man for
the place and at the moment he was
most needed was almost pure acct
dent. for her. system of running the
army. until a year or so before the
war broke out, was not calculated TO
develop the man for the Job
! For some reason France had not
seen at to nominate a goneralissimo,
o commander-in-chief of her army,
J until just prior 70 the war. There
]
this board was supreme.
Maneuvers were conducted Just as
one would expect a board 10 conduct
them. The Blue Army, under one set
OF generals. would take such and such
a position az such and such time
/ The Red Army, under another set Of
generals. would oppose the Blues and
to do this they would hold such and
NHA
az q specified time. would take spe-
cined form and cease az a pre-arrang-
ed hour, the Blues and Reds then to
be occupying this or that position
For a given number Of days this
sort OF thing would continue until the
final event, which took place before
the President Of the Republic and his
guests. foreign military attaches and
the rest whose tinsel-tasselled tents
were pitched on the eminence over
p looking the field where the climax lac
cording to arrangement would I'M
fold itself.
Naturally maneuvers under such
/, circumstances scarcely developed In
itiative on the part Of generals and
their STATS The weaker ones and in
dolent fellows were able 10 make
II dHAbl as kblu "a thOWiHb as TIC Dtslt
Suddenly oil this was changed.
Joffre came on the scene. The gem
eral unrest IN Europe allowed TO
France the unwisdom Of letting this
I situation continue. and Joffre was
named ceneralissimo OF the army
How he came to be named Is not
!, clearly known have heard that
General Pau. was the lrst choice. but
he for reaeons OF his own. thought
Joffre ought 10 be named. And Joffre
II was.
Joffre was destined to have but one
80 at playing war before actual war
/, began, but he changed tho rules rndi-
! cnlly for this ore. lie rave tho Blue
, Army city and rs surrounding coun-
try 20 hold and he told tho Red Army
10 take II. He told them TO 60 to It.
7 All methods were eood. there was no
time out" for anything and ho hoped
the best man would win.
r There was the dickens TO pay. of
, course. Eesy-golns Qmcora were left
I far behind; ineompotrnoy developed
D IN unlocked for places; whole COM
mands got captured, generals COM
handing. STATS and oil. There wero
all sorts OF mix-ups, but Joffre looked
on and took IN every detail. The
newspapers limited that the ma
neuvers were a hnsoo and that tho
French army was IN q bad way. But
Jonre considered the war game tho
most successful no had ever Wit
messed
He had found tho weak spots in the
machine and. knowing them. be could
apply the remedy re applied It and
number OF officers were retired.
War caught Joffro In tho middlo Of
his reorganization. But he fought II
out like q man until he won breath
ing spell. then he Approximately
continued HIS merclless loppinx of Of
official heads. His generals now
average 10 years younger than az tho
start and he has a tried man at evory
part of the line
Joffre has accomplished all this in
year.