Omaha daily bee., 1915-01-20
TEUTON CHIEF OF
STAFF AYERS we
ARE STILL THERE
General Won Falkenhayn, Kaisers
War Minister, Says Germans
Have Advantage Every,
where.
FIGHT ON THE ENEMY's SOIL
Commander Says Britain Scrsppers,
but Their Forces, Lacking Off
GERS, Hardly an Army
FOES OFFENSIVE is WELCOME


GENERAL. HEADQUARTERS or THE
GERMAN ARMIES IN FRANCE)-Jsn'
i6.-(Nia Londan). Jan. u More OF suoh
offensive (referr,ng to the present otten-
sive operations i'm the campaign OF tne
auies). can only he welcome to us
The British arc good fighters but an
army without the necessary OFFICERS ana
non-coumissioned officers is scarcely an
army
"We'arc fully prepared for any attempt
ut landing in Belgium. tho sooner 1t
comes the better"
These are some OF the phrases. fun OF
optifaism. OF Lieutenant General Won Fal-
kenhayn. tho German minister OF war and
chief OF staff OF German armies In the
field who today granted the Associated
Press the first interview given any cor
respondent.
General Talks Frankly.
The general talked frankly OF the pres
ent military situation and the prospectus
of the war. which he evidently does not
expect will be "A short one.
Genearl Won Falkenhayn is the mon rsi-
sponsible. under the emperor. for the
strategy in the great world war. He Is
comparatively young, as commanders go
the youngest Of any leaders OF the Euro
pean allies. with q tremendous capacity
for hard concentrated work.
lie Is at his desk in an old French gov
ernment building. which houses the Ger
man general staff, from, dawn until late
lat night. An unbroken stream Of ifft-
GERS with reports and plans calling Tor
his decision flows all day long in and out
the little square conference room, with its
table loaded with maps
performs Dual Function.
He performs the dual functions of min
lister OF war and chief of the general staff
and mas little time for exercise and re-
crea ton He sleeps at headquarters with
his hand. as 1t were, on the throttle oi
the big machine. and yet his slender fig
ure is as erect, his manner almost az
vigorous, as the day he flashed into
public notice with his memorable defense
of the German army in the zabern de-
bate in the Reichstag. '
This war is not a war ot aggression
said General Won Falkenhayn slking M
the causes of the conflict, "It Is not I
war bronght about by military c1ste o
military party in Germany. but one o
1 self defense. As a soldier l csnnot o
course. talk on the political aspects o.
the causes OF the war, but can speai
from military standpoint.
says RussIa started n.
ut was forced upon us by the RussiaK
mobilization IN the face of which WI
could do nothing but arm ourselves Rus
1 sia had been advised and warned by hit
! majesty and through our ambassador
that II it mobilized we must, in self-de-
fense order a general mobilization am
take the steps necessary to protect oul
national existence Russia, nevertheless
went ahead with its mobilization Will
continuing diplomatic negotiations.
IF man comes into your room for |
discussion with gun drawn you oaI
scarcely be expected TO walt for him Z
cock and level 1t at you before reachinI
for your own to defend your life,
"our position is excellent. we have ne
cause to complain. We have carried tn
war into the enemy's country on boil
fronts; we are still there after five
months OF war. Our present lines ar
very strong. The advantage is all o.
our side thus far.
The Move ON Paris.
III our first advance against Paris,
said the general in response to a ques
ton, had succeeded fully and in al
respects. II would have been reckoned
most brilliant achievement As II stand
It 10 an admirable one. can say 81
freely. because I had nothing TO do witt
the conception OF the plan OF campaign
But one cannot expect TO carry on wa
without some checks and when we fel
back We swung over to the present lin
Of action in which we have been thor
oughly successful
1T is wrong to interpret the operation
In Flanders as an attempt on our par
TO reach Calais and outflank the allies
armies On the contrary that phase o
the campaign IL the result of an attemp
on the part OF the French and British L
force their way north TO separate n
from the sea and envelop our right flanl
and rear. relieve Antwerp and obllge u
to retire from Belgium
4 Their plan was the failure, ou
counter-stroke the success Of the op
erations in Flanders. They have not out
l flanked US and we are still there"
4
CHICAGO BUDGET IS
.EiGHTY-TW0 MILLIONS