Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-17
Three Times Greater Than Gettysburg
Advances Are Made Slowly and
at Terrific Cost. IT,

one to three proportion. and the rela-
tive tameness of their counter-attacks
lseems to indicate that they have con-
ltinued to lack the necessary numbers.
| Meaning of the "Nibble."
To estimate the meaning of the pres
ent. the most successful of French
/ 'nibbles." it is essential to recall the
earlier efforts of the French. The first
nibble west of the Meuse was made on
the Aisne in January and ended in a
disastrous repulse. Ground was lost.
field of the latest battle, resulted in
gains of less than a quarter of a mile
over long front after three weeks Of
effort.
1t was only on the third try, made in
May in Artois, where French and Brit
ish troops are fighting together now,
that the French made a material ad-
vance. Here in month of fighting
they took some 1000 prisoners and a
rev cannon, gaining the Lorette ridge
and taking Souchez, later lost. But they
were not able to advance upon Lens,
which is now, for the first time, under
allied guns.
The success of the latest venture, the
two successes. in Champagne and in
tArtois, are Interpreted both by London
and by Paris as evidences of the grad
ual wearing out of German resources in
men and the growing superiority of the
tallies in the west in both artillery and
ammunition. AS for numbers the allies
have had the advantage in these for
many months. but only with the coming
of British masses an advantage en-
abling them to strike effectively at two
separate points. Months ago, at the
time Of the first battle of Champagne.
the British made an attack little
north of their present battle-ground
and, having taken Neuve Chapelle, were
compelled to give up all active effort
for many months.
Conceivably the new offensive in
| Champagne has now been permanently
halted. This does not appear to be the
| case, but, accepting German claims to
this effect, it is still possible to see
why the allies are encouraged. Their
conviction is that precisely as Lees
| army before Richmond steadily dimin-
ished until. to use the commanders
words, it was stretched so thin it
| broke" the German lines in France and
Belgium will be less and less strongly
held
| If the present "nibbles" fail to develop
into drives" If the allies do not get
through this time. they are satisfied
that "nibble" will some day prove
| to be decisive.
If the Advance Continues.
On the other hand, if the French in
Champagne are able to get to Som
mepy and the railroad and hold it, TAX
ing the third German line. then an in
teresting change in the battle lines in
the west is to be expected. For the
army of the crown prince, fighting in
the Argonne and toward Verdun. the
| railroad is one of two which are essen
| tial to it's existence. Conceivably this
army will still hold on If the French
cut the Sommepy line. But further
| French advance of seven miles Will
bring them to the other line, the YOU
ziers-Neufchatel line. If this is cut,
then the crown prince must go back
| Precisely in the same way, further
| French advance from Sommepy will
imperil the flank of the German army
which covers Rheims and is resting
| on the forts north of that city. The
retreat of the German army from the
Sommepy line will open this army's
flank and will, II much continued
say for three or four miles-compel
the Germans to give up the forts they
have held since their retreat from the
Marine and end the year-long agony OF
| Rheims.
| It Will still be possible for the Ger
mans to reform behind the Aisne. from
Berry-au-Bac to Vouziers, and their
central position, south of Laon, will
not be imperiled. but 1t will be untena-
BILE If the French are able to cross the
route the Champagne army is follow
ing.
| Actually the French are seeking to
drive a wedge between the German ar
mics north and west of Rheims to the
Disc and those east of Rheims to the
frontier. AS they advance they will
cut two railroads of immediate impor-
lance, the lines serving the crown
they will cut the lines along the from
tier between Alsace- Lorraine and Ar
tots and Flanders. Once this is accom-
plished the whole German position in
mans will have to go back to the Bel
gian frontier.
At the same time the Anglo-British
operation in Artois is striking at rail-
roads which directly feed the armies in
France. If this succeeds the Germans
will have to quit France altogether and
go back to a defense line based on Ma
muir, Brussels and Antwerp.
i Bigger Than Gettysburg.
But all these things are in the flu
ture. What is of immediate interest is
that the battle now going on in Cham
payne is bigger than any battle of the
last century, has already become a
struggle three times bigger than our
own Gettysburg and in its decisive
phase is being fought upon front not
much wider than that which saw Lees
last great offensive fail. German esti-
| mates of French losses make them
larger than Meades army. French
statements of prisoners taken show a
figure larger than the total losses of
Meade or Lee, and the artillery cap
tured exceeds the number that either
American army possessed. German Of
hcial statements have fixed the French
force at 100000.
For the observers of the struggle the
immediate interest must for the present
be the fate of the village OF Sommepy