Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-11-14
Of GERMANY
ARE: ON BALKANS
Raid of Kaiser Is Merely Altered
Version of Great Ma
poleon's Plan.
INDIA IS HIS OBJECTIVE
Daring Course Is Taken Against
Advice of His Older
Generals.
Especial CaLle to The Times Dispatch |

y,
all eyes here are directed towards the
Balkans. where the German armies are
endeavoring TO crush the stubborn re-
sstance of "A nation of fighters hard
ehed through centuries OF warfare.
The plan Of forcing a way through 10
Constantinople is said here 10 have
originated with the Kaiser, and TO have
met AT first with strong resistance on
the part of the older German generals.
including Won liindenburg and Won
Mackensen. who thought il too daring
al a time when Germany's armies were
weakened and with the attitude Of Rou-
mania and Greece still uncertain.
In reality. Of course. the plan is
merely All altered version of the plan
Of the great Napoleon in 1875 and 1899.
when he hoped TO strike down England
in India through Egypt. followed BY
his later attempt to do the same
through his invasion of Russia in 1872.
The Kaiser is now trying TO conquer
the British world empire by repeating
the tactics OF Napoleon under other
conditions and in the reverse order
The attempt 10 annihilate the armies
OF the Gear having failed. and Russia
Stlll barring the way eastward the
kalser believed that Napoleon's first
attempt TO threaten India had a better
chance or success under modern condi-
t!oHs man the second. and under the
war cry, TO Egypt and India via Con-
staniinopie, raised in the entire Ger
man press, the frontier OF Serbia was
crossed.
have had a long talk with an old
German officer, considered one of the
nrst military experts in this country.
The kaiScr's plan" he said. lis GER
talnly most daring, and one which ap-
pcals 10 the heart of u German soldier.
but am afraid IL is being carried into
execution too late. Had we tried this
stroke at the beginning Of the war. az
soon as we had won Turkey to our
side, believe we should have had
fair chance OF success. We should then
have had sufficient troops at our dis
posal To force way through Serbia
TO Constantinople, while Serbia was
exhausted and unable to offer any seri-
Gus resistance, and before England had
organized her defcnses in Egypt,
Now our path is far more difficult.
or course. We shall! ultimately crush
the armies OF Serbia but that does nor
mean that the country itself will be
crushed We shall have to contend
with the same kind Of inccssant Euer-
rliia warfare that Slapped the strength
oil Napoleon In Spain. We are still
strong enough to crush powerful foe
putting up 1t strong concentrated re-
sistance, but what can We do apaius,
"A ~ Al i'm NJ IA
everywhere?
We should have crushed the Rus
siah armies had they been willing to
hSht us IN "a decisive battle, but when
they eNaded our decisive blows our
strength ebbed ont in the sand. We
snail never be able, am afraid. 10
Keep our lines OF communication
through Serbia safe. They will be sub
Jcct TO constant raids which will he
eXasperating, and the idea OF striking
at Egypt with German troops across a
desert with the navies of England.
France and Italy in absolute control of
the Mediterranean is sheer insanity.
Ana still ] am forced to admit that
the invasion of the Balkans was forced
upon us. because there appeared TO be
nothing else to do. AS a patriotic Ger
man, ! can only hope that we MAY not
have weakened our eastern and west
crn fronts too much and that our enc
mics may blunder or quarrel among
themselves.
Il am afraid however. of this 500
kilometer long corridor to Constants
nople. through which we must supply
enormous masses of troops with food
and munitions, and which il will take
an entire army TO guard, because it
runs through a hostile country whose
population has had centuries of ex-
pericnce i'll guerrilla warfare In noun
tains that hold no secrets TO them"
In Belgium, and especially in Brus-
sels the Belgians irritate tho Germans
by an incessant warfare of pin pricks
You cannot fight flies with heavy guns
The sight OF the German military gov
crnor lighting the mysterious paper
"Livre BelgiQue.'' which has no office
and is printed God knows where. is
quite QuiNotic.
The governor. with an army of spies
at his disposal. had made frantic efforts
to discover who Is editing and circu-
lating the paper. Every printing cs-
adjustment in Belgium has been
ing Offices have been visited in vain.
Occasionally the paper appears bear
ing the imprint OF one of the many
German firms of printers. 1t does not
appear regularly. but whenever n new
issue is printed the governor finds the
first copy lying on his desk on top of
all other papers marked with the
compliments OF the editor" Who puts
1t there nobody knows.
German detectives have even visited
all paper factories and compared their
stock with the paper Of the mysterious
journal but in vain, for no similar
paper has been found.
In his despair the governor has Of
fered n prize of $4,000 to the person
who discovers the "diabolical pamph-
lctecrs," and false denunclatlons by the
score reach the German kommandantur
daily.