The Washington times., 1915-03-28
CERMANY'S DEFENSIVE


Germany is today on the defen-
sive. Unless there is the miracle of
a stupendous blunder on the part of
her enemies, Germany will fight a
defensive fight until the end Of the
war. There will be advances here
and retreats there, but there will be
no effort on the part of Germany to
extend her long lines of defense on
the eastern and western frontiers.
One of the ,maxims of German
military lore is that "the enemy's
field army is the true objective" ."
This was mechanically followed up
to the hour when Joffre and French
suddenly wheeled on the line of the
Marne and drove in the front of
Won Kluck's and Won Buelow's
armies. Immediately thereafter it
became the objective of the invading
force to prevent the development of
its right flank. This was purely de-
fensive fighting, which lasted until
Antwerp fell. Then another often
sive was launched, this time at the
English army and the coast cities.
1t perished in the fearful slaughter
at Ypres.
Since then the Kaiser's armies
have fought on purely defensive
lines. Even Won Hindenburg's mas
terly strokes in Poland and East
Prussia have been defensive blows,
designed to hold the Russian masses
back from the danger spots in Ger
Slany's true frontier. No one
imagines that the Kaiser's generals
contemplate the huge folly of seri-
Gus invasion of Russia. Perilous in
Napoleon's time, it would be plain
suicide today.
What, then, would be the advan-
tage of capturing even Warsaw and
advancing the long line to the Mic
men and the Vistula as a permanent
battle-ground? In the same way on
the western front what would it now
avail the German armies to pick out
any city as an objective and strike
for it? The hour of crushing France
at blow is gone. 1t will never
return.
In war, as in other human affairs,
if you have no good reason for doing
a thing you have one good reason
for not doing it. Germany is today
like an invested fortress. She is
ringed with foes. Her lines of de-
fense are hundreds of miles long and
millions of men are needed to man
them.
Suppose her armies gained "a
notable advance" in France or Rus
sia-what would be the result? A
resumption of trench warfare on
much longer lines, requiring a
couple of million more men. Not
only that, but the demand for re-
endorsements would increase &C
cordingly. Casualties run by per-
centage. Consequently, the more
men actually employed on a firing
line the more men are required to
plug up the holes left by the killed
and wounded.
AS the German armies advance
further from their own frontiers one
of two things is bound to happen
Either the long line of steel sur
rounding the Fatherland will stretch
and stretch like a.rubber band until
it can be deftly snapped at it's weak
est point; or Germany will have to
pour fresh millions out to hold the
longer lines at their present
strength. The first involves ter
rible risk; the second terrible cost.
It is as if the commander of a
fortress had men enough to man the
fixed lines of say, fifteen miles. Ger
tainly it would not be good judg-
ment to waste men in desperate sor-
ties to make the circle twenty or
thirty miles in circumference. That
is the position that Germany is in.
There is psychological sign that
is significant. Every German still
says with confidence that Germany
will win. But there is a marked diff
ference. A few months ago the ma
tional slogan was: Germany can
crush the world in arms" Today
there is the grim rallying cry: "The
world in arms cannot crush Ger
many!"
WHAT THE WOMEN NEED