Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-09-28
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL MOMENT FOR
THE ALLIES.

10 use much-overworked eXpresslOn-but
Eone which instantly comes to mind in viewing
the latest development in the great war-the
Allies have seized the psychological moment
I 10 launch their western offensive.
Germany cannot at once leave her eastern
batfle-felds to reinforce on the west and
Elsewhere than on the east and west fronts she
IS engaged in more or less important cam
Ipaigns. To make their victory over the Rus
slams the one pre-eminent triumph of the year
Of war that il should be- the Germans must
press on and on until they shatter the Slav
forces Until the human element in the Rus
sian war machine is broken, Germany cannot
reap the real fruits Of victory. III III. il
furthermore, having penetrated far into
Russian soil, Germany can neither dig i'm
nor withdraw without exposing an army esti-
mated at close to a million men to the graVest
Of pefils. The Russians have taken care to
devastate the country through which they re-
treated and If German strategy be to press to-
the nttermost point before winter closes down
and then sdig in, the German commanders
will be hard put to it to support in this bleak,
unacceptable region the necessary troops in the
man killing trenches Winter is already begin
ming to fight for the Russians, as it fought for
them century ago when Napoleon drove them
Iar back into the north
TO withdraw with spch an enemy as the
IIussiflns at their back WILL expose the Germans
b long rear. guard engagement during which
they must traverse hostile and denuded
eonntry. IS, i &,
The main strategy of the Germans has been
apparent for months. Once the lines on thel
vest were settled and few weeks Of testing
AZ.
men theys needed to hold these lines, Berlin
began okdrive the Slavs out Of Galicia and
through Poland. Warsaw capture was mere
81 an incident in campaign whose climax was
ID be the smashing of the Russian army before
the nnnnbing Russian winter fell over the land.
But the Russian army, displaying its tradi-
iional conference il the face Of shattering de-
feat, withdrew virtually intact from PrzemysLl
from Lernberg, from Warsaw, from The Brest
Litovsk line, from Wilma, from half a dozen
other Of its strongholds
Undoubtedly the Russians havetlost heavily
and probably they suffered much from the cap
|are Of material and munitions. AT Kovno the 1
Germans captured much loot But war critics
tenerally agree that the Russian retreat was a
success and that the powerful Slay fighting
machine has not been beaten beyond hope of |
4 inture offensive. S.........s
Germany has not yet delivered the blow
which would free her for months to come from
the menace of those indomitable Russians. |
And as the blow has been STAYED off by Russian
retreat, Germany has pressed all the harder,
league after league and mile after mile: ~
The brief war dispatches give only an ink
ling Of what is probably happening The Rus
sions, moving back slowly and more slowly, |
along most of the line have stopped altogether.
They should be getting more munitions now
from their own factories and from Japan, as
we'll ais from the United States by the trans
Siberian railroad. They are in country physi-j
cally made for just the sort of a situation
which has presented itself And the heavy
artiIlery Of. the Teutons, which has won most
Of the victories on the east, no longer can be
moved with rapidity, for the roads are getting
Bad.
So the Russians seem to have turned and
Engaged the Germans. And just as the Rus
sians have given the Teutons plenty to do on
tie east, the Allies launch a terrible flood OF
artillery-f on the west and follow it with
the charges of fresh, eager, determined men.
Fl is too much to expect any great progress
"a rushing back the Germans in few days.
Possibly after winning few miles the Allies
win be halted for another long period of coun-
,er-trenching. But the successes of the past
few daysswill mean much to the Allies in moral
REIMBURSEMENT even If exaggerated beyond
el,a IF