Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-31
" YEAR OF THE GREAT EUROPEAN WAX


The fret attempi s aa
ansic-frerch feet F|iAsUI |aHH
lnc operation berah nr ftrIHH7
mnrkcd hF initial a'icuHaaer. ait
completely chrcked BY ihc antI0
three batileships On March Is
many critics had fofetold had now
penedi = had again beer dtmtds
that r naval opefatlon of ihlt tof .It
out the help of landing forces ctrI
succeed II was neceseaty t. lst
cotfse 20 new expeditions tfe
were warned IN advance % Huai
coming and allied prestige i1 tie
kans was severely shattered oH M
vtner hand, Italian participation
ended
a month later an Anelo-Brehch ~
diuenary army was landed on sha asllI.
poll peninsula. after an enea4enfnt
which brought heavy casualties in fh&
invaders For many weeks fhertsfIf
The land forces were unable 30 make sos
ADVANCE The support Of the fleet ae
hindered BY the operations or GtrnaI
aunmnrine, which scored on two mere
bettleships. Only b recent weeks
mere been progress by the Allies. and
tney have not yet reached the drst hsl
manent position Of the Turks
Whether The DardahelIes expedition da
wise or foolish, q point much debated
is plain that Il has been badly manassd
has 20 far failed TO make any aedtrs
! progress. and that the ultimate capture
4 OF Constantinople is still open 70 quealon'
on the other hand, It Is necessary % feo-
ognize that the failure Of Germany 20
| take warsaw. or even In taking Wars4H
"a capture the Russian armies II followed
/ by the fall or ConstnntinopIe would
mean that the German attcmpt TO dispoaa
i OF Russia had Terminated, for once she
/ narrarn1tro ..IifI
able 70 munition and equip her niiiiont
who are only waiting Tor arms. rha fait
/ OF Constantlnople will necessarily settle
| the attitude OF the Balkans. certainly
bring Greece into the ant-GermHn line
and probably Rumania. Allied defeat. on
the contrary. viii mean, II not disaster.
| an irremediabie repuIae At the close OF
| the FIRST year Warsaw and Constantinnple
1 are the critical points in the situation.
ITALIAN OPERATIONS CAfAY rs
JULY 2g).
\ Italy declared war upon Austria on
May g. The nature OF her frontier,
hemmed In by the Austrian mountains
from the Isonzo to Switzerland. her
northern provinces open to attack from
the fortified places Of the Austrian Tyspl
made II inevitable that her efforts Tor
many months would be confined 90 az
tempts to clear her own frontiers OF tho
/
ing TO her own regions and held by her
foes. Such oflensives aB she could am
dertalke In addition would naturally be
directed at Trieste and the Italian-speakr
ing districts east OF her frontiers
At the close Of two months OF war Italy
is still striving to penetrate into the
Trentino about the fortress OF Trent 70
cut tho railroad linea serving the AUS
trian Tyrol by the Pusterthai, TO sur
round and reduce the whole Tyrolehn ea-
lient south of the Brenner Pass. So iaf
she has made slight and unlmportart pfo-
i gress, and is still outside the first lines
of Austrian defense In the Adige Valley.
along the Pusterthnl and south OF tho
stelvio.
Between the Julian Alps and tho SEQ,
on the front from Tolmino 70 Nabreainal
italian troops have in several places
passed the Isonzo have taken Montiai-
cone and Gradisco. and are now pressing
In upon Gorizia. Here Italian troops iaYe
encountered the first line OF Austrian
defenses. and have for many days been
engaged In a severe and expensive cons
fiict, 1t Is not yet clear whether tho
Italians have made the progress l!!sseiir bull
letlna claim; II they have. then the fan
of Gorilla and the capture OF Trieste ara
at hand,
But it ls well to recall that these sue.
cesses will not have any serious effect
. / upon AuHtfIdn QelGnNes uuQ NHt IrtH ~
Vienna win still remain barred by many
forts and mountains, whie until she
Trentino salient is reduced. Italy VIII al
ways have to fear Il German oifenaifo
from the Brenner AS yet, then, the Ifai-
ian campaign has but begun. and the dif-
houlties of the territory make 1t unlihel}
that Italy can exercise any great iniin-
ence upon the whole combat for mauf
weeks to come Certainty she has moi
been able 70 force the Ausrriana to=TFoasi
their masses from the Warsaw drive
SUMMARY.
OF the four major efforts described
above, the first, the German attack on
France, failed to dispose Of France ITS
initial successes were due to tho Ylcla
tion OF the Belgian frontier. and when
the French army had been reconcentrafea
Il outfought the German, heavily de-
feated II, but IN it's turn failed % force
the Germans out Of large district Of
northern France. which had been oecu-
pied In the dash from Belgium
The French achievement was wholly
unexpected to the Germans and femaina
an enduring monument both 10 taeUci
soldiers and TO French command. Ia fl1i1
campaign the British part was slight ant
| the battle OF Flanders but here the Brit
ish won a remarkable triumph aeaiuf,
great odds and saved the Channel ports
German failure was not due to bad sem
/ efalshiD or incidental nldtakeHf II altN
duo to the amazing French rally aud 10
the fact that what had been attempted
was beyond the capacity even of GER
mans But the nearness to victory seems
10 have Justified the risk taken.
The Russian offensive failed because pf
the ability Of the Germans % reinforre
their ally. Whenever the Russians hao
only the Austrians TO deal with they Hf44
Invariably successfui, and ~ aepteMnet
were on the point OF crushing lil Ant
/ trian military strength. hut aselnas tne
Germans they proved Inferior troops siies
eessf,il only In defensive lines. The hnAi
disaster and retreat from GaiIcia Hfie
due IN large part TO the failure ~ sueH
supplies OF ammunition and their lheA or
beavv artillery. But # Is neeef7afz ~
polnt out that Il was the Germans nH
| hnnlIv defeated the great Russian e1ett
TO crush Austria
or the allied offensive IN the Neal hft'1
neea bs said The simple fact seems s. ~
that the trench fighting has shown tN7
extreme dificulty ol maidng 3 eesstiI
advancet the Germans have slmrls atf
themselves. into northern France -aa l
AZ 10 supply the men and anl1nHliQn
IN M ANY offensive. The greatness of
the Pr. losses and the eencomItaNt
failure ia British to set ap 1laH
feed their guns explain allied ia'afa
thIs feld and there IS 40 present pfaH
of a change German defeuss lete
been as brilliantly successful as ue aR7t
ations against Rnasia
of the fourth maioF cAmnaiFH tnat
AGAINST Russia, L Is only pQsspia 2 saf
nat h 3 siill going forward ana AIHI
in It's earlier eiasss = na7 ree -''''-