Evening journal., 1915-07-28
By CARL w. ACKERMAN
United Press STAFF Correspondent.

From the outset OF tue wei Wy
mans developed the initiative that
gave them a superiority over their
enemies, and since then no ehort OF
the French and British commanders
has been equal to the task OF over
towering the numerically weaker
Teutons.
Only once has Germany been SUI
perior in numbers TO her western OBJ
ponents. according to the claim OF
Teutonic authorities That was dur
ing the rush through Belgium and TO
Paris. The superiority at that time
was due TO the slow mobilization OF
the French and the breakdown OF
the English plans for hurrying a
large army to the continent. From
the days OF the Battle of the Marine,
the Germans have had 70 fight with
weaker forces than their enemies,
and yet never have they been over
yhelmed
The Germans taught the French
and English the secrets Of defensive
entrenching; the Germans revealed
the superiority of siege guns over the
strongest fortresses, the Germans
first discovered the modern necessity
for high powered shells and machine
guns All these factors of warfare
we're introduced by the Germans in
the west The Germans have kept
ahead Of their antagonists as new
problem after new problem has come
10 the front, and the years balance
is. therefore, greatly in their favor.
Only once did the German military
machine miscalculate That was in
the battle before the gates of Paris.
General Won Kluck was not informed
that field army had been hidden
away in Paris, prepared 10 strike at
his flank and the German General
staff did not suppose the French
army had in General Foch great
military leader capable Of splitting
the Teutonic centre east of Paris and
driving it back TO the Aisne. Cen
eral Won Moltke, who was a sick man
throughout the summer campaign,
was later replaced as chief Of the
General Staff by General Won Falken-
hayn, and since then Germany has
been we'll satisfied with the progress
If events in the west.
The retreat from Paris will go
down in German history as a brill
liant feat of arms because of the
manner in which It was checked at
the Aisne. So puzzled we're the AL
lies by the German maneuvers that
Sir John French actually reported in
The early days of the Battle of the
Aisne that il probably was only a
rearguard action on the part of the
Germans. How the Kaiser's painting
troops. almost exhausted after the
Marine fighting, were able to save
themselves at the Aisne will find a
permanent place in the heroic tales
which this war will give to history.
In the conflicts that followed the
Battle of the Aisne, the Germans
completely outmaneuvered their an
tagonists II is customary in Eng
land to say the Germans are defeated
because they didn't get to Dunkirk
and Calais. If those two towns had
been captured the English would
now be proclaiming victories for
themselves, say the Germans. be-
cause Dieppe and Havre were saved
from the Kaiser's grasp As a mat
ter of fact. while the capture Of Dun
kirk and Calais would have been well
coined by the Germans. the security
of these seaports is not a strategic
defeat for the Germans. By retain
ing Antwerp and Ostend, the pres
sure which Germany can bring 10
bear on England in the peace confer
ence after the war will be sufficient
for Germanys purposes.
The French and English were able
to save Dunkirk and Calais, but their
offensive plans were sadly overturn-
ed by the Germans When General
Joffre started northward after the
Battle of the Aisne, 1t was his inten'
ton to outfank the Germans, or,
failing that, to save western Belgium
and to prevent the fall of Antwerp
Sir John French's transfer of the
British expeditionary force from
Scissors to Ypres was for the ex
press purpose Of preventing the Ger
mans advancing beyond Brussels
The Germans won the campaign, for
although they didn't reach Dunkirl
and Calais. they captured ANTWERP
and Ostend and held the British il
complete check. The story has We
TO be told of how the British troop
were defeated at La Basse. and how
the British government lied to III
people and deliberately reported
defeat as a victory.
Elsewhere in the west the Ger
mans have more than held their owl
against superior numbers. They hav'
delivered counter attacks for ever.
offensive developed by the enemy
and in the minor exchanges tina
have occurred since the siege o
trenches began. the Germans hav
fully held their own. The most salts
factory of all these encounters to tn
Germans was the recent battle nortl
and east of Ypres. at which the Eng
fish were forced to give ground ant
we're put on the defensive. This en-
gagement followed soon after tn
date fixed by Lord Kitchener for tn
long promised English offensive {
begin-May /. The Germans believ
this second battle of Ypres has don
more to confuse the English an
create discomfort among them .thai
any other event of the war. BY ever
law of warfare the British ought
greatly to have outnumbered tn
Germans, and yet the latter werl
able to drive the enemy back almos
al will Ypres itself was saved b
the English by little more than a
accident. The British newspapers
we're preparing the public for II
evacuation when more pressing inter
ests demanded the attention of tn
Germans elsewhere.
The loss of the western border G
Alsace to the French is the only con
tinental defeat the Germans mus
acknowledge at the close of the frs