The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-17
WAR ECHOES

New York World: As a spectacle the
 raid by s4 British airships on the German | bases near the Belgian coast was magnifl- cent. Measured by the material damage inflicted upon the enemy, it had, as a military operation, no more value than previous excursions by German flying men
 over English coast towns. It is not by picturesque performances of this kind that armies are defeated and wars de-
 cided.
 When German aviators sallied over
 Dover and dropped bombs on Yarmouth
 they accomplished nothing worth while.
 A few helpless civilians were killed with
 out changing the course of the war in a
 single detail. At an early period in the
 war it was the practice of the Germans
 to make daily dashes over Paris and the
 children who gathered in the streets to
 watch their flight were disappointed If
 the enemy aviators failed to appear at
 the usual hour in the afternoon and drop
 bombs. The women and children who
 were killed by chance bombs added
 neither to the glory nor progress of the
 German army on the Aisne. Even if the
 British squadron of flying machines suc- ceeded in setting fire to railway sta- tion at Ostend, the Germans have suf- fered no serious inconvenience. They hold the ground they occupied as secure ly as before the air raid.
 For six months the aeroplane on both sides has demonstrated it's great value in sec utng operations. It has proved of irnrnensa sarviea in datectino the rnoye- ments of troops and guarding against surprise. But as means of attack from safe distance it has failed to meet the anticipations of those who placed reliance on it. So far as is known, there is not single instance on record where the injury done to the enemy by aerial bonn bardment resulted in any considerable ad- vantage to the other side
 Dr. Bernhard Dernburg in Leslie's: In MT. Bigelow's opinion, Germany will, either very shortly or after some years, be compelled to sue the allies for peace. There is certainly nothing in the situation that bears out any such contention. In this struggle 1t is not the number that counts. Certainly Russia has by far the strongest army numerically. What have they been able to do to Germany? To- day there is probably not a single Rus sian armed soldier an German ground while an army of prisoners, certainly now more than 6O0000, are in our captivity All the western part of Poland is firmly held by Germany, including the most inn portant railway centers, number of large cities and of manufacturing cen ters. In spite of the vastly superior num- bers and of a mobilization commenced long before the German mobilization the Russian war machine is breaking down at several points; artillery and ammuni- ton are lacking, prisoners are brought in in the most pitiful condition, without clothing and half starved and after five months of war Russia has not been able to make the slightest impression on the German forces Why, we should sup pose that the new material coming in should be better than the old, especially as moral element is absolutely lack ing, as against the German soldier, who knows that if he does not prevail his country will be crushed by his spiteful ene- mics, l am unable to see. The Russian sol dier does not know what he is fighting for, the Serb is Hecuba to him and cer- tainly not worth spilling hsi blood for.
 The same holds good as to the German position in France. The northern part is firmly in the German grasp, as Is all of Belgium; the French military force is absolutely spent, and against MT. Kitch- ener's improvised army there are now about 2,O0O00O German soldiers in training. Or sea, I think the laurels are at least even. Now there remains the chance of starving Germany out; but England itself | loes rot believe in that possibility.