Dresden enterprise and Sharon tribune. (Dresden, Tenn.) 1907-1997, 1915-08-27
PLAN LIKE BUILDER
Germans Prepare for Battle
With Great Precision.
Decide on Certain Plan, Provide Nee
essary Soldiers and Equipment
With Margin for MiscalcuIatlon,
but No More, Never Less.


Petrograd.-In an interview with q
correspondent Russian general who
fought in the Galician battles has Just
explained the German plan of cam
paign which has resulted so success
fully this summer.
He said the Germans plan battles
as builders plan houses. A builder
gets together his blue prints and his
estimates, engages sufficient number
of workmen and a certain quantity OF
material and sets to work. He doesn't
try to build a bigger house than he
has materials or labor for. OF course,
accidents or bankruptcy may prevent
the execution of the plan. #S
Similarly the Germans plan that a
certain thing shall be done; they
bring up the necessary soldiers and
the necessary guns, shells and bullets,
with a margin for miscalculation, but
no more and never less.
They may, through accident or mis-
calculation, fail. But they never start
fighting on the principle Of doing the
best with the men and shells they
have.
To revert to the house parallel:
The house may collapse during con-
struction, owing to a mistake. But
the builders will not decide suddenly
that they have not enough material
and dock the house off one story,
nor will they abandon the house
half built, because of lack Of work
men or material. They know what
they want to do The battle planned
and prepared for months in advance
is precise work.
The whole eastern campaign shows
this. When the Germans won at Tan.
nenberg they planned the march on
the Lower Vistula, which ended near
Warsaw. Hardly had they retreated
when they tried a new vast and clear
cut operation from Thorn. When that
stagnated on the Bzura they were
preparing the battle of the Masurian
lakes, which was a great victory, and
hardly was over when they were send
ing their armies south to assault the
Dunajec.
"The Germans, in short" said the
general, never start fighting on the
principle that would make them say
we have so many men, so many guns
let US have a shot at the foe and do
him as much harm as we can with
these men and guns. They plan the
shot first, see that they have the men
and guns to execute the plan, and do
not touch a plan which is from the
first plainly beyond their strength.
"Thus, they never once tried to
crush our army as whole. That is
beyond them. Even admitting their
technical superiority and good NUM-
ton supply, they would want, in order
to crush us by one operation, at least
as many men as we have. Their way
is to plan relatively small operations,
which attack only one section of our
front, in the hope Of destroying this
section before we can strengthen it.
"The battle of the Dunajec shows
that the enemy planned to take
these lines and to reach the San. He
prepared everything for this, and
something over, but did not intend to
march straight to Lemberg. When
he reached the San he had to stop
apart from our attempts to counter.
attack.
Then he brought up, no doubt,
shells, food and men for his next OPP
Grafton. He treated the next opera
ton as a self-contained thing, and
until it succeeded or failed he would
attempt no more. Also he will not
attempt modified plan. If he feels
too weak he will try something new,
which, according to his judgment, 10
within his strength"