The Washington times., 1915-07-28
AS SEEN IN GERMANY
By CARL w. ACKERMAN.

of war in the west has crippled
France and shamed the English.
From the outset Of the war, the
Germans developed an Initiative that
gave them a superiority over their
enemies, and since then no effort OF
the French and British commanders
has been equal to the task Of over
powering the numerically weaker
Only once has Germany been SUI
perior in numbers to her western
opponents. according to the claim OK
Ieutonic authorities. That was dur
ing the rush through Belgium and TO
Paris. The superiority at tnat time
was due to the slow mobilization OF
tho French and the breakdown OF
the English plans for hurrying
large army to the continent. FROM
the days of the battle of the Marne.
the Germans have had to fight Win
weaker forces than their enemies
whelmed.
The Germans taught the French
and English the secrets of defensive
intrenching. the Germans revealed
the superiority of siege guns over
the strongest fortresses, the Ger
mans first discovered the modern ne.
machine guns. All these factors OF
warfare were introduced by the Ger
mans In the west. The Germans
have kept ahead Of their antagonists
as new problem after new problem
has come to the front, and the year
balance is. therefore. greatly In their
favor.
Only once did the German military
machine miscalculatc. That was In
the battle before the gates of Paris.
General Won kluck was not informed
that a field army had been hidden
away in Paris. prepared to strike at
his flank and the German general
staff did not suppose the French
army had in General Foch a great
military leader capable Of splitting
the Teutonic center east OF Paris ana
driving it back to the Aisne. General
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
OF events In the west
The retreat from Paris VIII go
down in German history as brilliant
feat Of arms because OF the manner
in which ii was checked at the Aisne.
So puzzled were the allies by the
German maneuvers that Sir John
French actually reported In the early
days of the battle of the Aisne that
It probably was only rear-guard ac-
tion on the part of the Germans.
How the Kaiser S painting troops, al
most exhausted after the Marine
fighting, were able to save themselves
at the Aisne, will find 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. 1t is customary In Eng
land TO say the Germans are defeat
ed because they didn't get to Dun
kirk and Calais. If those two towns
-, ppl !,
now be proclaiming victories Tor
themselves. say the Germans, because
Dieppe and Havre were saved from
the kaisers grasp. AS matter OF
fact, while the capture OF Dunkirk
] ami Calais would have been well
coined by the Germans. the security
of those seaports is not strategic
defeat for the Germans. BY retain-
ing Antwerp and Ostend. the pres
sure which Germany can bring to
bear on England in the peace con-
ference after the war will be
sufficient for Germanys purposes;
The French and English were able
to save Dunkirk and Calais, but
overturned by the Germans. When
General Jofrre started northward
| after the battle of the Aisne. 1t was
his intention to outtiank the Ger
mans. or falling that to save west
| ern Belgium. and to prevent the fall
OF Antwerp. Sir John frenchS
| transfer of the British expeditionary
force from Soissons to Ypres was for
the express purpose OF preventing
the Germans advancing beyond
| Brussels. The Germans won the
campaign, for although they didn't
reach Dunkirk and Calais, they cap
tured Antwerp and Ostend and held
| the British in complete check. Inc
| story has yet to be told OF how tho
British troops We're defeated at La
| Bassec, and how the British govern
ment lied to its people and de-
hberately reported a defeat as a
! victory.
Elsewhere in the west, the Ger
mans have more than held their
own against superior numbers. They
| have delivered counter attacks tor
every offensive developed by the
| enemy, and in the minor exchanges
| that have occurred since the siege OF
trenches began. the Germans have
| fully held their own. The most sat-
| isfactory OF all these encounters to
the Germans was the recent battle
north and east Of ipres. at which
the English were forced to give
ground and were put on the de-
fensive. This engagement followed
| soon after the date fixed by LORD
Kitchener for the long promised
English offensive to begin-May J.
The Germans believe this second
battle of Ypres has done more tc
confuse the English and create dis
content among them than any other
event of the war. BY every law OF
| warfare the British ought greatly
to have outnumbcred the Germans
and yet the latter were able tc
drive the enemy back almost al VIII
Ypres itself was saved to the Eng
lish by little more than an accident
| The British newspapers were pre-
pairing the public for its evacuation
when more pressing interests de-
manded the attention OF the Ger
mans elsewhere.
The loss of the western border o
Alsace to the French is the onl!
continental defeat the Germans mus
acknowledge at the close o. the frs
year of the war. The sentimental
Importance to the French of seizinl
part Of Alsatian territory far ou,
weighs the military value to Ger
many Of driving the French acros
the Fosges. At present the Frenc,
hold little more than the foothill
of the Vosges. This they have beel
able to do because the Alsatial
slopes of the Nosges are so pre-
cipitous that troops coming dow
hill have an immense advantage owe
those trying to go uphill. But 1
the war goes far into its secon
year. and. If the eastern situation
| the French will haya p