Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-31
FRANK SIMONDs GENERAL REVIEW OF THE n

rhe nurpose Of this review ia to SUM
~,,e briefly the main military phases
y ,he first year OF the war. To do this
,.,s perhaps. simplest to accept the unity
,e,tied BY the three major campaigns,
,hose of Germany against France, of
psssia against Austria and, finally, Of
asrmany against Russia, which Is stil
ling forward A fourth division may be
,onnd in the attempted offenslvea OF the
Afles In the west, so far unsuccessful in
~ larger view. at the Dardanelles, and
4 The fields now invaded by Italy, where
.gain the results are as yet without real
meaning.
rhe effort will be made here to show
hat yos I'm the minds of the high COM
..and OF the armies making the several
hlds for decision, the extent Of the sue
res or failure, and the causes, or so far
Ss they are yet set forth in any official
N unofficial but trustworthy comment
save for the battle of the Marne, which
is SO far, the one clearly decisive en-
eorement of the whole war, little atten-
sion will be paid to Individual engage
ssents This review closes with the news
eontained in the press of Sunday, July 25.
GERMANY AGAINST FRANCE.
The first phase of the world war was
s6pprehended IN a tremendous effort OF
fhe whole German military establishment,
ave for perhaps 250,OOO troops sent to
Mia back the first Russian columns in
~ east, to crush French military power,
take Paris, remove the French as fac
tor In the present war, achieve a decision
exactly similar to that won in the
Tranco-P -Prusslan War and obtain 1t in the
5ame times II was of prime Importance
"a win quickly, because there was per-
feet realization in Berlin that Austria
Hungary could not permanently deal with
fde Russian armies slngle-handed.
since the French frontier from Luxem-
tafg 10 Switzerland was fortified strongly,
6ernan military chiefs recognized that it
could not be forced without delays that
might make 1t possible for Russia to
dlspose of Austria before France had
been put out. Accordingly the invasion
of France by. way of Belgium was de-
cided upon, and at least 100000 men
were sent in three armies through Bel
aian territory while three more of about
equal strength were employed through
Lnxemburg, Lorraine and Alsace.
In thinking of the first campaign It is
well TO remember always that the Ger
mans had but two things in mind, to de-
stroy French armies utterly, and to do
this within the first six weeks of the war.
The capture of forts, cities, the success
in Incidental engagements. was of no real
meaning IL the great decision was not to
BE- had The German strategy aimed at
humiliation, expected to achieve 1t ana
conducted the operation with disregard
Of all expense of life and equipment which
was only conceivable as the price OF a
supreme success.
Conversely, the sole problem of the
French i'm this same period was to keep
their armies in being save Paris and es-
cane the annihllation planned by their
great foe. To meet the German ava
lanche they had little more than half as
many troops, with British support, whlch
we're however. insignificant in numbers
The French were also handicapped by the
fact that their mobilization was based
upon the assumption that Germany would
come through Alsace-Lorraine and not
through neutral Belgium. and plans or
Mobilization could not be changed after
Il had begun. Thus 1t was necessary Tor
France to execute complete reconcen-
ration of her armies after the campaign
Id opened. But 1t is necessary to recall
hse that the single necessity for the
french was to survive the first avalanche.
This was Joffres problem, as that of Won
Moltkes was to annihilate the French
On these terms 1t is possible to estimate
pretty exactly the results of this hrst
campaign, the greatest the world had
ever seen in numbers, In the size of bat
tlefields and in the losses that were suf-
fered by all contestants.
THE BELGIAN PHASE AUGUST 4-20.
The first shots on the Belgian frontier
were fired on August a. The next day
German troops reached the forts OF
Liege The army was commanded by
General Won Emmich and numbered
about 10000 picked troops. Despite the
sistance, while heroic, was wholly inef-
fective. Liege was occupied on August
Z For week the Belgian commander.
General Leman, held one or two of the
forts west of the Meuse, but these were
destroyed by the first shots of the Ger
man heavy artillery on August "A or Is.
In the meantime German mobilization
and on August 10 the German masses
were setting out on their dash to Paris.
All this time there had been steady skir-
mishing between the field forces OF the
Belgans and the screen OF German cav
airy which was preparing the way for the
coming of the armies. These skirmishes
We're magniied into battles by Brussels
reports, but were OF no real Importance
and ended in the complete demoraliza-
ton OF the Belgian army.
Once the German advance was begun 1t
swept irresistibly forward. One force
under Won Iluck moved straight on
Brussels: a second, under Won Buelow.
crossed the Meuse at Huy and advanced
upon Namur, and a third came through
The Ardennes and struck at the line of
the Meuse above Namur. Brussels fell
on August 20, the Belgian army fled to
antwerp and the German army, having
passed the capital, started south for
Paris. The Belgian phase ended on
august 22 with the abrupt fall of Namur
ana the opening battles between the
German armies and the Anglo French
forces of the north.
FRENCH DISASTER AUGUST 4-1s).
While the Germans were coming
through Belgium the French had at
tempted TO invade Alsace-L Lorraine, had
Teen successful at the start, and then
leavily beaten east OF Metz and driven
2 disorder into French territory about
nancy. A second French offensive across
ne Meuse into Belgian Luxembourg had
net with another defeat. AT the mo-
nent when the German forces OF the
Forth struck the allied armies along the
sambre and the Meuse from Mons TO
aiset, the French armies from Switzer-
lahd 10 the Belgian frontier were retreat
'ng IN disorder.
g meet the German advance through
flglum, the French and British took
.seir stand IN the angle between the
74suse and the Sambre Rivers. The po-
Hilioh was naturally strong, but was
IL aaaaN .