New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-18
The Summer Campaign

dar divisions, it may now be 1alrly
said that the end of the summer cam
naicn in Europe has come. TWO
wears ago, when the fighting IN tne
west moved northward TO Flanders
and the German invasion Of Poland,
in the east, approached, reached ana
then receded from the suburbs OF
Warsaw. there came that change IN
weather conditions which found such
graphic portrayal in the war re-
ports Of the hour.
What, then, have been the results
of this contest, Of the most terrihc
rhase of the Great War in more than
two wears of its duration? And go
inc still further afield, what has been
the sum total of the years opera
tons. measured by such evidence as
we have at hand?
The answer is not hard to find.
The wear 1916 opened as brilliantly
for the Central Powers as any in the
Napoleonic cycle for the French En-
peror. The campaigns Of 1915 had
carried the victorious German hosts
r. the Dwina, the Pripet Marshes
and the frontiers of Eastern Galicia.
German bulletins of year ago fore
cast. at this very moment, a short
Balkan campaign and then a victorl-
Gus peace. The short Balkan cam
naign came to fill to overlooking the
measure of German success, but the
victorious peace is to-day, on the tes-
timonv of Berlin, quite as much as
that of Paris or London, even re-
moter than a year ago.
1t was then, with the purpose Oh
dealing the final blow to France, that
Germany opened in February that
drive at Verdun which filled the press
of the world for the next four
months. But the drive failed. 1t
cost Germany above half million
casualties, as against half as many
for France: it resulted in the gain
of a few square miles of French ter
ritory without military value. Seek
ing a decisive victory, Germany met
with a terrible check, which was
presently to cost the German COM
mander who planned it his control
of the German General Staff.
And with the coming of summer
the attention of the world was sud
denly turned to the Russian drive IN
the east. In the following weeks
that Russia which in German esti-
mates of the preceding fall had been
eliminated from the war for years
rolled UP the whole Austrian line
from the Styr to the Carpathiansj
cverran all of the Bukovina and
much of Eastern Galicia, took 42O,-
OC0 prisoners and inflicted casualties
which must have brought the butch
er's bill for the Central Powers above
100000. This was added TO the
100000 cost of the failure of Yer
Gun. And, in addition, Russia re-
gained Austrian territory with a
greater area than the French terri
tory held by Germany.
Then came the Allied drive in the
\ Somme, which is still going for
D ward. Like the German attack upon
y Nerdun, this has not resulted in more
than a highly localized victory. 1t
has not pierced the enemy lines. 1t
has not freed France, and there is
no present prospect that it will free
French soil in any immediate time.
But it has inflicted heavy losses upon
the Germans, and il has revealed
that at last the Germans have TO
reckon with the manhood of Britain,
as we'll as the male population Of
France and Russia. Twice as much
territory has been won by the Allies
as was gained by the Germans at
Verdun, more than twice as many
cannon have been captured and
nearly twice as many prisoners
taken.
At the Somme the Germans have
lost not less than 100000, the Allies
about 500, 900, accepting the ratio Of
Verdun, which gives every advan-
tage in calculation TO the Germans.
Terrible pressure has been exerted
and is being steadily exerted upon
the nation inferior in numbers, al
ready crippled by losses out Of pro-
portion 10 its resources. And TO the
Somme attack we have 10 add the
Italian drive at Trieste, which took
Gorilla, gathered up 10000 prison
ers and inflicted very heavy losses
upon the Austrians.
Since January the Central Pow
ers have lost not less than 100000
men; Of this number considerably
more than half a million have been
csptured. Their losses in guns and