Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-04-23
With ErZerum and Verdun Euro
pean Conflict Enters New
Phase.
STARTING ALL OVER AGAIN
In Not One of It's Campaigns
Has Germany Struck
Decisive Blow.
B COLONEL. FEY l.t:R.
or the Swiss Army.


result Of the Vcrdun battle ], is go
INK favorahly To thc French. who have
withstood the violent oncnsivos OF their
advcrsarics on the two banks of the
Mouse. Eut one cannot saw that new
efforts arc not in preparation. nor for
toll their issue. In any case il is Of
no Importance. Whether or not Verdun
Succumhs under tho new attacks the
future will not he less uncertain for
;crmany Her fate, in tho present war.
depend less on herself than on IN.
energy and perseverance Of tho allies.
We shall got better measure Of the
situation II VIC briefly review the out
standing phases Of tho war.
Tho first or these phascs--the cam
paicn OF lalt--waS tho German often
sivc in Belgium and in France This
offensive drove back tho resistance of
the adversary, hu, il did not crush il
Indeed. after tho bate of the Marine
Germany Was herself compelled to re-
treat and Ia give up little Of tho
road that She had travcrscd. Neither
on tho Sommc. nor on the I.ys nor on
the User has She rccaincd it, Thcn She
INTERRUPTED hcr effort and affected to
find the solution elsewhere Tho sec
ond phase Of the war commenced
OFFENSIVE IN GNLICIN
SECOND PHASE: or WAN
The second phase was tho German
offensive In Galicia. Ioland and Cour-
land. Its preparation occupied all tho
winter and it's carrying out took IN the
greater part Of tho winter and sum
MGR Of 1915 My reader. will romcm-
hcr its vrissitt:dcs the big attcrnpt 70
encirclc tho Russian armies At War
saw. then at Brcst-T.it, aud finally
the rearranccncnt "f tho front on the
present line Of observation-disclosures
owitz. As IN 1914. tho resistance OF tho
ahNcrsaricS was forccl back, hut il
was not destroyed. The second effort
remaired iadccisivc. Germany aou:h.
4 third solution.
That appeared moro difficult to OBJ
tain The two first oncnsivcs had been
directly carried ont by German troors.
hut the electives were not c1ual tn a
third campaign OF tho same war on ,
new front. This third offensive was
designed TO attack Great Britain h>
land. that is 10 say. by an attack ON
the Sucz Canal. by this indirect route
Germany hoHcd to deal tho blow which
she could strike directly nv hcr navy.
and her submarine warfare Hut this
rout" could only nc opened By armics
which we're in nearer proximity 10 tho
objective than tho German armies
SGcz and Egypt were outside the range
OF tho German soldiers It was indis-
pcnsablc 10 set the Ottoman auv TO
work
Ent that also was an obstacle. FOR
this particular ally had his own
anNlcticS. Despite the rhodomontadcs
Of tho Official communiqucs. the ahan-
dohmcn' OF tho attack on tho narrows
only aroused misgivinSs Turkey felt
besides that, left TO it's own means and
It's own resources. il could not COM
pass the demands or so cXigcnt an OK
petition as the conHrcs; of tho canal
The Germans had therefore to furnish
the necessary backing: and surmoun,
this triple problem:
Cd The restriction of their dispos
able electives; 90 Their own remote
ness; and CD lack e communication
with the Turkish troops to he M, in
action
Onc knows how The German general
staff tackled the triple problem. E1l
Garia was its deus OK machina In
hurting herself against the serbs She
opened up communication between Ecr-
lin and Constantinoplc. she relieved Tho
Turks from anxiety about C;allipoli and
enabled an economy Of the German
forces which supported the offensive i'm
tho Balkans. II suniccd 10 have an
army Of relatively small strength. hut
which could supply tho initial clan.
The result depended on the Eulcarians.
whose Albanian aspirations would bc
Satisfied-and tho Turks
CAMPAIGN CANNOT BE
rJ!SHED TO IT'S GILMAN
The campaign started auspiciouslv
but. as in the west i'm 1914 and i'm Rus
STA during the summer OF 1915. il could
not he pushed to its climax From tho
point Of view of, German military in
i"rcst*--that is to say. i'm it's bearing
on tho issue of tho war-thc Balkan
offensive had come no nearer a decision
than either OF tho others Tho i'm
ncrial general staff had even to recall
the bulk Of its troops. thus deriving
the Turks and The Hulcarians Of the
stimulus Of their presence
These events illuminate the fall OF
Er@erum and explain it's significance.
The support which Germany expected
to have from the Turks for the ECvpt
ian campaign had suddenly mailed
away and. after all their effort and
twelve months OF war. she finds her
self at tho point from which she
started. j" he sure. she has conquered
territory. both on the west and on tho
east. hut these gains arc not definite
since none OF her enemies on whom
she has realized them have been nut
out OF action. On tho contrary they
nave been gaining strength. while sho
has become fceblcr. She must. there
fore. recommends all her strategic on
erations as il tic Balkan drama had
never been played. That seems to-day
like simple interludc TO. which the
Invasion Of Armenia by the Russians.
Continued on Seventh Page.)