Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1916-08-04

May 20.
Allies Get Together.
Their defeats finally taught the al
lies that their efforts must be co-Or-
dinated. like their enemies, II they
were to be effective. A new war
council, with ali the allies represented,
met In Paris December z and a kind
OF international general staff was or
ganized. II is known that General Jo-
seph Joffre, French commander in
chief since the beginning of the war,
and the hero Of the battle Of the
Marine, was the presiding genius. The
effects of the council were not to be
seen for several months, but now they
are being realized IN full measure.
TO check a simultaneous allied Of
f~ensive, which they clearly saw com
ing, the Teutons decided on two at
lacks Of their own. This follows the
%well-known axiom of German mill
tary strategy that the best defense is
an energetic attack.
The first Of these offensive defen-
sives was the attack on the French
fortress Of Verdun, where the works
We're subjected to a whirlwind Of fire
beginning February 21.-The gains Of
the first week were great, and German
critics fOretold the collapse Of the
French. Two Of the defending forts,
Vaux and DouaumOnt, fell, and impor-
tant positions were taken west of the
Mouse river as well.
But Joffre rallied his men in splen-
did fashion and sold each yard of
ground at an awful cost in German
blood. Step by step the crown princes
men pushed forward. but today they
are still more than two miles from the
ruined fortress town and the resist
aace of the French is as strong as
ever.
Austrian Drive Checked.
The second Teutonic offensive was
organized by the Austrians in the
Trentino, and they struck in the di-
rection of Vicenza with the object
of cutting off the northern end of Italy
from the main portion. On May 26,
as the result of several days vio-
lent artillery fire followed by infantry
PUSHES. they were able to announce the
capture of $4,000 Italians.
General Count Cadorna hurried
about "A hundred thousand men in mo-
tor cars to the scene, while many more
arrived on foot or trains. just when
it seemed the Austrians must reach
the lowlands the counter-attacks were
delivered.
On June 30 Rome announced a splen-
did victory. In bloody fighting the
Austrians, perhaps weakened by
drafts to bolster up their Russian
front. were driven from peak TO peak
almost to where their lines had stood
throughout the winter.
In March the Russians delivered
vast but futile attacks on the Ger
man front at many points, probably to
distract attention from Verdun. The
Germans seemed to have been lulled
into security by these efforts, which
they probably considered the best the
2 could do. But the tens of thou
sands of Muscovite bodies lining the
Germans barbed wire We're but n pat.
ter of rain compared with the storm
that was brewing behind the Russian
lines.
At the beginning of June this storm
broke with full force and, following
the principle of attacking the weakest
point, the Austrlans holding the line
from the marsh district southwark
were forced to bear the brunt of it
Russla's Big Push.
Millions Of shells, manufactured
largely in British, Japanese anC
American factories, blasted away wire
trenches, dugouts and observation
rians, Cossucks and others swep.
over the field. The Austrians cOulC
not withstand the impact and the!
gave way steadily.
June 6, General Brusiloff announced
the capture of $4,000 Austrians Jun,
s, the number for the three succeed
ing days alone was $4,000, and tn
numbers kept mounting until on Jul!
20 General %ShOovaieff, Russian min
lister of war, estimated the number o
Austro-Hungarian prisoners at go,
600. The killed and wounded are VI
told, but the number must be larg
enough to bring the total loss wei
over half a million.
German support was rushed to tn
A%ustrians, but the foe captured LutsI
, and DubnO, and reached the StOkhOI
> and Lipa rivers in VOlhynia Overra
all Bukowina to the Carpathians an,
, sent patrols Of Cossacks into Hungar
to ravage the country.
That the car is anticipating furthe
great gains of territory is seen fror
: Russians action In mobillzing tn
= males of the island of S~aghallen, Tul
Z kestan, and one other district to bull
roads, dig trenches and do other wOr
e Of organizing the ground won.
Allies Drive In somme Region.
4 Almost a month to a day followln
I the beginning of the great Russian o.
j fensive French and British Opene
thofr drive I'm the vicinity of tb