The Washington herald., 1916-05-07
BIG STRUGGLE BREWING
ON FLANDERS PLAINS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.


supreme test of the Anglo-saxon race
against its Teutonic kinsmen will be an
ordeal of fire and slaushter not less
horrible, very probably more so, than the
long protracted agony of Verdun.
In this article / attempt the very deli
cate task of f,explaining the situation on
the British front. The reason why Gen.
Haig has not engaged the enemy during
the Verdun battle is clear and sound, but
all that can be said on this point. and IT
should be enough, is that the British
commander more than two months age
offered to attack to relieve the pressure
on the French and Gen. Joffre ordered
him not to do so.
The figures given here concerning the
positions of the German armies and their
numbers are published with the consent
Of British and French headquarters,
where the mistake of keering the public
in the dark and permitting ugly rumors
to gain currency is at last fully realized.
Only approximate figures for the Brit
tsh forces cafN be given, and of course
nothing can b. said concerning British
concentrations. In spite OF the latter
handicap. 1 believe It possible to outline
the existing position clearly.
Hold Line Ninety Miles Long.
The British now hold a battle line nine
ty miles long, extending from the juno
ton with the Belgian army on the User
Canal to the neighborhood of the river
Somme, which flows through Amlens.
Against the British lines are massed al
the present moment thirty-four German
divisions, amounting roughly to $780, ,OOC
men, and including, amazing as 1t must
seem in view of the Verdun fighting, the
very best divisions in the German army
The only units of the Prussian Guard
which have appeared at Verdun have
been certain reserve brigades. The first
line troops are in the mining region
north OF Arras
Neither in numbers nor in artillery are
the British armies inferior to their op-
ponents, but they are not greatly supe-
rior to the Germans. A statement by
Gen. Joffre in a bulletin to his army that
100000 British were in the field, has
been widely misinterpreted to mean that
this number is at the front There are
less than 100000 British troops in
France at the present time, in spite of
all reports.
Allies Have Million More Men.
The allies, however, on the whole west
ern front outnumber their enemy by at
least 100000 men. The Germans have
eighty-five divisions, or about 100 OoC
combatants, in the west. exclusive OF
their extensive garrison and supply or
ganizations. This figure is exact II
may roughly be assumed that the French
have 100000 men and the British and
Belgiars between them 100000 and this
would show a superiority of 100000 bay.
onets for the allies. In artillery. the
margin Is greater as regards guns II not
shells The Germans are thought tc
nave about 1900 cannon in the west
And now a very astonishing fact-it is
fact. l have the names of all the Ger.
man divisions concerned before me as
write. Opposing the British front OF
ninety miles are thirty-four divisions
while engaged around Verdun, or in the
rear recupersting and refitting after deci.
mating onslaughts, are thirty divisions
| These thirty divisions are spread over
front Of forty miles. On the British
and Nerdun fronts, therefore, the Ger
mans dispose of sixty-four divisions OF
l'2So,Coo men. massed against $50 miles
OF trenches. The total number Of Ger
man divisions in the west is eighty-fve:
the whole front is SO miles long. II
follows that. on the highly organized
west front where the trenches are con-
tinuous. the Germans are, holding 40
miles of front with twentysone divisions
Of 10000 men.
Gives Food for Thought,
There is obviously food for thought
mere. The average works out to a diyis-
ion for twenty-one miles, or less than
LEGO men mile. Why do not the allies
attack? do not know the answer: I
think could guess IT, but I may not try
IL must be remembered that owing to
aerial scouting. the Germans knew where