New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-22
Alexander Won Kuck

Az
Kluck. who now at his own request
goes on the retired list Of the Ger
man army. TO fill the minds OF the
people Of the whole world for the
greater part of a month. lie
emerged into full view in the hrst
davs of the last week of August
1914. From the Battle of Mons to
the Battle Of the Aisne he was the
dominant figure in the Western field
Then, as suddenly, he disappeared
end from that hour TO the present
he has been a memory and a mys-
terry.
Already there is a robust legend
about Kluck. Men talked wisely
about his mistake, his failure" be-
fore Paris. mis- defeat at the hands
of the British Expeditionary Army
and other equally absurd things But
slowly there is beginning to emerge
the true story Of the advance and
retreat Of Kluck.
As to MS encounter with the Brit
ish Expcditionary Army, we know
now that he scattered this army as
no British army has ever been scat
tered and routed on the Continent
We know now that so far from saw
ing France by their resistance TO
Kluck. the British were unable to
make any serious resistance after
the first encounter; that their brief
Fight at lie Cateau, long believed IN
Britain to have broken the force OF
the Kluck thrust, had no such effect
and that the real delaying blow was
struck by Lanzerac at Guise and not
by French at lie Cateau.
AS TO the famous swerve away
from Paris. which led to the Battle
Of the Marne. no one now believes
that this was blunder Of kluck;
that it had fatal consequences to his
army. or that it even led to the de-
feat of his army. On the contrary,
because of the failure Of the British,
Kluck was able to win clear of the
trap prepared by Joffre, repulse the
Maunoury army in front of him and,
retreating only after Hansen had
been defeated at La Fere-Champe-
noise. make good his ground at the
Aisne.
The more French General Staff Of
fcers examine Kluck's operations
the more emphatic they are in their
praise of what he accomplished. Two
years ago men wondered why Kluck
did not attack Paris. 1t is univer-
sally recognized that he did not at
tack Paris because he followed the
plan of German High Command, the
plan which contemplated the destruc-
ton of the field armies of France IN
advance of any attack upon the
French capital, and at the Battle Of
the Ourcq Kluck came within an ace
of defeating the field army before
Paris despite the fact that he had
been compelled 10 change the whole
scope Of his operations Unexpectedly.
Kluck's advance from Brussels TO
the gates of Paris land his cavalry
came within less than fifteen miles OF
the city, will remain marvel of ce-
lerity in military history. He was in
Brussels on August 20, he was south
Of Paris two weeks later, and the
distance his columns had covered in
that time was above 200 miles, al
though he was faced by the British
and handicapped by the destruction
Of roads and bridges in his front.
And this same army, compelled TO
retreat on September 9 because Of
the defeat Of Hansen far TO the east,
was able 10 stand behind the Aisne
and hold up the British and French
four days later; and the position TAX
en- By Kluck then remains in Ger
man hands to-day.
Had Kluck been faced by French
instead of British troops at the out
act, he probably would have made
no such advance. All the German
armies confronted by French armies
were promptly checked after the first
French defeats in Belgium and in
German territory. Before Nancy
along the Meuse north of Verdun
north Of the Aisne at Guise, the
French armies brought the German
advance 10 dead halt. But the col
lapse Of the British after Mons, the
disintegration Of their army as a
fighting force, rapidly became com
plete, and the vigor and rapidly Of
Kluck's pursuit deprived the British
commander Of the will 10 fight and 50
wrecked the cohesion Of the British
army that IL did not regain It's value
as q fighting element until after the
Battle Of the Marine had been won.
II Is the view Of French General