El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-04-22
Three Great Ofensices OF
Germany Haze Been
InefectiOc.
MUST NOW BEGIN
NEW WAR PLAM
Swiss Expert Says Whether
Verdun Falls Or Not,
Germany Is Loser.
BY COL. FEYLER,
OF the Swiss Army

r ONDON, Eng, April 22.-Erzerum,
Verdun-these names cannot with
- Certainty be called a turning point
OF the war. One cannot see clearly what
will be the result of the Verdun battle
1t is going favorably to the French.
who have withstood the violent often
sives of their adversartes on the two
banks of the Meuse But one cannot
say that new efforts are not in prepar-
alton nor fOrteu their issue In any
case, it is of no Importance W nether
or not Verdun succumbs under the new
attacks, the future viii not De less uu-
certain for Germany Her tate. IN tne
present war, depends less on herself
than on the energy and perseverance
OF the allies.
situation if we briefly review the
phases Of the war.
German Offensive Not Lasting
The first OF these phases-the cam
paign of 1914-was the German Of
fensive in Belgium and France This
offensive drove back the resistance OF
the adversary; but it did not crush II
Indeed, after the battle OF the Marine,
Germany was herself compelled to re-
treat and to give up a little OF the ROAD
that she had traversed- Neither on the
Somme, nor on the Lys, nor on the
Y User has she regained it Then she IN
terrupted her effort and affected 10
find the solution elsewhere. The sec
ond phase of the war commenced
The second phase was the German OF
fensive in Galicia, Poland and Cour-
land Its preparation occupied ali the
winter and its carrying out took up the
greater part Of the winter and summer
of 1915. All remember its vicissitudes.
the big attempt to encircle the Russian
armies at Warsaw, then at Brest-
Ldtovsk, and finally the arrangement
OF the front on the present line Of Riga
NrnnuL Wi p a
resistance of the adveFsartes was
forced back. but it was not destroyed
The second effort remained indecisiYe-
Germany sought third solution
The Third Offensive
That appeared more difficult to OBJ
tain. The two first offensives had been
directly carried out by German troops,
but the electives were not equal to
third campaign Of the same war on a
new front The third offensive was de-
signed to attack Great Britain by land
that is to say, by an attack on the Suez
canal BY this indirect route Germany
hoped to deal the blow which shs could
strike directly by her navy ana her
submarine warfare. But this route
could only be opened by armies which
were in nearer proximity to the OBJ
jective than the German armies Suez
and Egypt we're outside the range or
the German soldiers. 1t was indispen-
sable to set the Ottaman ally at work.
But that also was an obstacle, for
this particular ally had his own ankle
ties Despite the rhodOmontades of the
official communicates the abandonment
of the attack on the NarrOWs only
aroused misgivings- Turkey felt be-
sides that left to its own means and
its own resources, it could not compass
the demands Of so exigsnt an eXpedi-
tion as the conquest Of the canal. The
Germans had therefore to furnish the
necessary backing and surmount this
triple problem;
% The restriction Of their disposal
BILE electives; % their own remote
ness; and go lack OF communication
with the Turkish troops to be put IN
action.
One knows how the German general
staff tackled the triple problem. Bull
garia was its deus ex machina. In
hurting herself against the Serbs she
opened up communication between Rer-
lin and Constantinople, she relieved the
Turks from anxiety about GalipOli,
and enabled an economy OF the Ger
man forces which supported the often
sive in the Balkans. 1t sufficed to
have an army OF relatively small
strength. The result depended on the
Bulgarians. assisted by the Austro-
dungarians. whose Albanian aspira-
lions would be satisfied. and the Turks.
Could Not Reach Climax.
The campaign started auspiciously
but as in the west i'm 1914, and in Rus
STA during the summer Of 1915. il could
not be pushed to its climax From the
Continued on Page 81. This SectiOn.l