The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-08-11
GERMANS Lose The INITIATIVE
IN SECOND YEAR OF GREAT WAR
co0peraon Among the Entente Allies Brings Sweeping Change
Over the Aspect Of Military Afars-Two Largest En-
pires Of Earth Russia and Great Britain at
Last Fully Organized Second Years
Campaigns Reviewed.

New York.-Germany is on the DE-
fensive. The initiative has passed 10
the entente allies. This Is the one
great outstanding fact of the second
year of the great war.
Before, she aimed blow where sne
pleased and the allies parted II as
best they might. She seized most OF
Belgium and seventh Of France.
Twice she overwhelmed the Russians
who had penetrated East Prussia.
She smashed her way far into the
czar's dominions and crushed Serbia
and Montenegro. She directed rear
full battering-ram of shells and hu-
man bodies on VerduD.
But with the present summer
sweeping change came over the as
pect of military affairs.
Cooperating through the allies war
council with Gen. Joseph Joffre at Its
head, the Italians beat back the Aus
trian columns in the Trentino. the
Russians drove the Teutons before
them in the East with horrible de-
struction and the British and French
began slow and methodical bending
Of the long established lines In the
West.
At Last Fully Organized.
These are the movements which are
still going on as the war enters Its
third, and according to Lord Kitch-
ener's Delphic prediction. final year.
Whether the kaiser will retrieve him
self, again seize the initiative and en-
ter on new campaigns Of conquest
cannot be foretold. One thing is GER
tain, the two largest empires Of the
earth. Russia and Great Britain, are
at last fully organized for war
against him.
On the first anniversary OF the war,
August l, 1915, the Austro-G German
sweep Of Poland was in full swing.
Lublin fell that day; Cholm. August
2; Warsaw, August 6; Ivangorod. Au-
gust Z; Serock, August 9; Lomza, Au-
gust IL; Siedlce and Sokolow, August
"A; Kovno, August 10; Novogeor-
gievsk, August 81; Ossowiec, August
"a; Kovel August 25; Brest-Litovsk,
August 27; Olita. August %; Lutsk,
September 2; Brody, September 8;
Grodno, September 4; Dubno, Sep
tember 16; Pinsk, September II, and
Wilma, September 20.
It seemed to neutral observers moth
ing could stop the Teutons in the
East, and it was generally believed
the invaders had themselves chosen
the line extending from just west of
Riga, nearly straight south, to Rou
mania on which they spent the win
ter.
Russia Seemed Beaten.
Even when, on September 8, the
car took command of all his armies
in person, won victory near Tarno-
pol, September 10, and recaptured
Lutsk September 26, and Czartorysk
October 20, few believed the Russians
could revive. Lutsk was soon lost
again, and on October Is the Germans
stormed nluxt. Then things settled
down for the winter and almost every
neutral critic thought the spring would
see a resumption of the Teuton drive.
On October 8, the Teutons crossed
the Serbian border at many points
and five days later the Bulgarians,
newcomers in the war, invaded from
the east. Fighting desperately but
hopelessly, the Serbians were pressed
back by torrents Of heavy shells to
which they could not reply, and on
November 20 the Gesman general staff
was able proudly to announce that the
operations against Serbia had ended
in complete success, while Austria at
the same time was finishing of Mon.
tenegro.
But unsuccessful as the year 1915
bad been to the allies in the field,
their will to conquer did not waver.
At the moment early in December,
when the German imperial chancellor
was ma1king clear offer Of peace In
speech to the reichstag. the rep
rssentatives Of Germany's enemies