The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1916-01-14
THE EUROPEAN WAR

The year 1915 has been so distinc,
tive from a hlstorymaking viewpoint
that in all the ages to come il will
stand apart from those that have pre-
ceded il and from those which are
to follow. During its entire length,
the greater nations OF the European
continent have abandoned themselves
10 a policy OF bloodshed which has
fallen little short Of delirium To
the neutral onlooker it has been a re-
viyal on a huge scale OF the irration'
al and murderous activity which char
Rcterized the earlier ages OF mankind.
Il has been the complete overthrow OF
all the pacific theories which had ap-
parently gained so strong a foothold
at the time of the firing of the first
gun in the present conflict.
At the beginning of the year, 1t was
evident that it was TO be a struggle
TO the death. 1t was plain that the
Teutonic plan to force a speedy set
cement by dint of superior armed
preparedness had failed. Six months
had elapsed and the Teutonic allies
were still faced by three great ma
tions, their. strength unbroken and
their determination innexible. Aus
tria had been driven repeatedly by her
Russian invaders and twice the Serbs
had routed Austrian armies sent
against them. On other fields, also,
Teutonic efforts had been futile. Thus
far Turkey had been of little assist
ance and the holy war had failed to
come into being. German Southwest
Africa had Deen lost and German in
fuence in Asia had been smothered
by the Japanese.
AS an Offset, the Germans still held
practically all the conquered territory
which had fallen into their hands.
Their lines still held firmly in Po-
land, in Flanders and in France. 1t
was apparent that as yet the Teutonic
combination showed no sign of weak
ening, and a war of attrition seemed
inevitable. Both in the east and
In the west the military operations
of the early part of the year were
practically without decisive result.
The fighting in Poland had resolved
itself into a complete deadlock In
January the French-English combine
made three attempts to break the
Teutonic hold on French territory, but
accomplished little. The German un-
successful drive at Warsaw and the
,f hA trio fV, Go1faia loft n
slight balance in the January fighting
in favor Of the allies.
From a strictly military viewpoint,
February was a promising month for
the month, German troops were ad-
Yancing all along the front from
the Vistula to the Niemen, and thus,
seven months after the breaking out
of the war, German soil was practi-
cally cleared of it's Russian invaders,
The deadlock on the western front
was still unbroken.
Scene Shifts to DardanelIes.
With the advent of March, there
came a sudden and dramatic change
IN the war situation. The scene Of
military activity was shifted to the
DaTdanelles. BY the third week Of
the month, Rome, Athens, Sofia and
Bucharest were centers of great po-
litical activity. The surrender of
Przemysl, March %, was the most
stirring victory for the allies since the
battle of the Marne. The German
assertion that the military power of
Russia had dwindled into insignih-
canoe was disproved at once and the
allied cause gained instant strength in
all the neutral capitals. One of the
greatest strongholds in Europe had
been taken by the Russians,
The disaster to the allied feet at
the Dardanelles, which occurred dur
ing the third week of March, put an
end to the expectation of forcing the
straits by naval means alone. Ger
man prestige advanced perceptibly
and the difficulty of the task under
taken by the allied feet was now un-
derstood. In this month, also, the
British won the battle of Neuve |
Chapelle after bloody fight.
In April the French made bold |
offensive stroke against the German |
position between the Meuse and the |
famous st. Mihiel wedge |
which resulted in a tremendous loss
of men on both sides, with small ad- |
vantage for either. Nowhere had the |
allies made appreciable gain in ter
ritory. The invader held his own
stubbornly and with success. About
the middle of the month, Zeppelins
made their appearance over English
towns, inspiring great interest and not
5 little apprehension, but doing com
pArativcly small damage. About this
lime also, the attempted submarine
blockade of the British coast proved
10 be ineffective. In the closing days
Of the month another great Teutonic
,Tensive swept against the allied lines
n Belgium, thrusting the enemy back
4 .,on Ypres, with great loss of life on
both aides.
In May the Germans sent their best
.Toops to the aid of the hard
jressed Austrians. BY the middle Of
ne month they had worked star
ling change in the situation. Prze-
nys! was retaken, the Russian cam ,