Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-10-27
Haig'S Chief Assistant on the
SOmme Front Expresses
Confidence in Outcome Of
Struggle,
Q
FIGHTING POWER OF
GEBMANS D.PRECJAIING


~ ~ ANN''N iNN' 100 Nv CO. o.
(Copyright by The Associated PressD
With the British Army in France
(Via London, oct 26.)-"Can the
German line on the western front be
broken ?"
Next to General Sir Douglas Haig,
few British soldiers are In better
position to judge than General Sir
Henry Rawlinson General Haig's
right hand man i'm the Somme often
sive
Rawlinson is to Haig what sherman
was to Grant and Jackson was to
Lee.
"Undouhtedly it can" was General
RaWlinson's reply to the question,
which the whole world is asking.
"Rawley," as he is known, has neen
for nearly four months directing the
sedgohammer blows Of one of the
armies under Sir Douglas command.
The character of each commander be-
ing impressed upon his surroundings,
General Rawiinsou's headquarters
might be recognized by the smartness
of the sentries, the ncatness Of the
grounds. and the look and sharp man
ner of his subordinates. He is hardly
the accepted phlesmatic ENGLISH type,
except i'm his bun dog tenacity and
he has all the spirit that he had as a
young guardsman when he was noted
for his abundant vitality, his love Of
sports and his professional zeal.
Bound 10 BE Active.
Wherever Young RaWlinson appear
ed, there was bound to be action. He
is sull equal to putting in most of
the night and all the morning dl-
recting a big operation, and then
finding relaxation from the strain in
a game of tennis.
In the big staff rooms on the low
err floor of a chateau, which he occu-
pies as Headquarters, there is an alert
ness among the junior officers which
is communicated from little room
upstairs. where a raised map is set
on a stand by the window, and the
man who receives visitor has lost
none of the dappcrncss which dis
tinguishod him in his youth. In that
little room General Haig and General
Rawlinson have held many confer
cnces and the result of them seems to
be invariably TO attack again.
The cOmmandcr-in-ch is So, and
the army commander 81. Officers of
the same generation in the old British
regular army they have known each
other nearly thirty years. They have
played polo together and fought to-
gether in India, Egypt and South Atri-
ca. Now they are directing multi
tudes of men in the greatest battle of
all time. There is the same good fell
Iowship ana accord that there was
when they were junior officers Both
came to France at the outset of the
great war Rawlinson as commander
of a division, Haig as commander of
corps.
Offensive Planned i'm March.
at was last March," said General
RawIinson to the Associated Press
correspondent. that the present Of
fensivo was planned. Sir Douglas and
myself looked over the ground and
received orders to prepare the men
and material for my part Of the
enterprise. Instead Of undertaking
a premature offensive with our UNI
ready army, il was decided to take
over more front from the French.
'"The decision was most fortunate
ana a IIlDUlp 10 inc judgment VI 'I''
French that they could hold the Ger
mans at Vordun Not only could they
hold the Germans, but they were ahle,
after giving the enemy the scvcresi
he had had SO far IN TINS
war. to join us in the Sommc often
siye, with results which we all know.
They say that the Germans hoped
to force you to attack prcmaturoly
last February the correspondent
said
Nothing could have better suited
their purposes. was the reply 'than
TO have induced us to attacE before
we were ready They had thinned |
their lines in the east and massed |
their reserves i'm the west Happily |
owing to French tenacity and pluck |
we were given time to wait for new |
guns which were beginning to arrive |
from England i'm gratifying numbers, |
and for munition factories 20 start the |
big flow Of shells. Roads and liHht !
railways had been built for bringing |
ND the immense quantities Of muni- |
tons and supplies of all kinds rCqul |
site for the attack on the fortified |
lines which the Germans had been |
nearly two years in building and for |
aontinung the offensive once it had |
started
Must Conserve Life.
"Thc wastago of life and material |
m so titanic struggle must be fore
seen and calculated and arrangements
made for renewal our machine |
must be so organized that no contln-
gencv could throw it out Of gear. and
That we had everything required n
abundance for the complicated BUSH
ness Of modern war, which would en-
able MS TO press any advantages
gained"
Are you satisfied with the re
sWts2'
eyes. we have taken position after
position and thirty thousand prison
crs For nearly four months tins
new army has kept ON attacking u
has asserted its mastery over The enc
INV. who had years for protection. The
dogged heroic eallantry ana touacity
of our infantry have been proved.
Their desperate cOuntor-attacks sho"
few prisoners the Germans have
taken
when. In their cagcrness, our bat
talions have advanced too fan because
the resistances was comparatively II
light and the Germans closed 100 with II
superior numbers, our men either held n
their ground successfully. ur died II
fighting, rather than yield. This is