Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-04-23
Kaiser VIII N0zv Strike Petr0grad Odessa

vision from one eide Of the marshes
| TO the other would have to send them
nearly two thousand miles by train.
! This means that the Russian armies
must be fed, mutioned and even re-
! iufOrced from different bases. These
bases are Petrograd IN the north,
Moscow in the center and kiev IN the
south"
you seem very sure Of this ap-
preaching attack in the east after an
Abandonment Of the western cam
paign,' | said. May ! take 1t that
your Information is positive or may
you be Mistaken
zone may always be mistaken in
war" the general replied with "a
smile. I'm this war. however. one is
less likely to be mistaken than in
the past. In the individual battle,
the commanders receive reports from
acrOplanes and are no longer liable
to surprise movements by large bodies
OF troops. And whore the great cam
paigns are concerned. such as we
are now discussing. the amount of
railway and motor transport involved
Is SO enormous that 1t Is equally i'm
possible to fool your enemy about
your intention to indulge in a move
mcnt involving scores Of divisions and
thousands of cannon"
I'm that case" | said. why not
frankly discuss the possibilities in
VolVcd in the coming allied offensive
on all fronts that We hear so much
about q"
81 viii make only one point about
that ne said. ! would gladly talk
for publication about our own prob
able moves. but II is against the regu-
latlons. The German attitude toward
our offensive is another matter. The
whole point OF view of the German
general staff about the possibilities Of
this years fighting can be summed
up in one formula we must at any
cost prevent the allies from striking
rs all at once with their fun
strength.
Must Quit Some Time
THAT explains Nerdun. 1t explains
the resumption of the Russian cam
paign. Whatever move the Germans
make in 1916 l think you will find
at the bottom of it this desire to
forcstall or weaken our attack. They
cannot prevent us from attacking, of
course but If they can force now the
French, now the Russians. now the
Italians. to exhaust their reserve of
shell and men, they will make impos-
slble a general assault by all of us
with our preparations complete. They
cannot keep this up forever and that
is why We are certain to win the war.
The German reserves which | showed
you some months ago could not keep
the existing units in the field at full
strength beyond September, have been
depleted by the fighting on the Meuse
and after the coming slaughter In
Russia. Germany may be unable to
replace her fallen soldiers by early
in the summer"
a discussion of the allied plans Sol-
lowed which | am not at liberty to
quote and then my informant re-
marked: The final stage Of this war.
which may come this summer or au-
tunn, but which | think likely will
be postponed until next spring, will
be a German defensive on all fronts,
an attempt to hold out after her di-
mlnishcd armies are unable to make
further great attacks"
have quoted at length this author
itys opinions because he has been
consistently right in his views Of the
general situation for year past.
There are many persons here who
think Germany will not break off her
western campaign and have another
, 20 at Russia, but it now seems that
unmistakable preparations for n
! spring blow in the east are being
made
1t is general understood that at the
| recent historic conference held in
Paris the final assent of the entente
nations was given to the joint plan
or campaign to be carried out this
summer. if the Germans do not fore
stall IT, Whether the plan Will have
TO be postponed because of the vast
age of men and munitions in the long
| Ncrdun struggle was also discussed
and answered at the conference Cen
eral JilnskY. the representative of the
| cars armies. furnished figures con-
cernlng the armament and munition-
ment of Russian hosts
sounds Like IA Paradox.
There is an apparent paradox in the
assumption of the authority ! have
quoted that the Germans have admit
ted their failure at Nerdun. for within
the last two days the soldiers of the
crown prince have made some of
their most heroic and desperate as
saults ON the famous Douaumont po-
siiion and on the approaches to the
Mort liomme hill across the river
The explanation is that the Germans
still seek 10 reduce the town of Yer
dun If possible. and in any case to
win more positions which will enable
them TO appease civilian opinion at
home and mislead the neutrals: but
even while these assaults continue the
great plan for other attacks has been
abandoned. The movement of troops
and guns from the west to the east,
which has ben mentioned, probably
does not include as yet the forces
actually engaged around Verdun. but
it is fact that the greater part of
the forces told off for the supreme
effort in the west never came into