The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-09

E1dS lue llue or war at last LuTIleU III favor of the allies? This is the question every student of the war has been asking during the past week. The gigantic Anglo-French offensive, begun on July 1, and carried on with unrenitting energy and almost uniform success, seems to an swer this question affirmatively. How ever, past experiences have taught one not to be too sanguine, and the two years of unexampled German success on land leaves large room for doubt as to whether this latest drive is the turn of the tide which will lead the allies on to final vic- tory.
 The world has never known anything quite so imposing as the colossal push of the allies during the past week. The in- vincible advance of the Russians in the east over 300 miles of front, the steady progress of the Italians in the Trentino, added to the simultaneous onslaught of the Anglo-French over wide front in the west. has presented military spec tacle the like of which the world has never witnessed before, and possibly may never see again. Almost every agency of sea and land warfare was employed eASife central blue," while the sapper burrowed his gloomy passage underground, moni- tors in the North sea shelled the trenches in the sand dunes, artillery kept up per feet hailstorm of projectiles, and the in- fantry struggled for mastery in fierce hand-to-hand encounters. Surely it was a spectacle suggestive of the lines of the ancient bard,
 sIIeroaS in l,a file with heroes
 And above them the wrathful gods" /"
 But the thing that chiefly interests us is the outcome of these great operations. Is this the beginning of Germany's down. fall? In less than a month, the war will have been in progress two years and, forming a judgment in the light Of former wars, the final period of the con- flict ought to be in sight We may as sume that the war will be divided into three periods. The first period has been favorable to the side best prepared. The second period is one of deadlock, when the opposing forces can gain no decided advantage The last period, of course, will be marked by series of victories for the side best equipped in the field and least menaced at home by economic neces- sity.
 . This was the case during the civil war. For over two years or utnil the battle of Gettysburg in July, 1863, the advantage had been with the Confederate armies; but at that time lack of equipment and economic problems, similar to those Ger many is facing today, began to weaken the blows of the south, and the supreme effort of Lee to bring the war to a favor. able termination by a master stroke on federal soil met with disaster. The tide turned at Gettysburg, and for the re- maining year and nine months 1t was losing fight for the Sorely tried soldiers of the south.
 The Boer war might be cited as another case showing three distinctly marked pe- riods. The Boers, better prepared and anticipating the conflict, invaded the en- emy's territory and adujnistered many stinging reverses to the British troops. Then came a period of deadlock, when there were no decided gains for either side, followed at last by the victorious campaign of Lord Roberts, which drove tho Boers from Natal and terminated in the complete subjection of the Transvaal and Orange Free State The British have a reputation for losing large number of battles, but winning the last and per- haps the fortune of Britain and her al- lies will be after this fashion.
 In summing up the war results of the week, the east and west fronts come in for a like share of allied success. The Russians under General Brussiloff. have continued the spectacular advance which they began a month ago. Petrograd re- ports that up to the present their of- fensive has put out of commission nearly half million Austrian and German troops. Of this number 265.000 are prison CTS of war, most of whom are Austrians. War booty has been captured in enormous quantities including 25o pieces of artillery and 700 machine guns. Vast quantities of munitions, supplies and transports have fallen into the hands of the Slavs While the Russian advance has <been stopped at Kovel, their steady advance under General Letchitzky continues to threaten the safety of east Galicia. All ready, reports say, the citizens of I,em- berg are fleeing and 1t may not be long before this great fortress is again in Russian hands
 In the west. the Anglo French offen-
 we continues with steady success, espe- fcially for the French. who are advancing on each side of the Somme. and threat ening the important railway center Pe- rome The capture of this place is evil deptly regarded by the Germans as vital, for they have brought up heavy rein forcements to defend it. Since July 1 the French and British have taken Ger man first line trenches over front of nearly 20 miles and are now preparing for an assault on the second line. Near ly 2t,000 prisoners have been taken and a large number of guns. If this suc- cess continues. the Germans will be