The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1916-09-14
FAMOUS CRITIC
! MORAHT THINKS
GERMANS SAFE
Sees No Danger to Central Pow
ers in Allies Joint
Offensive.
STILL HOLD THE INITIATIVE
"Big Push" of English and French
Not a Success, Moraht Declares
Russians Have No Definite
Plan - Offensive Against
Verdun Is Unimpaired.

Berlin.-The Berlin "Tageblatt'' pub
fishes a long review of the latest de-
velOpments of the war by Maj. Ernest
MOraht, the most famous German mill
tary critic. He sees no danger for the
central powers in the present Situa-
ton, although he comedies that the eff
forts of the allies are more serious
than ever before.
In part he says:
"Our enemies are jubilant over their
offensive. For the first time, after
many failures, they have succeeded in
reaching a certain unity Of action, but
1t is an open question whether the
British did not start their attempt at
an advance too early and the Russians
too late. This question can only be an
swered definitely when we learn to
what extent the grouping Of the Ger
man forces has been influenced by
the strategy of the allies.
French and English military crit
les are astonished by the fact that so
far very few transfers of German
troops have taken place. Indirectly
they admit that the initiative still re-
mains on our side in spite of the often
sive movements started against our
lines on all fronts. We are attacking
before Verdun as we did before, and
defense has increased in strength since
the allies struck their blow in Picardy.
Strategically it matters very little if
q few dents are knocked into our long
line here and there.
''In the East our defense also is as
powerful as ever. The Russian often
sive has not changed the strategic
situation and it will, in my estimation,
not succeed, because it is aimless.
No Definite Plan.
1--WE are told in dispatches from Pc
trograd that Lemberg is to be recon
quered to re-estabiish the prestige of
the Russian armies, but the events of
the last two months show plainly the
general staff of the car had no definite
plan when the Generals Brusiloff and
Kuropatkin received orders to strike.
The military expert of Budapest
Lloyd" sized up the Russian opera
tons properly when he remarked last
week:
1.-THE colossus. mechanically starts
to move, but the Russian general staff
does not know which direction it will
take. That is left to fate. If the
steam roller seems to advance in the
direction of KOvel the Russian strate-
gists announce that they intend to
capture this important railroad CEN
ter, but as soon as they find their way
barred they decide that Lemberg, the
capital of Galicia, really is the object
of their efforts
There is no doubt that the Russian
offensive was principally undertaken
to bring relief to the French and Ital-
ians and to influence Roumania. The
hope of the allies to bring the Rouma-
MAN army to their side will again be
disappointed, however, because the
comparatively unimportant successes
of General Brusiloff have made but
little impression on the government in
Bucharest.
1.-The Italians have at least tempo
rarily been saved by the Russian of
fensive against the Austro-H Hungarian
front in eastern Galicia and the Buko-
wilma. The Austrians were compelled
to withdraw troops from the Italian
front. TO give up their victorious adj