New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-25
TcutoniC Peace Plea May
Be Due TO Danger on
French Front
KAISER'S MEN NOW
SURRENDER QUICKLY
Lack of Ammunition
Keeps Artillery Fire Be
low That of Allies


FOR reace may proceed from the fact
chat tho German troops on the West
front arc losing their grip reached
New York yesterday. In letter an
Allv official who has been 70 the 'front.'
recently. says that the German morale
';s breaking down. The Germans sur
render whenever the opportunity Oh
fers. A few still fight on bravely TO
.tb. end. but the vast majority are
only too anxious to exchange their
. places in the trenches for the com
psrative comfort OF an Allied PRISON
camp. 49,,
This :. the substance Of the letter
which is based on information Cd
.tsined by the letters author from
French soldier on the somme front
portion OF the letter follows;
9TH. Germans are not Sighting as
we'll to-day ss they were re"
roontb. ago. The Bavsrians remain
~. best among them, but they al
surrender more frequently and more
,osuv There are a few among them
vbo still eight hard, as hard as they
did At the beginning Of the war. but
that IS the exception. An lnelaen'
~ N. attacks on the st. Pierre NS"s'
Wood will illustrate.
Germans Fight in Spots
. .or- troops attacked a sector OF the
n a.
-, a. v,s cot 10 the German trenches
,Sc Germans surrendered. Ihey came
. ovcr I'm a body But there was one
o. soction that held out. II was re-
Jo,b. In which there were thirty Hei,'
,ritb twelve machine guns, ana IL VooA
. M two DAYS 10 capture that reuouot'
. That is the difference IN the way ~
. .'h;ch Inc Germans fight. The majors
, .,~ of then. surrender. All that sec
. .ion surrendered. but there were thirty
mon who held out TWO days. In Spots
. thcy tight furiously =
"rhere is another point TO be IL
. Illustrated from the same hgnt' Oul
o. so'oicr, surrounded the redouot. IneN
. lad Dc completely enclreleo. and a"
. they had 10 do was 10 wait quietly
. for hunger 10 bring the Germans ous
o But they would not wait, and We lost
. mauy men in killed and wounded
. through our men insisting on trying
@ so bomb the Germans out or the re-
= doubt.
q "Thc difference in the Germans to-
fsv Is best illustrated, perhaps. by
. thcie failure 70 counter attack now.
r J don't mean 20 say that they never
. counter attack. YOU understand, but
q they do not now counter attack IN
. med iately We attack them, and that IS
. the only way 20 counter attack. The
- counter attack must be made at once.
. cforc the - acking force has time
d. 10 intrench itself. TO organize its de-
. enccs and prepare 70 resist and hold
-its ground The Germans formerly
. did that.
Losses Hurt Morale
81 think that is partly due 70 their
heavy losses, which have hurt their
morale, and partly due to the deteri-
. also hurt their morale There arc
s other reasons, of course. but these are
the two / want 10 speak about.
- "The German losses are much
heavier than the French. and heavier,
also. than the English. One reason
as the difference in the artillery fire.
The French artillery now fires not
less than five shells TO one by the
Germans. This is the minimum diff.
ference in the average daily bonn
bardment. At other times the differ
ence is much greater. This differ
cnee in the artillery fire means great
or losses for the Germans and il
means a gradual deterioration of
their morale as well, because Of the
constant pounding.
What is the reason the Germans do
not use their artillery as freely as we
do / viii not attempt 70 say. They
may be saving shells for the spring
They may have transferred guns 70
another front or 10 another part of
the Western front. There may be
various other reasons. Only one thing
IS certain: they either have not the
guns or have not the shells. Why
they have not got them is another
matter, and l will not attempt TO ex-
plain that.
"A great deal is said about food
shortage in Germany that believe TO
be silly. II tried TO explain why the
Germans have not shells TO use on our
front, ] might say something just as
silly. The point is that they do not
use them; and that is proof that they
have not got them.
Another reason for the heavy Ger
man losses is that in an attack or
counter attack they have not learned
20 take cover. They come on standing
UP and exposing themselves 10 the
greatest possible extent. The English
did the same thing in the beginning,