New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-08
Are the Germans Planning to
Leave France?


signs, which, without being completely con-
vincing. supply very marked indication
that the first step of Hindenburg may be
10 shorten his western lines by retiring
from France. The most interesting sign
of course, is the marked diminutlon IN
the Comeback" Of the Germans along the
Somme.
Something over a month ago General
Joffre remarked to an American visitor
that the German counter attack had lost ITS
bite" This has been increasingly true
since then. What is more significant is the
fact that after a long period Of relative
calm the French have resumed their at
tack and have been gaining at rate which
is truly surprising. Week before last they
suddenly took Maurepas in swing for
ward that covered about mile. Later
they took Clery, then and most recently
they took lie Foret and are rapidly ap-
preaching the Bapaume-Peronne road,
which must be nearly a dozen miles east
of the point at which they started their at
tack about July /.
Meantime. way to the south and about
Chaunes they are beginning to make
material progress. and Chaulnes, itself, one
of the strong points in the German line,
which has been held since the days Of the
Battle of the Aisne in September, 1914, is
in serious peril. Still further to the south
Rove is also menaced. In sum, the whole
salient, the big bulge from Peronne all the
way round to the Disc, is crumbling, and in
the last few days the crumblng has been
more marked than at any time during the
Somme battle.
This may mean merely that the Germans
have adopted the French tactics at Yer
dun, that they are holding their lines with
very small contingents and selling back
to the French, at a price trenches and VII
lagos which have no vital strategic value.
The French were limited in the Verdun
operation by the fact that they had decided
TO hold Verdun for political rather than
military reasons. The Germans have no
such handicap. Thus the French were
compelled from time to time to counter
attack at Dead Mans Hill and about the
Vaux plateau, and their situation had be-
come exceedingly involved when the Rus
sian and Somme offensives interviewed to-
divert German attention.
But the Germans as they withdrew from
village to village, and they have now sur
rendered some thirty, are not shortening
but lengthening their lines. It requires
more men to hold the present front than 1t
did 10 hold the front attacked two months
ago. The French and the British are
slowly pushing into the German position,
and they have now widened their original
wedge so much that the earlier German adj
vantage, that of being able to direct a con-
verging fire at the Allied troops in the
wedge, has passed away.
Again, while the Germans have plenty of
time to construct new lines behind the old,
they cannot construct lines comparable
with those that they have lost, in the limited
time at their disposal and under the
searching fire of the enemy. The French
did put a new line in at Nerdun, but it was
the most expensive portion of their defence
and it was done in a country which lent
itself naturally to defence, as the Somme
country does not. Thus it is fair to as
sumo that the later considerable advances
of Foch have been due 10 the fact that the
more recent German lines have crumbled
more easily and quickly under heavy artil-
lery fire than did the original trenches.
All of which emphasizes the fact that
sooner or later the Germans will have
either 10 adopt new policy or accept the
situation and go back 10 the French from
tier from Mezeres TO Condo or 10 the line
Of the Meuse, with Belgian front before
Namur, Brussels and Antwerp. A change
Of policy would mean passing to the Of
fcnsive, the concentration Of men and guns
on the Somme front and the sacrifice Of
very large numbers in a new effort.
This may happen, it may happen on the
Somme front, or it may be that the Ger
mans will make their effort elsewhere, be
fore Nancy, for example But the reason
this seems unlikely is that terrific demands
are being made on Germany for men, just
now, and for men TO be used in the East
Verdun cost the Germans not less than
500, 900 men, the Somme has cost another
$50 900 and the Russian operations in the
East at least further 100000. In the
same time Austria has lost in Galcia and
on the Italian front not less than 100000
in prisoners and not less than $4,000 in
casualties, in sum 100000 men.
Since February q, then, the two great
Central Powers have lost 100000. In adj
dtion they are called upon now and sud
denly % supply troops 20 meet new
enemy, 10 hold between 100000 and 400
900 Rurnanians, with the possibility that
100000 Greeks will appear at any moment
In the Balkan line. And II Is this