Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-12-30
ALLIED TRIUMPH
SURE, HAIG SAYS
General Declares in Formal
Statement Somme Battle
Great Victory.
WEATHER SAVED GERMANS"
Teutonic Losses Asserted Far
Greater Than Those of At
tacking Troops.
WEATHER SAVED GERMANS"

LONDON. Dec 29.-The battle Of
the Sommc pictured as II sweeping
: giumph for entente allied arms in n
Nilcd report by General Sir Douglas
~ which was issued tonight and
which covers operations from July
10 November Is. General Haig terms
the Battle n triumph in which the
German western armies were only
saved from complete collapse and
decisive defeat by prOtracted period
Of unfaVorable weather that prevent
I'd tho Anglo-French forces from taxi
ing fill advantage Of their success
ful edvancc. He declares that never
thcless II was triumph which proved
beyond doubt The ability Of the allies
! overthrow Germany when the
fine comes" rhc British commander
<hows himself a firm believer IN the
doctrine that the entente allies can
win the war on the western front.
No Doubt of Result.
II desire to add a few words as
to future prospects," he says at the
close of the dispatch which covers
16 closely printed pages. "rhe enemy's
power has not yet been broken nor
Is II yet possible to form an estimate
Of the time the war may last before
tho chjects for which the allies are
fighting have been attained, but the
Somn battle has placed beyond
doubt the ability Of the allies To gain
those objects. The German army is
the nainstay of the central powers
and n full halt of that army, despite
all advantages Of the defensive and
supported by the strongest fortifica-
tions suffered defeat on the Somme
this year Neither victors nor van
quished will forget this and altho bal
weather has given the enemy respite
there are undoubtedly III my thousands
in his ranks who will begin The new
campaign with little confidence in
their ability to resist our assaults or
overcome our defense.
"Onr now armies entered battles
with determination to win and con
fidence in their power to do 50. They
have proved to themselves. to the
enemy and TO the world that this con
fidence is justified"
Achieved Objects.
After dealing at length with the va
Iious stages of the operations General
Haip sums up the result as follows:
Three main objects with which we
commenced the offensive in July had
already been achieved in spite of the
fact that heavy autumn rains prevent
ed full advantage being taken of the
favorable situation created by our ad-
vance at n time when we had good
ground for hoping to achieve yet more
important successes. Nerdun had been
relieved. the main German forces had
been held on the western front and
the enemys strength had been consid-
erahly worn down. Anyone Of these
three results is in itself sufficient to
justify the Somme battle. The attain
ment of all three affords ample com
pensation for the splendid efforts of
the troODS and for the sacrifices made
They have brought us a long step for
ward toward the final victory of the
allied cause.
The desperate struggle for the pos
session of Ncrdun had invested that
place with moral and political i'm
portance out of all proportion to its
military value. Its fall would un-