Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-10-08

PROCEEDED and the Germans have been
driven back little by little in the west
and tried with some success to stem
the serious defeats of their Austrian
friends in the east one of the princi-
pal aims OF allied strategy at this
stage Of the war has been slowly real
lied. Tho Germans, their fronts al
ready too widely extended for the
number CT men available to hold
them, have beheld their lines grow
ing not shorter, but longer. as the
Russian, French and British attacks
gained ground. AS wedges have been
driven into the defensive lines and
salients formed new trench systems
had to be dug Of greater length than
the old ones which had been lost and
mere men found somewhere to man
them The effect Of such push as
that of General BruSsilof south of the
Pinsk marshes upon the all-important
problem Of length of front can easily
be appreciated by n simple expert
ment Draw a straight line to repre-
sent the Austro- German front before
the attack Then draw an irregular
semicrcle. representing tho trenches
OF the defenders today. The width
between the points Of the two lines,
measured straight across. is the same
as before but the curved line Is much
longer than the straight one. So 1t 10
on the Somme: whenever an advance
is made not only do the Germans lose
men killed, wounded and captured.
but they must strip other fronts or
find somewhere in the rear more men
than they had before to man the ad~
ditional trench mileage forced on
them by their enemies success.
All this, of course has been theo-
retiCallv obvious to all soldiers since
the beginning of trench warfare Its
sudden and vital present Importance
is due first. to the relative decline
in German numbers which throws
them on the defensive everywhere
ard secondly, to the unexpected sue
cess Of Generals FoCh and BrusSilof
in breaking through trench positions,
which the Germans believed pracu-
celly impregnable.
1t is too soon to write an aprrecia-
tion of the tactics of General Foch on
tie SCmme, but already military men
are saying that he has proved himself
the first stiategist In Europe for the
second time. His blow against the
Prllssan guard won the battle of the
Marne when ell seemed lost. now his
system Of attack seems TO some critics
to have solved the problem CT over
coming trench defenses. Instead or
attacking the German trenches on
n wide front, his troops on the Sommc
have perfected n wedge system"
gaining a footing here and there, then
pushing latenlly instead of directly
ahead, creating little pockets and
bulges which can be cut off or comhed
out This. however. is n DEPRESSION,
ror are the dates available for con.
sidera ton OF this problem. men
ton Brussilof and Foch because the
Success OF their nibbling tactics may
play part In the German retirement
entirely apart from the mere crea-
ton OF salients which require more
men for the Germans to man--may
indeed impel the enemy to retreat
OF greater proportions han has been
thought likely as a precaution against
n possible break through h"-that al
Turing vision that haunts tho slum-
bors of allied strategists-in the
spring.
Can't Attempt Offensive.
II has beon shown that the Ger
mans are probably not in position
oS NA hat