Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-05-13
Result OF W0 Nav Depend Americas Prompt Preparation

money and ships are enough. for sol
diers are needed now as badly as they
ever were. The American clerk who
drops his pen for the rifle today is
serving the cause of humanity Just as
truly as the English boy who left his
plow in 1914, and this is true even If
he never smells powder
There is reason To believe that in
the conference between French, Brit
ish and American soldiers the view
expressed by this officer will be
strongly urged.
Already Has Effect.
Between the present German STRAIT
egy on the western front, and the
plans of the United states to put an
army I'm the field, there exists an init
mate strategical connection. without
attempting to indulge In military
prophecy the elements of the German
strategy as now understood here can
be explained in a way that viii make
this connection clear.
Germany is improving in France
upon the lesson taught her by the
Russian armies during the great re-
treat of 1916. She Is bartering space
(that is occupied French territory
for time, life and firepower. That is
hlnueDDuTE
withdrawal he can use up the rest of
this year before he is entirely thrown
out of France and Belgium, and can
by continually fighting under advan-
tageous conditions economic his own
men and force the French and British
to waste not only the flower OF thelr
armies before next winter but to shoot
away their accumulated stores OF shell
and wear out their big guns. If he
undertakes offensiNes ON larHe
scale against italy or Russia, they Will
be carried out with men withdrawn
from the western front, with the OBJ
ject of heartening the German people
and perhaps forcing his southern or
eastern opponent into separate
peace; but they will not affect his
principal plan as here outlined, at all
costs to prevent IA break-thru on the
decisive front and the destruction OF
the main German armies in the west,
which would result in the immediate
collapse of the whole German coall-
/ ton.
The allies will do their best, and 1t
/ is likely to be a very good best to
upset this plan, and, by breaking up
/ the German front during the present
hazardous process Of slow withdrawal,
win the war before winter. The disas-
/ trous defeat suffered recently by the
/ Germans north and south of Arras was
a severe blow to the German scheme,
because it involved the capture OF one
/ Of the hinges upon WhlCh the retreat
! in the center was linked with the
trench lines to the north, that stand
firm for the present. But 1t would
be folly to ignore the strong chance
that Hindenburg will succeed I'm stand
ing with intact armies next autumn on
fY,tv lnEn A.
muir. Valenciennes and Nerdun. If he
does. this line will be very strong
one and can he held with fewer men
and guns than the present front, and
IT is unfortunately true that the Brit
ish and French armies Will have no.
where to turn for men.
Advantage With Defense.
This scheme of the willy Teuton is
not necessarily unsound because OF
the argument that if the allies lose
men. use up their shells and wear out
their guns. the same fate will befall
the Germans 1t is the kernel of the
German theory about the present
western campaign that by acting on
the defensive they can compel lhe
allies to pay very much higher price
in men than the toll of German llVes
exacted by the British and French
and that to storm defensive WORKS
the attacker must be willing to IRE
away ten times as much ammuniuon
as the defender. Germany at present
has fewer men than the alliance
against her, and her manufacturing
power. so long supreme, has Deer
caught up with and passed, with
American help-so that the present
strategy in the west, whether sounC
or not. was imposed by force of cir
cumstances. when once the Somme
battle made such a dent in the Ger
man line that some measure or re
, treat became necessary. But II II Il
sound, it is just possible that not ever