Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-08-16

measured Oy the expectations on the
second anniversary of tho outbreak Of
the world war. there is no installing the
TACT that the third year has been a bit :
tor disappointment to the allies. Recall
Tor a moment the situation on the LIST of
August 1916. At that moment the Rus
sian offensive in Bukowina and Galicia
had surpassed all previous achieve
ments in trench warfare on the allied
side. The armies of Brussilon were push
ing forward still, and kovel and Lem
OerE seemed Qually in danger. The
Russian attack had begun i'm June. All
through July the British alfd the French
at the Somme had pounded on, taking
thousands OF prisoners, many guns, and
at last were making an appreciable
change i'm the battle lines in France. On
August the Italian guns were already
active. preparing for that attack which
In n few days was to win Gorilla. AL
ready the world began to suspect that
Rumania was on the point of entering
the great war. Men began to talk of
the liberation OF France. the fall of
Trieste and of Lemberg and the restor-
alton of allied fortunes.
1t is clear now that none of these ex-
pectations Were to be realized in the
next year, and it is equally clear that
there never was any great chance of
their being realized. In the first and
second years of the war Germany had
created. that Mitteleuropa which was
the dream OF her politicians, of her
statesmen and Of her soldiers for 20
years before the outbreak Of the war,
and in 1916-17 there was still lacking
to the allied arms the strength to break
down the trench lines which Germany
had stretched along her frontiers and
beyond, as Rome erected similar fence
lines to hold back the barbarians be-
tween the Rhine and the Danube.
We saw in this year 1916 one hope
after another crushed; Rumania laid in
ruins; the Russian offensive beaten
down; the allied drive for Cambria. st.
Quentin, Douai stopped on the western
side of Bapaume.
Series Of Disappointments.
And at the end one saw Germany pro-
posing peace, while the whole world for
n first time began to question whether
after all, it was possible to conquer Ger
many; whether, after all. a draw In bat
tie and a white peace were not the
limits of possibility.
One-morc disappointment there was
the Russian revolution. which was
hailed as restoring Russia's battle line
to the allies and as %dispOsing Of the
corrupt ROmanoff agents n tools who
sought to make their peace with Ger
many and betray the allied cause. In
stead, through long weeks we saw
Russia, having been redeemed by rev-
Olution, hesitant, doubtful as to whether
she should retake her place in the
battle line, while goings and cOFnings
between Russians and Germans. frater-
MIXING between Russian and German
soldiers at the front. all suggested that
q separate peace was at hand.
AS the present year m we see the
turn of the tide. The United States has
entered the a bringing vast re-
sources of men and money. Russia
has returned, at least temporarily, to
the firing line. In Germany a political
unrest is now claiming attention, and
for the first time there ia a possibility
that what q happened in Russia may,
in some measure. happen in Germany.
and that those who made the war and
would carry 1T on nay be separated
from the people, who. while they con-
scented to the war, nav now grown
weary of it's sacrifices.
OF the year 1861 n may perhaps
say accurately that the beginning and
The end were h o hopeful moments
Tor the allied cause. Between these
two points lie some Of the bitterest dis
appointments in military history.
Somms Turning Point.
First among the operations of impor-
lance in the latter half Of last year was
the battle of the Somme. 1t had pro-
ceeded with fury all through July.
When the third veal of the war opened
Il remained still q battling puzzle to
all who observed 1t at a distance. With
relatively little change in ground, the
British n the French armies fought
II out for moral supremacy. The new
British army, green, not yet trained
In mOdern warfare or modern weapons.
passed through the furnace from July
to November, from the bloody repulse
OF GOmmecourt to the triumphant sue
cess Of Beaumont Hamel.
When the hattie Of tho CNmmo woo
over the British army felt itself more
than the master OF the German army.
With the French 1t had taken So, 1000
prisoners north and south OF the.
aomme, and the British share was the
larger. It had pushed the Germans
In the following spring the German re-
treat was to demonstrate that the bat
tie OF the SOmme had imperilled
German security from sArraa to SOia-,
SONS Had the weather been more e..
y0rable probably the retreat would
have come last fall, but when It did
como It demonstrated the superiority Of
new British army over what was
!eft Of the old German army super
lOrity unmtstakable. but yet far from
sufficient to insure Q speedy decision.
While the battle OF the Somme wal
ot lts height italy struck out toward
GOrtzia in August, pushed forward
acr0ss the 1sOn10 river. climbed up
entp the CareO plateau, took Thousands
ettyso q Gortsia and won the nrat great
military ba&tieSin the history Of united
Italy. @gSYotssthefe Nas nc morrow to
This auccees. On rearward tines
the Ay1trtann schenked the IkAltana.
5IrenChsWarfaEe WAs resumed. Trieste
NassIioe capturedsn a has 4 fallen yet.
eaehough TIM tapringshaS seem . new
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