New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-16
Northcliffe'S Military EX-
pert Says West Front
Lacks 60 Divisions
MUST OUTNUMBER
FOE 2 OR 3 TO ONE
Previous Efforts Didn't
Deserve VictOry-Must
Follow Kitchener Plan

London. Jan. 15.-The military con
respondent of Lord Northcliffe's
Times" maintains that the prolonga-
ton of the war. "as the result Of the
foredoomed failure OF the peace move"
throws upon all the Allies the duty Of
making greater efforts TO deserve vic
tory lie says that Britain must put
100000 more men into the West. tie
declares that Germany did not wait for
a reply to her eace offer, but initiated
measures month ago to expand her
supply Of men and munitions. The
writer was responsible for the revela-
tons ef the nigh explosive she'll short
age al the British front a year ago.
eve ought 10 sec" the CORES ondent
writes. clearly enough now that our
efforts on land. especially on the west
ern front. have not been adequate 70
secure a decision, or even 70 deserve IT,"
Must Have More Men
Referring to the imputation, with a
tendency to exaggerstion," that the
British have 100000 men in France
and the French have 100000, he says:
statements of TINS nature serve
rather TO obscure the issues than to IL
Illuminate them. J., ought TO be known
and admitted that the aggregate ma
tional strengths 90 not express the real
value of fighting armies.
we all ought 10 count IN bayonets
and guns to ascertain our chances or
victory. and when we count in this
manner the figures dwindle 10 quite
a different total The truth OF the sit
uation in the west is that Germany has
l2s divisions about 100000 mem OPP
posed 20 us. and that the number OF
French. British and Belgian divisions is
not vet such as 10 promise decision IN
an offensive war.
"The offensive devolyes on US that
We may evict the enemy from the ter
ritories of our allies, and such an often
siva. against modern means OF defence,
demands a great superiority in strength,
particularly in heavy guns. infantry
and all other modern military ma
chinery. Before the war We supposed
two. or even three, 20 one superiority
not too great for the attacker. and |
must repeat again and again that
we have nothing like this superiority
and that victory depends on obtaining
1t.
Germany Can Move Reserves
ct il always possible for the Ger
mans to place in the west the floating
balance or strategic IeseiNtS NuiNH
they used against Rumsnis. and If IN
1917 VIC only employ against the enemy
a slight superiority Of force, nothing
better than slight success can rea-
sonably be anticipated
The writer declares that there IS a
CRYING need for more men, and that
there has been a great remissness in
the creation of new divisions along the
lines Of Kitchener's original concep-
ton. He refers 70 the military plan
published in The Times" in 1914,
which he says Lord Kitchener himself
revised and declared would insure Brit
ain Of being capable to continue the war
when the other powers were exhausted.
According to the correspondent this
plan has gradually lapsed, from many
reasons. chiefly the recruiting muddle
in the autumn of 1915, which, he says,
even now is far from cleared up. We
need another sixty divisions about
/ .OsO. 900 mem in the west" he con-
cludes: "the necessary men exist, and
there is every probability that their ap-
pearance in the field will decide the
war"