South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-19
SWISS MILITARY
EXPERT PREDICTS
GERMANY s DEFEAT
Says American Aid Will Force
Germany to Complete
Surrender.
BY Col. Feyler.


with the complete defeat of Ger
many made sure by the develop
ment of American aid.
one of the outstanding facts Of
the war in this month Of July is
that one of the essential objects
with which the central empires en-
tered the war has disappeared. The
Russian and British victories over
Turkey have barred the road 10
Bagdad and the Persian gulf 10
pan-Germanism. At the same time
the recent changes in Greece have
shut the door 10 SaloniH and the
Mediterranean TO the Germans.
The entente allies are about 10
complete and link up a Syrian bar
rier' with the barriers they have es-
tablished in Persia and the Balkans.
and when this is done The last none
Of the central empires of expansion
in the southeast will have van
ished
Even supposing. against all rea-
son, that Serbia does not regain her
territory the Germanfc corridor Civ
ing access to the southern seas
would be enveloped on all sides by
entente nations and would fall un-
der the direct menace of future
strategic combinations
On the Albanian coast Of the
Adriatic Italy would flank the right
Of tfS corridor at its beginning: IN
Armenia and northern AIesopo-
tamia Russia would flank the left:
the Greeks. Italians. French ana
English viii mold the shores Of
Asia Minor, syria and Egypt: and
the british already occupy southern
McsopOtamia
What used TO be called the otto
man pocket" Will be squeezed tight.
and the only way out will be che
Dardanelles straits. the value of
which will diminish as progress is
made with railroad building in
Asia Minor.
1t is doubtful whether the central
empires viii be able to remedy this
situation. When in the spring Of
1913 the entente is able to employ
the Greek army the central empires
ought TO be in a position 20 con-
front this new force with a reserve
army of at least l. divisions. and
even these numbers would only per-
NIT of defensive operations in
Macedonia.
Are Germany and her allies likely
to be able to collect such a new
army? During the Russian luH the
central empires did their utmost 10
I intensity their effort in the west
and against italy. but the only re
suit they obtained was increased
losses.
The present situation is that of a
European battle resumed all along
its immense convergent front: a
| battle which since 1916. the
acknowledgements have never sue
ceeded in sustaining i'm one sector
without being forced 10 retreat i'm
another: a battle to which they re-
turn always weakened a little more
while their adverSaries are on the
eve of being triply consolidated
through the entry into line Of a
Greek army of at least > divisions.
through the re-establishment Of the
Roumanian army. and through an
American army Of a few hundred
thousand men. whose efectives can
lie kept up by fresh drafts or IN
creased indefinitely
There are two conclusions 10 be
drawn from this state Of things.
First, in order TO set off the advent
of the Greek army. the central en-
pires are limited 10 the very preca-
rious and gradually weakening help
Of the Bulgarians and Turks Sec
ondly: the d.sproporticn between
the strength of the two camps.
which throughout 1916 and at the
| beginning of 1917 followed a slow
progression, tends TO a more and
more rapid progression as we APP
proach the summer Of 1915.
What will happen in all proba-
hility is that the Teutonic armies
Will not try even a defensive policy
( in soLt heastern Europe next year.
I But even with the economy in men
obtained through the total abandon
ment Of that theater OF war. tie
central empires viii not be i'm a po-
sition 20 set together sufficiently
powerful resources to win victory
elsewhere.
What then can Germany hope
for? Her sole hope is the sub
marine war. although il is now
quite evident that her people no
longer believe tlindly in this iHu-
sion.
Germany's only solid plan at this
stage is To 30 10 work 20 avoid COM
plctc defeat. The general strategy
Of the situation explains the recent
political measures within the Ger
man empire When the reichst ~
Deputies talk OF Gcrmauy's defen-
sive war they DO not mean. eve are
strong: we claim neither annexa-
tions nor indemnitics. they near.
faced by strong enemies. we arc
seeking a peace which will leave
US with what We had before the vSr
and excuse as from paying indenl-
mites"
In the interests Of the Hohen-
zollern dynasty. il were VIII worth
while 10 chanee the imperial chan
csilor 10 obtain such a result