Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-05-02
Four Explanations of Retreat,
But None Hold That it is
Voluntary.
GERMAN SCHEME WRECKED?
May Depend on Submarines
and Play a Waiting Game
in Land Strategy.
by JOHN l.. BALDERsToN.

l|oNbON, April Military opin-
lpN mere Is now positive that, what
ever surprises the future may hold in
store, trench warfare of the type that
prevailed on the western front for two
years and "A half has ended forever.
Having agreed upon this. | find that
authorities Of equal knowledge and
emlnence disagree radically concern
lEg the strategy Of the 1917 campaign.
one point upon which civilian opin-
ION has gone widely astray is the
character Of the German retreat. The
abandonment by the Germans of their
trench lines over wide front at the
beginning of last month was not a
voluntary maneuver. as the German
press has loudly claimed but was
compelled by the battle of the Somme.
which. instead Of being a failure or a
draw. Is now proved to have been one
OF the decisive victories of the war.
Rains pos,no,cd Uc,rc,t
.',....,,,.,
Wa pc, @ l,,l,leu 10 Sehu ulspatches
o!n wv Solu"lc 'front.' last summer
a.a.,"e .n nIsn aulhorltN mat Ter
man 'e',t1t was lhtVltanIe as re-
S"i. - u'c lhcNoIaOIe We"ee peihR
wi,i," i, ~. ',ao we, I'an "neS. ms
autumn i,nfortunotn,y tbn roinv s"as ,,,
son set I'm at the beginning of October.
and two months in which the British
and French hoped to rout the German
armies were lost. The rains alone
enabled the Germans to hold out in
the Arras salient. created by the
Somme battle. and in the great Novon
salient. until the beginning of spring.
but when spring made possible the
commencement of the inexorable
British push the Germans made the
best Of n bad lob, and commenced q
skillfhl. and during its first phase a
successful. retreat.
But while IIindenburg was forced to
go hack. he was not compelled to re-
treat so far or so rapidly as he has
done by the tactical situation con-
fronting him on the Somme. | find
four views current here i'm competent
circles concerning the intentions of
the German high command. The ini-
tiatiye in the present campaign does
not entirely rest with the Germans,
but speculation about the allied plans
is not regarded as advisable at pres
ent The four interpretations of the
Tcutonic mind that find favor in Lon
don will be summarized in the order
of their popularity.
NJ, ,,,,o,, nooisio,
J. 'e'il"uN; ld'tHiul 10 me "S' W
tlt ' "99'!u ""s II' .il"' Wv 80 W.
ienSNe Is .he 'lIt'S'NC' Pi"hs 'e"'
hatt'e III the west III the nope OF ue-
Stroy'nE 'he pulh vi thc icn0i, VI
rrItISh aIill'S' or 50 CIlppl"iS t'vti'
'n"t peace can ue op.alhsu; huV Wy
reS'rN eS 10 Ih"li't'll 'nc loo ''eW am, "nu
old ieru'ah DIVISIONS now prGSen'
upon the Wes'et th 'front.' Vi MI,nIl,
can IN the uePolS' are hot SUI Z. cleiil
10 MAINTAIN tht uet man uI''I9 "t .Ioii
present strV'lE'h ".tei l''e 'esi''utns :,
oi We SUNNI 80 , .i.is Wv. y - -
y ever 10 .e out'l.le", t n'uo. ,o,o
pro'hl,ulS' y n.'li,', uIO''iur ] ~
tluSi ne reb"l ueu Wy NY "iOst .i op'
hlsuc GERMAN AZ i''lposslple' AccoI
lnEiy' hliiueu. u's no"
upon eisahtlC E"inpie. pS WIZ
drawing ana restoring the war ot
maneuNer ne orlhts the e'1'i'e,l'S "a
Iuck ana foou sIhGr1isnlp oaoh nv
play' so t'i'' WIN l' lhle' ,1l ~ Ses ~
may nope ili Erc"t open 'iri"u .t ua.,'es
10 win decisive Nlcto'les' ihe lll" lul l"e,
ne rctTeatS' i"yiHS waste 'ho OOu"'iS
ana ueS,ro9 'ue tlc .lI .,
the greater hlS duNoll'as VIII tle
decisive SttuSSle cun'es' peNau1o '.,''.
nina the Eeriiiah Iilles 'ne .l."S5 al" oS o.
ROADS ana pii'etS reIil"'h ur,u,' ,,N, W ~
Whlle the aiiies are Vo'ilPe''eu " 1t"
vance thru ueserI
10 S'rihc T'scwh.r,
4 Nnol'!cl - I'"U' Va mo- ~,
,'ii;,ar,, decision mis- summer con-
sidcre that Hindenburg will not be so
foolhardy as to try for n victory in
the omen against the combined might
of the British and French armies. The
German retreat is therefore regarded
AS q maneuver to gain time by de-
lavinr the allied offensive in the
vest and also by shortening the Ger
man line. to release troops for a pro-
iectcd offensive against either Russia
or Italy There are students of the
war who arc convinced that Russia
will b., the German Objective, for po-
litical as well as military reasons
Tho Germans may hope by winning
victories over armies that they think
will be disorganiZed by the revolution
10 provoke a counter-revomtion. or
induce state of anarchy. either OF
which would render Russia impotent
or induce her to make peace. IL is
known that i'm italy an Austrian at
tnck thru the Trentine upon the Vene-
tian Dlain. coupled with a German
push across the Isanzo. is expected in
In, middle of Nav. when the Anime
masses viii be omen. and bv some the
German retreat i'm the west g ascribed
TO the desire to obtain troops for this