Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-11-07
Brooklvn Eaele.l

This has been a war of superior organi-
against superior resources, rather
than a contest of jgeneralship, but il has
reached a stage where the question of
leadership may become the decisive factor
i'm ending the struggle. This is especially
true of the situation in Italy. There the
armies have come down from the tops of
mountains and can not for some time at
least resort TO trench warfare. In the mat
ter of men and guns Italy's allies should
see that her forces are equal If not su-
perior to the invaders. For the rest the
issue depends upon the generalship dis
played.
Much j. being said Just now about the
"Napoleonic'' strategy being displayed by
the German high command. In this war
of nation against nation. rather than army
against army. there has been comparative
lly little of the kind OF military strategy
associated with the great generals Of his
tory. On both sides the most conspicuous
maneuvers of this kind have been dis
~tinguished by failure. Joffre's counter of
fcnsive in Alsace while the Germans were
marching through Belgium was such a
move. while Won kluck's blunder before
Paris in misjudging the position ot French
numbers was n corresponding German mI~-
take.
At the Marine and before Nancy. French
leadership showed nj it, best. while the
German crown princes failure around Yer
dun NJ this time was notable. Since that
time the most conspicuous German
achievement on the western front, atiri-
butable to general~hip. was the successful
retreat last spring. In the east there i
another story To tell. liindenburg'- victory
over the Russians nj Tannenburg was
partly the result of Russian lreacherv and
was largely discounted by the early Rus
sian successes over the Au~trian~.
Furthermore. lIindenburg failed before
Warsaw time after time until the conquest
of all Poland was made possible bv Mae
ken~en'~ great stroke on the Dunaiec.
Mackensen i the outstanding German
commander in actual strategic accom-
plishmeniS. In Galicia, in Serbia and
against Rumania he displayed those quail
ties associated with great generalship. In
every ease he was opposed by inferior
forces, 1T not in numbers. then IN guns and
munitions, and the generalShip of his OPP
ponents was unequal in every respect.
Alexieff, Grand Duke Nicholas and Bru~i-
loft stand out a commanders and might
have rivaled Mackensen II they had been
supported a he has been. but German
troops have not met an enemy Of anything
like equal resource IN the kind Of warfare
that has brought fame 10 Macken~en since
the beginning Of the war, when. a. Nc have
shown. the allies at least held their own
On the Venetian plains the Au-tro-Ger-
man invaders will meet such m enemy.
That j. what makes the Italian campaign
30 vital. Ii furnishes the western allieS nm
opportunity 10 match their general-hip
against the Teutons under conditions where
leadership means everything. General Ca
dorna has distinguished himself as a Stra-
Iiegist and "a a commander. He Il now
To meet the supreme test. The outcome 81
the struggle now imminent will determine
the question Of whether or not allied ~tra-
ltegv j. equal 10 saving Italy from The fate
of Serbia and Rumania. IL j. the first