New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-12-02

achievement of Washington at Trenton
an achievement, by the way, on Washing
tons part also, at the expense Of German
officers and men. In its first phase the
Battle of Cambria was surprise; its real
chance of success lay in the fact that a
concentration of men and machines had
been accomplished secretly before thinly
held portion of the German line. 1t Is
rubbish to conclude that the success was
due solely to tanks, and that, given tanks
enough, the end Of the German front in
France is in sight. 1t is ridiculous to
argue that artillery preparation has be-
come obsolete. Nivelle tried to advance
without it in the Asne operations this
spring and lost hideously-so hideously
that he was summarily removed from COM
mand.
So much for the larger aspects Of the
Battle of Cambria. 1t was purely and
simply as the result of surprise attack
that Byng achieved his initial success. It's
unlikely that he was seeking real pene-
tration Of the whole German system of
3 d
had not the necessary reserves for such an
: effort. He may or may not have been
ordered to make the attack because OF the
Italian situation, but it Is clear that he
was ordered TO attack at Cambria because
conditions favored the assailant. Con-
ceivably the attack would have been or
dered even had there been no Italian dis
aster, since the opportunity existed; but
this is exceedingly doubtful, given the
lateness of the season and the bad weather.
Now, as to the details: The sector
chosen for the attack had seen no consid-
cradle fighting hitherto. In the spring the
Germans had retired TO the so-called Hin
ienburg line, and between St. Quentin and
Bullecourt, south of Arras, the British
had merely followed the retreating foe and
dug in, facing his new position. Thence
forward this portion of the front did not
figure in the official reports save in the
case of trench raids. All the way up from
St. Quentin to a point a few miles from
Cambria the German line ran behind the
Scheldt River Canal, or the river and
canal. Less than dozen miles from this
town the line turned west and ran to
Oueant, the southern end of the Drocourt-
Oueant switch line" Of which we heard so
much a few months ago-that line before
which Allenby was checked after his sue
cess before Arras. Cambria itself was
lust far enough behind this line to be out
cf range of British heavy artillery.
If Cambria Falls
The value of Cambria TO the Germans
was the value of Lille and of Laon. 1t
was a great railroad centre and also the
point of intersection of great number of
good roads. With Lille and Laon, it made
the third important German base between
the North Sea and the old Franco German
frontier. 1t was not a fortress and not
itself defensible. To take it would mean
10 disorganize the whole German communi-
cations in this region. To approach with
IN three or four miles of it would be TO put
it outside of the game as base, because
il would be commanded by British artil-
lery, not alone heavy guns, but even field
artillery.
Aside from this immediate result, which
was achieved, there was the larger posi-
hility. have often pointed out in these
articles that the whole German position in
France is a salient, and that if the sides