Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-03-18
Germans Are Massig the West for Final Decisive Bl0W

and railways than We had last year
our material has increased absolutely
e. an enormous degree, and relatively
t. the -nc~ease in the German re-
sources. But we have only 20 push
forward an irdctermnate number OF
miles before the whole German line
IN the north ana south becomes un-
tenaole ana must be evacuated. A
glance at the map Will show oven the
laNnln that this is true A broad.
deep salient, IN which we can denloy
masses of men and guns and attack
the rear of the German l:nos on each
side Of II. where each push sideways
ulSlucates important lateral communi-
cations f the enemy. would offer the
Germans the option Of standing
where they are and being eyentuallj
DESTROYED or trying to retire whilc
there is yet time.
Il have not said that this exter-
sion II the Somme poSn Will give us
the decisive victory. 1t Is possible ot
probable that other means will be
adopted because they are shorter or
easier. But what we die last summer
proves cOnclusively that the Germans
could he ousted from their lines By
opera ticns taken up whore they left
off IN October. and the men who be-
lieNe in remaining eve.lastinely or
the present line and trading lives until
the Germans have hal enough Simply
have not learned the lessons of the
Somme and remain under their OBJ
sessions gained during the two weaI y
years when the tren N lines seemed
immovahlc."
3. \ third school of thot represents
compromise t"tweCn the first and
second rs they have been outlined
shove. Ii docs not regard the pros
Iects of decisive victory in the iield
with any great confidence. neither
does II believe the attrition proce So
can he Kept ~ until the German hosts
break mp or lack of men. But 1t
looks to the collapse OF Germany
from within.
An Economic Breakdown.
AS 4 neutral observer said carly
in the war, tho end will come as an
economic breakdown. with the Ger
nan army still manning the trenches
against the foe sold an exponent of
ms view THE pressure of the
blockade Will do more to win the war
than ali orr armies. Prediction as TO
who1 CT how the collapse VIII come
would be foolish Germanys allies
may break from her, able to endure
their priVgtions; the populace may
force surrender by demanding peace
and food. In any case II is not likely
from reports Of the present Internal
conditions i'm the central powers that
they can hold out beyond the begin
Ming of next winter. and If famine sets
I'm this spring and they surrender
ouriug the summer nc surprise nee1
bc felt. So far as the war fronts are
concerned, the men and materials for
complete victory are there on the al
lied aides, but the time necessary for
decisive military success is lacking,
since that cannot he won this year
and the enemy cannot stand his priva-
tions until 1918"
4. The fourth school is the pessi-
mist school. made up of men who
profoundly hope that they are nni;-
taken, who work as hard as, and per-
laps harder, than their comrades for
victory, VINO do not think decisive
victory possible. When l say pessi-
mist school | do not mean that these
men think the Germans will succeed.
l have never met a British or French
soldier who thot that. The pessimists
are the men who think like the at
trtionists that the German armies
cannot be crushed in the field unit,
they are thinned by exchanging lives
with the allies, and believe further
that attritiOn W orks both ways and
mutual exhaustion will compel a halt
next year and force negotiated peace
which shall be essentially "A draw. eX-
ceptng that Germany by giving up
| her con1ucsts will have to confess her
PLANS OF domination defeated. The
pessinists are skeptical not only
about a decisive break thru on the
west front, hut also aboJt the pros
/ poets Of starving Germany out.
Optimism Growing.
The pessmist is a much rarer bird
than he was year ago. The reasons
| why the impression in neutral coun.
/ tries that the war is draw is not
/ shared by the great majority Of mill
tary mon are mostly secret having 70
90 with questions of man power, shell
and gun supplies, and above all, with
/ the new tactics of the attack as eX-
I cmplificd by the French successes al
Nerdun this winter and the recent
British "pinches" on the Anore. A
correspondent cannot go into these
matters at length; he can only record
/ his knowledge that they have made
optimistic men who a year ago were
| frankly the reverse, and that whilC
the soldiers in high position wer;
/ frankly discouraged or at least con
/ Ninced tnat they were in for very
long war year ago and the outsid,
public was enthusing over the pros
poets of a big push, the situation
now Is reversed. The public, man.
times disappointed, is shv of optim
ism. and the grins nave shifted to tn,
faces OF the men who know.
What will happen when the Ger
man western front Is definitel,
broken? This question Is pertinent
since, as I have shown, military opin
ion now holds In tho main that 1t vii
be broken. Here there are two mai;
bodies of opinion. Since trench war
fare is new to this war, the question
! Of tho retreat of great armies from
prepared positions over the opel