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

the weather had turned bad and the OH
cial announcements had announced that
the British were consolidating their gains.
Not until Sunday did we hear again OF
British advances, and this time the report
announced the fall of the dominating
ground in the Bourbon Woods, together
with Bourbon village, an important gain,
hut nothing to suggest that the drive upon
Cambria was being renewed. Meantime
the British newspapers began to print the
assertions of their correspondents that
Cambria would no longer serve as Ger
man base, even though it were not imme-
diately captured.
All this was quite in keeping with the
past history of offensives in trench war
fare. After four days they inevitably
slow down. The surprise is over, the de-
lender has had time to bring up fresh
troops, the assailant is wearled with his
exertions and handicapped by bad COM
munications. By the fourth day, if he has
not actually pushed through, 1t is unlikely
that he will get through with the first drive.
Now comes the second phase, always more
bloody. The assailant, newly reinforced,
tries to stretch his gains; the defender,
bringing up new concentrations, counter
attacks, and after little the balance IS
slowly restored and we return to the old
positional warfare This was the story OF
Arras, of Verdun, of the French attack at
the Aisne last spring. 1t is the second
phase which is now going forward as these
lines are written, on Tuesday, November
27. But it is essential to recognize that
the chances of an immediate dislocaton Of
the German line have passed. Before dis
cussing the future possibilities of this Of
fensive it is worth recalling that in this
Battle of Cambria, as it will almost GER
tainly be known, the British were fighting
near an old battlefield Of theirs. Less than
six miles due east of Creyeceur is Ligny,
one of the villages in which there was
fierce fighting during the great retreat.
Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien's battle on Au-
gust 26 was at first known as the Battle
Of Cambria But Tommy called it "Leca-
toto rhyme with Waterloo - and
Tommy has had his way, for all histories
now name the conflict the Battle of lie
Cateau. Before the war is over we may
gee the British at Mons again at all
events. they are we'll on the road.
As close this article on Tuesday, No
vember 81 the situation about Cambria is
this: The British have taken and are
holding all of the high ground, including
the Bourbon Woods, and hold practically all
of Bourbon Village. This high ground in
the woods is the key to all this section of
the German lines. If the British hold
cannot be broken the Germans will have TO
retire over a considerable area of country
between Cambria and Arras. This does
not mean that there will be any general
retreat, but only local retirement Of the
sort that followed the British success at
Arras in the spring. On the other hand,
if the British are able to push forward
toward Cambria and take the town there
may be a very general withdrawal over
the whole front.
II is now some seventeen months since
the British army took the offensive at the
Somme. When they did this the Germans
lost the offensive in the West, and they
have been steadily on the defensive ever
since. yerdpn saw their last great effort
between Switzerland and the sea. Now,