The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-09-27
German Power Is Passing; Comparison
Of Situation Today With a Year Ago
New York SUM

=, the main front, |. e., the western
front stand out in clear relief; bu
.ho attention must not be allowed t
,omain fixed on a number of squar'
n,,ometers-be the number large o
,,o,,-which have already been gain
cd or which still remain to. be taken
Very often the taking of the smalles
nortion of ground has more signifi
canoe than victory gained over
large area; the enemy expends more
than he reckoned on, more than hi
should. There has been attrition
II ia this which we are now going
70 prove by comparing the German
ni'itary situation of 1916 to that Of
tbs year.
Situation in 1916.
The allies are reduced, one after the
other, to the defensive.
The French had resisted admirably
at verdun, where German military
mower certainly attained it's climax;
shortly afterward the French had
enough energy to undertake, in COM
many with the English, the battle of
the somme on July /, which was not
decisive.
The Italians, having seen their front
MERGED for sixty kilometers between
the Lake Of Garda and the height of
Asia, recovered themselves, but were
then stopped after the fall of Goritza.
The Russians were checked after
their splendid offensive in June be-
tween the Pripet marshes and the Ru-
manian frontier
The Oriental army had not been
able to advance beyond Monastir.
Lastly, Rumania was invaded.
However, after the taking of Blu
charest on December ~ Germany took
the initiative in making overtures of
peace. She appeared to be fatigued
The weight of the war had certain
~ fallen more and more on her Shout
ders, especially after the irremediable
weakening of the Austrian army,
which at the time of the Russian and
Italian offensives lost 100000 men. We
will only mention the weight of the
Turkish and Bulgarian armies by way
of remembrance.
From the point of view of numbers
the repercussion of the sanguinary
battle of the Somme made itself felt.
Germany was really undergoing
continual wearing out process in or.
der to face-with losses of unforeseen
magnitude-the danger which threat
ened her everywhere on the enorm-
Gus front of the unique battlefield,
which stretched from the North sea
to Riga and to the Balkans. She was
obliged to make a prodigious effort
since June, 1916, to form 38 new divi-
siOns (of which it is true only seven
were complete, the remainder being
formed by levy on the units already
existing), while from August, 1914, to
June, 1916, she had only formed so
divisions.
These formations were only created
by utilizing to the utmost limit all the
reserves, by the calling up of those
recovered from their wounds and the
young classes, and by diminishing the
number of battalions in the regiments
and the number of regiments in the
divisions. The method of supple
menting the lack of soldirs by MUIR
derous war materials of the highest
order did not solve the problem, as
the construction of this material re-
qures strong, healthy arms; to this
end, then, and to meet other industrial
or agricultural necessities Germany
did not hesitate to trample once more
under foot the international conven-
tons and proceeded to the exploitation
of prisoners of war.
In word, at the end of 1916 the
powerful German military machine
was already broken and shaken to its
fundamentals.
Situation in 1917.
Peace overtures not having come to
a successful issue, it seems that Ger
many decided on a war plan, the three
principal points Of which we must re-
member
Development of submarine warfare
Creation Of tWenty-three new divi-
sions, thirteen of which were to be
ready by March Is.
Organized behind the lines of the
fortified position known as the Hin
denburg line. which was considered
impregnable.
We will not here attempt to deter
mine to what point of efficiency the
first part Of the plan has been
brought; 1t does not, however, appear
that Germany can ever obtain results
by her submarine warfare, which on
the contrary involves her In heavy ex-
penQiture of men and materials.
The second part has plainly failed
thirteen divisions only have been
formed up to the present. They ap-
pear to be but of mediocre value, old
men and quite young boys making up
the numbers. It Is true, however, that
they have not been regularly recruit
ed, the men having, 1t seems, volun-
tarily enlisted.
The third part of the plan did
doubtless at the beginning meet with