New-York tribune., 1917-12-25
Who Against Hmdenburg'
Ru General MaUetene, Military Critic Of lie Temps
Translated From an Article in "Lc Temps }

duct Of the war between the goyernu.,.
and the generals5ime, and this Is be,.(
everything a question OF mutual eon6{ ~.
and implacabe viii 70 conquer
And this is why il is vital that in n. -
ernments a ministry charged with theS.
tionaD defence, and more particularly -.
istry Of war, should be in closest relstie..
with the generalissime. ~
One understands easily that all ~,
touches on the technical conduct OF ths -.
supplies ought 10 be placed under the e.
mon authority Of the Minister Of War ~
the generalissime; and that the latter sis.r
demand and receive all that he needs. os.s.
20 add that upon the Minister OF ww -
the generaissime the proper control Of u.
government and Of Parliament will rems;s |,
full yigor?
The other objection is that the mm a..
lected might fail, but the government, Ls,.
always the right to revoke his commis>,..
Even Hindenburg might fail. There is sIn
discussion Of methods. This war is tski.r
on forms which appear so extrsordiasrs
How often have heard old generals il ~.
bitter and helpless wrath express their ~.
tests against this war Of trickery, this ~
of trenches. this war of moles. Oh! for a.
good old war Of movement, the war a 81.
days, under the open sky and face to ~,
Don't the Germans know how TO wan ai,
kind of war? Well watch them In Rss,h
in Rumania and in Italy. q. The s<ksr
night dreamed Of the chief who is 70 bs ~
generalissime Of tomorrow land hope q.
victorious generalissime). thought hssei
him speak. Was it dream?
.nfJf.-. dad ~
they had methods Of thought and Of vsrk
Whatever their talent or their genius, the;f
great art lay in adapting themselves to eir.
cumstances and adapting the means to those
ends which they proposed with full krewI.
edge OF the enemy's situation. In this do.
cult art they simply showed themselves in-
teligent. They understood the situation u
the day and foresaw that OF the merrss.
One fights with the weapons that one hsa
It is essential TO know your own resources
and as nearly as possible those H the enemy.
II is also necessary 70 know your adversary.
The Boche doesn't fight the French Is h
fights the English, the Russian or the Italian
His processes are adapted TO the opponent
as to the machine.
Waging a War Of Siege
"People talk about the war of trenches. The
trench is only means Of warfare no. new,
hut remarkably perfected, and the machira
improved upon also destroy the trench, ss'
this is more expensive than formerly, n
finitely more costly. above all, when We ~
at it badly, and wish TO 60 too quickly
"The method OF the moment Is vausss
only according to the use we make OF il u
is easier for Hindenburg, single ehss,
obeyed by everybody, to apply his liberty sf
thought and action than for the Allied ga
erals on whom weigh the evils OF vast ess'b
tions. We are waging a war Of attrition-a
war of siege. There is nothing new absss
this, as Lloyd George announced some tine
ago. We besiege a vast front which is con-
posed Of defensive lines organized parzlls',
one as strong as the other. We besier
state and people who occupy beside tAes
own territory large areas Of country Th'ca
their military superiority permits them %
defend.
"To believe that having forced one or nor.
of these lines one can exploit the success ,rd
regain the war Of movement is mistake %
the Western front, but true perhaps on n'
others. As long as the enemy does not nes
in decentralization it is necessary once more
to break mis- lines with guns. We have n
our hands terrible weapon, the most e1ee'
tive weapon Of all, the economic blocksde'
II is this weapon which will weaken the aiii'
tary force of Germany sooner or later TO Ne
point that the lines will collapse, BY failefs
of heart and stomach.
at is necessary to be ready to push forssrt
without sacrificing more lives than is ussiui
This is the method"
"And to conclude" added this general sss'
I heard in my dreams. keep above all ne
firm and implacable will to conquer, the -
surance Of conquest by unity and resolutisn
on all hands"