Evening star., 1917-09-09
|S|MONS' WAR REVIEW
CONTINUED from Fifth Page)
staff.
Hard Road to Vienna.

There is a marked tendency in this
country at the present time to exag-
gerate the Importance of the Italian
operations and to suggest that a sweep
ing victory, which might include the
ia of Trieste, would have a greater in
fluence upon the war than any possible
achievement on the French front. This
seems to me a mistaken view. Even il
Trieste fell and the Italians were able
to push eastward, widening their front
as they went and thus increasing the
opportunity to make use o fthe great
numbers which they have, there are
too many obstacles on the road to
Vienna to hold out any promise in this
direction in any time that one can now
measure.
The decisive blow on the military side
in this war will have to come some
where between the Vosges and the sea
The inability to recognize this fact in
1915 led the British into the almost
fatal blunder of Gallipoli Germany is
the chief enemy. and when Germany is
beaten the entire coalition of central
Europe will fall. Even should Austria
make separate peace Germany would
remain to be disposed of, but il Ger
many is defeated the Austrian resist
ance Will not last long thereafter
Allies Gains This Summer.
The campaign of 1917 has hardly eight
weeks more to go. The allied offensive
IN FLANDERS has suffered gravely from
bad weather. Last year at the critical
moment on the Somme the early onset
of autumn rain saved the Germans. In
precedented wet weather this wear bas
held up the British operations about
fpres, and there is now some question
as to whether the campaign there will
have any serious consequences this
year beyond the seizure of the high
ground around Ypres, as the high
ground above Lens and Arras was taken
by earlier offensives. The French at
Verdun. on the Moroncilliers Heights
east of Rheims and on the Chemin -des-
Danes west Of Rheims have already
seized all good observation points along
their front. The British are now in
possession of similar heights from st.
Quentin to the User, except about La
Bassee. 1t is going to cost the Germans
much greater casualties this winter
than last because of British and French
advantage in observation and supe-
rlority in heavy artillery.
But the Russian collapse has already
changed the face of the war for the
present year. The conference Of the al
lied general staffs. which has just been
called. is an evidence that a new mill
tary policy is probably to be formu-
lated, and this new policy will probably
mean postponement of any considera-
BILE attacks until next year. when
American man power will begin to be-
come available in considerable numbers
on the western front. If we have a
quarter of million troops ready to use
next summer and another quarter of a
million on European soil in training we
shall have contributed materially to les
sening the strain upon the French. and
the English. instead of having to take
over more French lines. will be able to
their effort on another of
fensive somewhere between the User
and the Oise.
Riga and the Peace Campaign.
The fall of Riga has been hailed by
the kaiser as another milestone to vic
tory. 1t is. as 1 have pointed out, an
other milestone on the road to the
realization of Mitteleuropa For the
allies it will not be accepted S a mile
stone. but as a warning-a warning of
the condition in Russia which has pat
emily become such that all reliance
upon any military assistance from the
Slav state must be abandoned The col
lapse of Russia has postponed German
defeat year. 1t has given the Ger
mans an unequaled opportunity to |
make the great peace campaign for |
which they are preparing. Already 1t is
The peace maneuvers of Germany and |
not the mllltary operations which are |
commanding the attention of the world |
The Riga victory will be used as one |
more argument to prove Germany in
both at home and abroad. 1t |
Will be used AS one more basis for COM
oating in Germany the doctrine of no
and no indemnity. and it |
Will be used abroad to stimulate war
veariness and the paciflsm discovera BILE
n all three of the great European ma
ions which are still fighting Germany
o the limit of their strength. 1t was
timed to counteract the ef-
ect of the verdun achievement of the
French. There has never been any mo-
nent in the last few months when Riga
.ould not have been taken by the Ger
mans had they chosen. They had man.
testify saved it for the time when its
all would contribute most to raising
heir fortunes in the eyes of the world.