New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-25
Petain Again

great Importance to the brilliant French
victory before Laon. Like all other SINH
lar successes of PetaIn. it seems TO have
heen rigidly restricted to certain imme-
d.ate detectives. 1t belongs to the oraef
81 operation Of all three Of the Verdun
affairs, which are the most successful ex-
amples Of the offensive in positionai war
fare which we have.
Az yerdun In October and December OF
last year Petain, under whom NiVene
served as the commander Of the army
ENGAGED. sought to relieve verdun by re-
taking that portion Of the tntrenched
Damn which had fallen to the Germans
during the year. BE succeeded captur-
ing nearly 1000 prisoners In the hrst
operation and more than 1900 In the
sA.ond On both occasions his troops were
EXPRESSLY forbidden to advance beyond the
fixed detectives, and to this rule they ad-
hered.
When Nivelle succeeded Jofre he went
10 High Command with determination 70
expand the Petain method and to attack
On wide front. His ideas were expressed
IN the spring offensive between scissors
and Auberive. This offensive, although IL
achieved considerable local success TOOK
thirty thousand prisoners, one hundred
and fifty cannon and gained the Chemin-
dos-Dames north Of the Aisne and the
Noronvilliers Heights east Of Rheims, was
so costly in life that it had to be aoan-
doned. and was so i'll prepared In certain
respects that it led to the retirement ootn
Of Niyelle and Of Mangin, whose share IN
the two Verdun battles had been great.
With the coming Of Petain there was
ro+nrn N the method made famous both
an the defensive and subsequently on the
offensive at Verdun. There was an I'M
mediate abandonment of the idea OF at
lacking upon a wide front, and in the
third Verdun offensive several months ago
wh.n Dead Mans Hill was retaken, the
Petain method was exemplified at Its best
The operation of two days ago south OF
Laon Is one more expression Of Petain's
Idea of wearing down the enemy by swift
blows at points In the line weakened b!
the withdrawal Of troops.
Recognizing, therefore, that It Is out o.
place to talk now Of an immediate ad
vanc. to Laon. which lies full ten mile
north Of the present French line, It Il
noss,ble TO discuss the scene Of the battl
IN ,opne detail. The German lines at tn
nresent time between the Disc at La Fer
and the Aisne at Berry-au-Bac rest upol
one Of the great natural bulwarks o
Paris. In the angle between the Aisn
and the Disc rises that great mass o
forest and crag, known locally as tn
'LltLc SWlIIeIldHuj "HiSn SNAo -"
roads 10 Paris that descend by the val
leys Of the Oise and the Aisne TO meet
Compiegne. Before the war, In the gen
eral scheme of French defensive, 1t ha'
been planned that the French, II they wer
defeated at the frontier by German armie
coming through Belgium, should retir'
upon the line Of the Somme and the Aisne
their centre resting upon this highlan'
between the Disc and the Aisne, which 4
known in battle reports as the Forest O.
ST. Gobsin. Eastward Of this mass o.
hills Is another and even higher stretch
Of plateau. extending from the plain O.
Champagne westward toward ST. Gobain
but separated from 1t by little vale.
through which pass the highway ant
railroad from Paris and Scissors to Laol
and the frontier. Joffre had hoped. afte
his defeat at Charleroi, to stand on thi
second position. This was made impossi
bic owing TO the condition Of the British
army, and the French and British armies
as consequence flowed backward to thu
Mnrne and retook the offensive there In
stead of at the Aisne.
When the German retreat from the
Marne had terminated at the Aisnt
and Kluck's army made contact with
BGlow's, q deadlock ensued between the
Oisa and the Meuae The Germans dua