New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-12-02
The Byng Tactics of
Surprise Achieved
Greatest Thrust
of Trench War
Bv FRANK H. SlMONDS
,,so, Of The World War" They Shall
Not Pass
coo,rishi l9I7-The Tribune Association

DAYS. the victory OF NC"C'"l bI"S uVlVIC
r.nbrai establishes a new high-water
...,k in trench warfare on the Western
Don't In four days the British along the
s,beldt took as much ground as they con-
o,.re5 in the first four months at the
Sorme. They advanced more than a mile
.,-,ber than did the Germans in their rush
r,or Verdun in the last days of February,
,e,s In fact not since the Marine had the
.,sdt Of q single thrust on the Western
t,,,t been an advance Of between five and
~ riles-that is, an initial advance-be-
fo,s the force of the first blow was spent
and The drive had slowed down.
The exploit Of Byng must be compared
Nth the achievements of Plumer at
yessipes and Of Allenby at Arras to get
., mil significance. At Messines, in June,
plumer (now commanding the British
army in Italy) had fixed objective; his
,,bole nurpose was to abolish the salient
IN The British lines which enabled the Ger
mans holding the towns Of Wytschaete and
Nsssines, to sweep the rearward communi-
,.tious Of the British in the whole Gpres
salient. II was the first step in the great
WIRES campaign, which is still going for
yard and it was a necessary preliminary.
In this battle the element Of surprise was
upplied by the great mines exploded just
before the attack with such tumult that
,hs british Prime Minister heard the noise
IN his Downing Street residence. And In
fsv hours the whole salient was abol-
shed Plumer took 1000 prisoners and
.ventv-fye cannon and advanced nearly
TWO miles at the point of greatest penc-
alton.
But before Plumer, Allenby had had his
chance at Arras. His objective was less
'efnite. He had to take the Nimy Ridge,
ast before him. But he had to do more
ian this. His aim was also TO disorgan-
e German plans and prevent German
offensive on either of the tanks Of their
treat retreat There was no unusual
element at Arrss, only great intensified
ton Of the customary artillery prepare
ton. Yet in the first four days, before
the push lost It's original energy, Alenby
advanced nearly five miles on both sides
Of the Scarpe, took Monchy and, what
vas of prime Importance, swept the
Germans off Vimy Ridge from one end to
the other. In this operation he took IN
the first stage 10000 prisoners and 257
guns, many Of them heavy. Measured
by prisoners and guns, this was the great
,stSingle blow of the British army. In
their offensive at the Aisne the French
took $4,000 prisoners in the first four
weeks, but they did not take half as many
guns, and their advance was nowhere as
deep as Allenby's
No Grandiose Purpose
These, then, are the standards of meas
urement for the later blow of Byng; and
these should be borne in mind when we
come to discuss the specific gains. But
what was the purpose Of the blow itself?
Was it, like the Somme and the Ipres
operations, like the German attack on YER
dun and the French spring thrust at the
Aisne, a long prepared and tremendously
fashioned blow to pierce the German lines,
as the Germans had just pierced the ltal-
ian lines in Northern Italy; TO produce
disocation of the whole German front be-
tween the Meuse and the Lys and hasty
German retreat to the Belgian frontier?
At the least, there is nothing that sug-
gests such a grandiose purpose. On the
contrary, there are many signs that point
10 the fact that the British initial success
vas beyond expectation, and there were
lacking the necessary reserves to push IL
70 its greatest possible result in the open
ing hours This has happened more than
'nce in this war. 1t happened to the Ger
mans after their first gas attack at fpres
IN April, 1915; il happened TO the French
N their Artois campaign two months
later In each case the road TO a great
triumph. the actual dislocation Of the
enemy's lines. was open. The same was
true in the Battle of Loos in September,
1915, with this difference, that in the last
case the British were engaged in a great
Offensive. with Lens as real objective;
but in all instances lack Of immediate re-
serves compelled the assailant to permit
me opportunity 70 disappear
Was Byng striking to gain position Of
immediate value, such a position as
piumer took before Ypres-namely, the
White Sheet" Ridge--or as Nimy Ridge
Which Allenby seized in April? No; he
vas aiming at a point in the line behind
which was situated Cambria, highly val
liable rail and road centre, base Of great
Importance, but so far behind the front
nat 1t could hardly fall to a single thrust
and would have to be the prize Of contin-
70 operations after the first rush was
over. Nor was Cambria a fortress; It's
walls and defences, once constituting one
y The barriers TO the northern road to
ssnce, had long disappeared.