El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-09-04

armies lay in this uniformity OF train
ing. tradition, and military kuoWl-
edge
The Prussian guard corps was an
exception TO this rule. but IL existed
for traditional and dynastic reasons,
10 0atter the pride Of the Hohenzol-
lerns. and was regarded as an an
acronlsm by the German staff
Forming Shock Troops
Then last year the high command
found the general level OF their men
sinking in a manner most alarming.
Numerous captured orders. issued by
the LudendOrff himself and by Off
GERS OF all ranks down TO company
commanders. bear witness 10 the dis
gust and terror aroused by symp-
toms Of Generalization Finally. the
famous 'sturm truppen" were invent
ed The whole army was combed
out, the braVcst. youngest and most
fit men were put into special units.
given better rations and more leave
than their comrades. and told that on
their shoulders would fall the most
dangerous tasks. but none Of the
monOtonOus drudgery Of war.
Real Test on March Fl
These storm troops were tried out
on a small scale last summer and au-
tumn, but their real test came in the
great shock action OF March q. this
year, and 20 them was due the sue
cess Of the break through against the
ders and on the Aisne in April and
May these crack troops formed the
spear head OF the German attacks
Meanwhile, the German rank
and file, robbed of its best men,
grew steadily worse. IL has been
a curious paradox for months,
known to all allied soldiers Mt
the front. that while splendid
German soldiers. most formidable
opponents. appeared whenever
German attack on large scale
began. the Boche soldiers holding
the trenches in quiet sectors, and
those that came after the first
Onrush OF "sturm truppen7 in the
big attacks were OF quality
almost inconceivabiy bad.
The supply Of young. strong, brave
men in the German army is distinctly
limited. The losses among these first
class men, this year have been four or
five times as heavy as among the
rank and file Of the German army,
because "sturm truppeu' have gone
first and filled the most dangerous [
posts In attack and defence
Therefore. the German leaders arc I
faced with the fact that their troops 4
are running low, even though they ]
have plenty Of men, That is the first I
uufavorabie result FOR the enemy OF I
his new policy OF officially separating I
good men from poor
To this exhaustion OF the storm i
troop detachments experts attribute I
the breakdown Of the more recent {
Allies Wade Through Them.
But the German policy has enrailed /
4 still more serious disadvantage for D
The enemy, indicated by the unheard 4
lf way in which French. American /
and British troops now gain ground 4
in their attacks Veterans OF the old I
1916 days. when the Boche rank and I
Tile fought like demons for every 100
Yards and piled UP scores Of thous-
luds Of dead before they would yield /.
-hree miles. open their eyes at the /
rabbit like rabble that they meet now
At the first onslaught. When the
German reserves come up. IL is an
other story. for the kaiser has plenty
0f good soldiers still.
Backbone Is Broken.
But the backbone Of the German
military system has been broken in I
his gamble. Germany's chieftains
Knew what was bound to happen;
hey know that you cannot take ali
he good soldiers out Of any army and
cave. all the bad ones without de-
noralizing the men who are left
They took the chance. because they
hoped TO win the war this spring and
summer by enormous victories their
storm troops would win Tor them
They failed
They now find themselves in
can be kept in hand only by fierce
discipline and the iuEruined Ger
man habits 81 obedience. but will
not stnnd against the attacks of
British. French or American
troops; in addition there are 20
or 80 good divisions left upon
whose shoulders rests the task
of WardinE off defeat.
The allies have pursued the only
sound system all their troops OF the !
irst line are OF like caliber. worthy
% be trusted, true citizen armies OF
democracy.
All great barbarian powers have al
ways depended upon picked men. Pre-
orian guards. given special pay and
ipecial privileges. enemies Of the peo-
lie because devoted TO the service OF
yrants. Modern civilization has re-
lived from the early Greek and Ro-
mans the citizen army, il is signifi-
ant that Germany. when the test
anne, was compelled 10 abandon the (
.itizen army. and so has gone back
% the barbarian conception Of war
making in this as in other respects
Copyrighte. 1915. by The Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.l