The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-12-28
FRANK H. SIMONDS' WAR ARTICLE
The Campaign of 1918

Serbia was liberated, Rumania rising
against her German masters and Aus
tria falling into ruin and fragments.
A final stand the Germans made in
wal behind the Scheldt from Client to
Valenciennes, behind the Meuse and in
systems Of defenses prepared between
the two rivers. But by Nov. / the Brit
ish had forced the line Of the Scheldt
and were advancing upon Maubeuge and
Mons, the French sweeping all before
them from Guise to Rethel and the
Americans were at last through final
German barrier and were streaming for
ward to Sedan, whose suburbs they
were to enter before the armistice was
signed.
And so, with the supreme disaster in
sight, but not arrived, with their power
of resistance not ended but approach
ing it's end, with their armies still fight
Ing well and retiring In good order, the
Germans gave 1t up In the first days of
November and on Nov. IL h armistice
became effective and the allied road to
the Rhine was opened without further
possibility of German resistance. Such
In brief, is the story Of the campaign
of 1918. 1t has two distinct phases, that
Of Ludendorff from March 81 to July
10; that of Foch from July IL to Nov. Ii.
In these two phases there are certain
clearly defined periods. There are the
iii &C 1SIIudIl DtUWS, lndL Oh MATCH IL,
which was a stupendous success, almost
decisive; that of May 81, which was
great n hardly less threatening than
that of March, and finally that OF July
ID, which ended In complete German
defeat three days later, when Foch, the
German blow PARTED, passed to the Of
f~ensive and threw Mangin with his
Franco-American forces against Luden-
dorff's flank and began the march
which has in recent days ended at the
Rhine, only by allied choice, for the
road to Berlin lies open. Germany has
been conquered, was conquered between
July and November.
Looking backward, how shall one as
sess the cause of German failure and
allied success? Both sides possessed
great commanders, although the supe-
riority Of Foch Is incontestible. The
first German blow was one Of the most
perfectly planned thrusts in all military
history. 1t surprised and almost de-
stroyed an enemy, who could and did
the warfare Of positions there had
been no successful break through in the
west. Ludendorff brought superior
numbers secretly to the decisive point,
he won his great battle, but the battle
failed to be decisive mainly because the
allied resistance continued beyond the
calculated point and the German strik-
ing force was exhausted before the ac-
tual knockout could be delivered. And
of the Flanders strike the same is to
be said.
\ Second German blow, that above the
Aisne. was less heavy, despite its initial
success, but 1t, too, wore itself out
without attaining a decision. Again the
final blow could not be delivered and
the Germans were suddenly confronted
in the first days Of June by a counter
offensive recalling Joffre's momentary
venture at Guise in 1914, where he sud,
denly turned and won a considerable
victory. Still unwarned, Ludendorf
pursued his strategy to the final test
He risked all on one more battle, cal.
culating as Moltke calculated in tht
days of the first Marine, that the
French were exhausted and the Brit.
! ish out of it. And again an amazed
German commander-in-chie saw an en-,
envy, already out Of the battle by al
the laws of military textbooks, return t
5 the offensive, advance, succeed. French
and British morale had outlasted Ger
; man by July. Thereafter it was mere
, ly q question of how long German NOR
Z ale would last in defeat.
l OF Foch's strategy 1t Is too early t
speak with exactness. His method wa
: the exact opposite of the German
= He did not seek TO gather up all hi
a energies and resources and deliver
: single colossal blow, which II success
full would win the war, but If unsuc
8 cessful would paralyze him for a lon
period while he was reconstructing hi
a thunderbolt. Rather his method wa
. one of swift blows, each light, but eac
q followed promptly by another at a neN
+ point, from the moment that Luden
a dorff lost the second Marine to tn
g end he was never able to reconstruC
3 his own armies or escape from tn
q mastery of Foch's plans, he had t
9 meet one thrust after another, con
form tn his fna'S gtrptapV until hi
cracking army was abandoned by
4 civilian populace which had completed
+ collapsed.
Is The last blow on July is of Luden
6orff was as great a gamble as Ma
y p%oleon's. use of the old guard in tn
8 closing hour of Waterloo. Had luden
Ie dorff retired rather than advanced i
70 July, regaineu strategic freedom b
retreat, as Hindenburg had done /
y 1911, he might have escaped final dis
ie aster for the campaign of 1918. BIZ
this was his last chance, nor is it im
ID probable that in doing this he woul
10 have participated q collapse of tn
g German public which would have has
d tened rather than delayed the end.
II In March the British were heater
beaten as they have never been beate
,e in 500 years OF history. Even now or
shudders in recalling those terrib'
- days, In May the French were heater
rs although n far smaller fraction OF the
main masses was affected. But ha
ps there been no rush Of American troor
TO Europe. becoming visible and in
" slight measure available by the Il.
~ days Of June; the two allied dcteat
n might have given Germany victory q
a the continent, "A chance 10 write m
ID other treaty OF Tilsit, such as y;
l. poleon wrote in 1907, after Austeriit
$, Jena and Friedland. But before v
gave military aid our troops supple
1t balance In the bank soon 70 becon