El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-02-02

, expected, has nothing to say. So far
! the enemy's proceedings have been
] definitely defensive Both at Cam
! brai and north OF Verdun there have
/ been efforts at patching up. and in
view Of probable developments the
| proceedings are, from the German
point of view, common sense.
Look back over the battles OF 1917
on the west There was the battle Of
Z the Ancre followed by the abandon
ment Of the German defences between
Noyon and Arras; there was the
French attack upon the Aisne ridge
and the Champagne ridge; there were
the operations round Verdun. which
| threw the enemy back to where he
was in March 1915; there was the
taking Of the Messines rides, fol-
lowed by the capture OF the German
defences east OF Ypres; lastly, there
was the preaching of the Siegfried
line southwest Of Cambria
What VIII 1t Profit
What do these successes amount
to2 As it stood in the beginning Of
1917, and Notwithstanding the initial
breach made in the battle of the
Somme. the German fortified front on
the west constituted a system Of de-
fences the like of which for elabora-
ton and extent has never been known
in war. The labor of millions Of men
and millions of tons Of material had
been expended upon it during the
greater part Of two years In spite
Of the German counter offensive to
recover the Aisne ridge-an effort
which continued for five months, and
Is comparable only to the assault upon
Verdun-that system of defences is
today a thing of the past And just
as this system was itself unprece-
dented. so its destruction by the allied
forces has been a feat of arms wholly
I IL - -.
be said that all this has been so much
futility?
$50 far from being in any sense
Of the word futile, these allied OPP
eratfOns. marked by tactical skill
OF the highest order, have had
three most momenfOus effects.
'aThe first effect is the forced
change in the enemy's tactics At the
beginning OF the year he relied mainly
upon counter attack He has had so
far as he has been able, to man his
western front more heavily At the
beginning Of 1917 he had on the west
40 divisions plus his fortified bull
warks. He has now apparently 152
divisions minus the bUlwarlzs. Is he
therefore stronger for the change?
II is an open question Was this vast
system Of defences as a matter OF
economizing forces, worth only 30 d.
visions2 Such an estimate verEes on
absurdity It would verge on absurd
ity did a German division mean on the
average now what It meant a year
ago. But VIGOROUSLY the term now
means less. And. owing to the change
referred TO. the rate of wastage thai
has to be faced is higher.
Help From Russia.
The second effect is yet more i'm
portant than the first Il is that be-
fore the military breakdown of Rus
STA these battles on the west had all
the while been discounting such re-
lief as the enemy might obtain by a
Russian breakdown He had to meet
the Wastage on the west from two
sources-by drawing upon his troops
of the east front. and by absorbing
in anticipation annual classes Of
young recruits. Since, however, the
number of his divisions broken in the
western battles was large. transfers
from Russia were the mainstay-
''The effect Of Russia's participation
in the war remains, and II has been
mighty effect, for the enemy's forces
and his staying power have alike been
hugely reduced in consequence. 1t was
that effect. already chiefly brought