Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-03
Dunajec Not a Good Parallel.

The DunaJec is, therefore, not a good
parallel for western conditions as they
now exist. But there is a second Ger
man exploit, the recent victory in Italy.
Here the decisive element was the
temporary DETECTION in the morale of
the Italian troops 1t is true that, once
more. there was care1essness in prepa-
ration for an attack. The reserve and
support lines were practically non-ex-
istent. Like the Russians at the Duna-
jec,i the Italians had not dreamed of
an offensive in the quarter attacked,
was nothing to check the flood. I'm
like the French at Verdun. however,
the italian soldiers could not repair
the blunders of their generals.
the Italian soldiers for the moment
failed in their duty. They had been
undermined by pacifist and socialist
agitation; they fled without fighting
in scores of cases The real victory
ganda not to German artillery, and
this opens a new detail in the great
offensive of the present war: Artillery
preparation gives way to the poison
gas of treason within allied lines.
Had the Italian soldiers stood fast the
German attack could not have pre-
vailed. because the German troops were
few-less than G0000-and the Italian
position wen nigh impregnable.
touched upon the main calculation Of
Hindenburg. On the military side all
experience demonstrates the practical
impossibility of the break through.
or even the decisive blow In trench
warfare as it is carried on in the west,
given the relative strength of German
and allied armies and their resources
in guns and munitions; for, despite
all the alarmist calculations. the Ger
mans are not able to put any force on
4,
numbers it's foes, and 1t is even
doubtful if they can equal them.
Hindenburg's Only Hope.
Hindenburg will not get to Paris II
the French army fights in 1918 as it
fought before verdun. If they shall
not pass" remains the fighting word Of
the French there Is not the smallest
reason to be found. in more than three
years of trench warfare on the west
ern front, to warrant the notion that
Hindenburg can get, to Paris or even
to Chalons-sur-Marne this summer.
The single chance is that the French
the soldiers of the army which won
the Marine, defended Verdun and re-
will lose heart, lose courage. and run
away from positions which are we'll
nigh impregnable, as the Russians fed
from their lines and field of victory
last summer.
And once more it is essential to
realize that in this venture the first
operations will count most. If linden
burg does not win at once, his limited
failure will encourage his foes and
discourage his own people, who have
the history of Verdun before them, who
have been promised a swift victory in
response to their demand for an hon
orable peace. Certainly since Napoleon
started for Moscow there has been no
more gigantic gamble. and it requires
hardihood to believe that Hindenburg
has as many chances of ultimate sue
cess as had Napoleon.
Meanwhile I caution my readers
against being too deeply impressed by
all the alarmist reports of German
numbers, preparations. resources. They
are part of the German propaganda:
they are detail in the strategy, which
aims to terrify before the attack: thew
with such deadly effect in Italy. When
the Germans attack again they will
have neither the advantage In num-
bers nor in guns, which they had at the
Marine and Verdun. and they failed
both times. In my judgment thew will
fail again, II the test is one OF military
strength, as I believe it will be.