Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1918-03-27
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF
THE GREAT HUN DRIVE

anxiously waiting for the past ten
months is now upon us; it has surg
ed to its height and is now ebbing TO
its depths of failure, the drive OF the
Hun for world subsection. II has
been, still is, a terrible thing. With |
monster guns in some unknown man
her casting shells seventy miles; ar
tillery mounted at distance OF every |
IL yards; thousands upon thousands !
OF men lying dead upon an awful bat.
tlefield. a single War Lord, known 10 .
the world as the Kaiser, has met the
wrath OF the peoples of the earth for
the time being turning back the eff /
forts of human beings but unable to !
check the massive spirit within the |
allied hearts. What a tremendous I,
thing to contemplate. and yet what
has IL gained, and what will IL gain in |
the future? Concentrating upon the |
people for whom bitter hatred has
been uppermost in his heart for years
the enemy has played his last trump
against the British hand. Why? This
Is not such a difficult question to ]
answer. Britain today is the most
powerful ally In the field. Not that
France has not proven up wonderfully
as a fighting unit, but the Britain is
fighting away from nome with the
danger to loved ones removed from
the very scene OF battle, as is not the
case with the French. Immediate
danger to home and family sometimes
dampens a mans ardor. That the
British are considered as the most
redoubtable fighters on the line is
shown by the fact that that they hold
the most important sector, the way to
Calais, so desired by the Germans.
Calculating that by crushing the Brit
iBh he will kill the morale OF the
French and dishearten the Americans
the Kaiser has struck to obliterate
what he now considers his most for
midable resistance. But he has been
met with the logged defense that We
all expected of the Britain. Small
units of men outnumbered eight and
nine to one have hurled his contin-
gents back again and again, finally
to abandon their positions when the
time was propitious. but not until
their br0thers.in-arms were safely en-.
trenched in new positions. The re.
suit to the German arms in six days
OF the most violent fighting known to
the world has resulted in a net gain OF
perhaps ten miles of territory gained
at frightful loss. The dispatches this
morning indicate that the Germans
have lost over fifty per cent of their
original force. The gain has not been
worth the price. Even though he
were able to again beat back the
British forces, now reinforced by 9th
O. allied troops the Kaiser lacks the
men to turn his victory into anything
at all substantial. With twenty.sever
divisions originally holding ninety
seven Hun divisions Haig's resistance
was paramountly successful. As {
mathematical proposition, figurinl
that the spirit OF the defense remain!
the same, the British are now in
more favorable position than eve
with more equal forces and strongc
Notifications. Added to this the spin
1t or morale OF the German troop
must necessarily have been lowere,
by their terrible losses and the in
ability to break through the lines O
their adversaries in almost week o
the fiercest efforts. II is conCcde
generally that the objective of tn
drive was Calais. Although the Ka
ser would be highly jubilant over tn
capture OF Paris 1t is plainly seen tina
Paris has no strategic value to him
The heavy price paid for its captur
would never offset the terrible los
OF men that he must stand in its TAX
Ing. Calais. on the other hand, open
the way to London, the prize 70
which Germany would sacrifice al
most anything Coal. oil. grain. sun
plies and productive territory Is wha
the central powers have their eye
upon. Next. harbors and naval base
the outlets TO a world commerce an
points from which they may operat
their uavies. interest the Huns an
their allies. Having lost all read
one-half OF his troops Il ia an impos
sibility for the enemy TO not only rou
the allied arms from the territory "
Ing before Calais. but even thougl
feasible he could not hold that terri
tory after taking II. Hindenburg ha
reinforced his present fighting fore
from every point upon the westcrl
frJat. He cannot Withdraw O:Se
troops from these points without =,
weakening them as 10 present a poo
resistance 10 an allied advance. Moth
ing definite Is at present known o
the reserve army now being trained
by the Germans. but n report be tru,
II consists for the most part Of very
young men. Never having been IN
battle before, these divisions, even II
thrown into the fight, could not main
tain the onslaught w'th anything like
the success OF the present Bayarlan