davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1918-12-15

dark period. But Allenby's great
triumph was to come, when last Septem-
ber he crushed two Turkish armies in
Samaria, captured the bulk of their
forces and made the surrender Of the
Turk inevitable. This was one of the
most complete victories in history. 1t re-
suited in the clearing of Palestine and
Syria, the fall of Damascus, Aleppo and
Beirut and the elimination of Turkev
from the war. 1t will stand side by side
with D'Esperey's success in Macedonia,
won at the same moment and resulting
IN the surrender of Bulgaria.
Such, in brief, is the roster of the
more conspicuous British generals who
hnlshed the war commanding armies and
still holding the confidence of their ma
ton and the loyalty of their troops.
Their place in British anG imperial his
tory is assured and I believe they will
gam rather than lose as time removes
certain misapprehensions and gives
more complete evidence of their achieve
ments 1t remains to say word of the
armies which they commanded. In GER
tain things the British army was easily
first. 1t surpassed it's allies and its
enemies in air service. British mastery
OF the air was one of the essential and
potent elements in ultimate victory.
Again, without the tank, which was a
British contribution, the campaign of
1915 might have finished at the Hinden-
burg line, if, indeed, it had not closed
even nearer to the positions held by the
Germans in the summer. The French
borrowed the idea and elaborated upon
1t, but the credit for the invention be-
longs to the British, just as to Byng
goes the very great praise due to the
man who first saw the possibilities of
the new instrument and turned them to
account at First Cambrai.
1t is unquestionably true that the Brit
lsh army suffered by comparison with
the French and German armies through
out the war. 1t did not suffer more than
cur young armies would have suffered
New-York tribune., 1918-12-15
n T. Bagdad and Jerusalem

Outside of the European field there
are two British generals who claim at
tention, Maude, of Bagdad, and Allenby,
OF Jerusalem and Samara. Of the for
mer it is to be said that taking the
Mesopotamian command after the sur
render Of Kut-el-Amara and following
shocking and scandalous failure he
rivalled the best achievements of Kitch-
ener IN the Khartum campaign and
conducted colonial campaign in a fash
ion which must remain a model for all
the future. Unharpily, he died Just after
ne had taken Bagdad and before he
could enjoy the full fruits of his preat
labors. But he remains one of the great
hgures of that long and splendid success
sion of British colonial leaders. He gave
britain Mesopotamia and he ended all
apprehension as to India. His warfare
was the kind in which Britain has al
New-York tribune., 1918-12-15
H. Achievements

Of Haig's subordinates I suppose COM
mon consent would award to Plumer the
first place. His army held the old Ypres
salient all the time for the close
of the Second Battle in 1916 to the mo-
ment when it broke all the restraining
barriers and swept down into the Flan-
ders plain in October, insuring the re-
covery of Lille and the liberation of the
Belgian seacoast. At all times his pro-
fessional attainments were acknowledged
by the severest critics, and I remember
an acquaintance of mine heard Joffre as
sert that he was one of the two great
generals of the war.
Among Plumer's achievements was
the clearing of the Messines Ridge in
June, 1917, which was preliminary
step in the Flanders campaign 1t was
one of the finest examples of a scientific
local offensive, comparable only with
Petain's two thrusts at Verdun in
1916. 1t was characterized by a mar
vellous coordination of various arms and
marked by such a clear evidence of ac-
curate intelligence swork that Plumer's
chief intelligence officer, Harrington,
New-York tribune., 1918-12-15
,llingtons Who Won the Victory for Britain

won immediate promotion. AS result
of the preparation, Plumer's troops ad-
vanced over the famous Messines-
"Whitesheet'' Ridge with incredibly
small losses and abolished for the time
the old Ypres salient. Later, when
Cough had made a mess of the Pass
chendaele offensive, Plumer took over
and brought order out of chaos. When
Italy was overwhelmed at Caporetto
Plumer was sent to command the Brit
ish reserves, which were hurried south
and did admirable work. His is a rec
ord that has no trace of failure, even
temporary.
Only less conspicuous is the record of
Rawlinson. 1t begins with the command
of the immortal Seventh Division, which
arrived in Flanders in October and in
less than a month was reduced from
10000 to 1000. It's share of Ypres is
forever memorable. At Loos Rawlin-
son was less happy, but he reappears in
command of the Fourth Army at the
First Somme and holds this post of great
Importance throughout the battle. After
that he disappears for a time, to reap
pear, after Coughs defeat in March,
commanding the Fourth Army again.
He deals the great stroke on August 8
which was the beginning of the long
New-York tribune., 1918-12-15
T~anks-Byng's s
H. Discovery

1t was by the use of the lessons Of
First Cambria that the Allies won the
campaign of 1918 and the war. Man
gins great counter offensive at the
Second Marne was founded upon the
use of tanks. Each successive British
and French thrust thereafter employed
the same method. The German used
variation Of the surprise tactics in his
earlier successes, but without the tank,
relying upon secret concentration and
great numbers. But it was Byng who
abolished the long standing belief that
trench lines could not be broken, and his
discovery was one of the very greatest
of the conflict.
In the spring, at critical moment,
when Coughs army had fallen, Byng
broke the German effort to extend the
dislocation of the British front. He held
New-York tribune., 1918-12-15
A Brilliant Achievement by Men
Untried Four Years
Ago
Copyright, 1918, New York Tribune Inc.

ways led the world, and, apart from
Kitchener, he can have no rival.
Of Allenby there is record in the
west as we'll as in the east. He COM
manded a cavalry brigade in the Mons
campaign. He held the Messines Ridge
with a thin facade of horsemen in the
critical days of Ypres, before the French
aid came. After that he commanded the
Third British Army. afterward to go to
Byng in the Battle Of Arras, in which
he took Vimy Ridge, cleared Arras and
pushed down into the Flanders Plain.
The success of the spring Of 1917 was
the greatest achievement of the Brit
ish in the war up to that time.
Later, when the British commander in
Egypt failed at GAIA and the Palestine
campaign was in danger, Allenby went
east He restored the situation and
presently the world heard of him in
Jerusalem. This was a ray of light in
New-York tribune., 1918-12-15
When the German
w Wave Was Halted

Then Russia collapsed and the Ger
mans came west to Picardy, with the
road made easy for them by political in
terference. Haig was defeated and Foch
came to command. One day we heard
the memorable appeal of Haig to his
army, fighting with their backs to the
wall; the appeal Of general to his men
heard and obeyed. The German wave
was halted.
New-York tribune., 1918-12-15
4 True Measure of the
"A British Achievement

We see things far more calmly now
than in the heat of the terrible years
that have gone by. Comparisons which
were inevitable then seem at once mean
ingless and inequitable now. The future
will see even more clearly. 1t will per-
ceive that Britain transformed a civilian
population into a vast military force
which kept the field, held the we'll organ
lied and we'll trained foe when it was
still lacking in training and in machin'
cry and finally shared in the complete
triumph of French and American troops
a triumph to which the Americans were
only just beginning to contribute.
Perhaps there is no better summary
of what the British army achieved than
is supplied in the bald statement that
the British army occupied Mons on Au'
gust 21, 1914, and reoccupie9 it on No
venber 10, 1918. In the time that sepa-
rates the two dates the German army
wore out, it broke itself against British
and French defence and it was incapabs
Of meeting French, British and Amer
can attack. And in all the time from
French's retreat to Haig's last advance
British military contribution 10 the sun
total of Allied resources increased stead
lily. l think we shall some day have the
final measure of British military
achievement when the archives Of tns
Great General Staff in Berlin sr
thrown open and we are able to sss
exactly what British military contribv
tion was estimated at by those vns
risked the world war.
New-York tribune., 1918-12-15

Men said then that Haig should come
homes but the politicians, perhaps aware
with whom the burden of blame rested,
permitted him to stay; and after that
came, on August 8, the victory which
started the Germans back from Amiens;
next the success of Byng, which forbade
to the Germans a stand behind the upper
Somme. Then the blow of Horne, which
broke portion of the Hindenburg line.
Finally, the great success of October 8,
one of the far-shining achievements of
the whole war, which smashed the Hin
denburg line forever and began the last
phase Of the war, the rapid collapse of
German resistance
If you take the achievement of the
British army between August and No
vember II, when it forced it's wav from
the outskirts Of Amiens to Mons YOU
will find upon examination it is one of
the most splendid records in all military
history
| am not seeking to apportion praise,
| do not pretend to know what Foch did
and what Haig did, but under Foch's
supreme command the British army, raj
lying from terrific losses and heavy de-
feat in March and April, in three glori-
Gus months smashed it's way forward
over innumerable obstacles, which in
cluded the far-famed Hindenburg line.
1t is clear that if Haig had not Loyalty
cooperated with Foch the victory would
not have been possible 1t is clear that
however brilliant the strategy of Foch,
if it had not been intelligently and eff
GENTLY interpreted no such success
would have followed
Therefore, if the great glory is to
New-York tribune., 1918-12-15

Foch, as it was in our Civil War to
Grant in the North and Lee in the South,
it seems to me that Haig must deserve
the praise which we of the North gave
to Sherman, which France gives to
Petain in the present hour That the
British will reckon their commander in
chief with Wellington and Marlborough
seems likely; certainly they have no
other names which permit comparison.
But by comparison Haig's task was
gigantic; he took the huge British vol
unteer army when it was little more
than a mob and fashioned out of it an ef-
fective instrument; he suffered severe
defeats and even severer disappoint-
ments in mis- use of it, but he ultimately
led it to com 'cte victory, which would
have been totally impossible had the
British army been unable to do all that
it did accomplish. Haig's problems were
far different and more difficult than
those of Joffre or Petain; they had armies
at their hands, organized for contempo-
rary warfare and provided with staffs
trained in the tasks before them. Haig
had nothing; two-thirds OF his work was
construction and it had to be done in
the heat Of battle and under the stress
New-York tribune., 1918-12-15

port which he needed to make his tlrst
success permanent. This was because
the success outran all expectations and
the British army had not the necessary
reserves. But Cambrai proved that by
restoring the element Of surprise it was
possible to break through and that by
use Of tanks surprise could be had, since
they would take the place of long sus-
tanned. bombardment in clearing the way
for the infantry.
New-York tribune., 1918-12-15

v
so different from all expecta-
tion and the problems of peace
are so complex and so compell-
ing that, almost without realization, the
military aspects of the great struggle
have been dismissed. We have been dinlly
conscious of the achievements of the
French commanders, as each in turn en-
tered a lost city at the head of victori-
Gus army and the batons of French
marshals were bestowed upon Petain and
Castelnau, as they had already been be-
slowed upon Joffre and Foch. Pershing
has had his generous share of praise,
and his country will continue to demon
ment.
But, on the whole, probably with ab-
solute justice, the honors Of the celebra-
tion Of victory have been divided between
the French army and the British fleet,
and while French troops reoccupied
Metz and Strasbourg amid the acclaim
Of the world, the same audience has wit
messed the incredible spectacle of the
German battle fleet approaching the
British coasts and surrendering without
a shot, giving itself up still undamaged
by battle-a spectacle that has no paral-
lei in modern history.
And so, between these two wonderful
and contemporaneous events, men have
forgotten almost completely the achieve
ments and the individual claims upon our
praise Of the men who made and led the
British army to ultimate victory after a
period equal in length to that of our own
Civil War, and filled with the same dis
appointments which the North suffered
through that long and terrible time. Yet
for Haig and his subordinate army COM
manders there is due some mention in the
present moment, even when the achieve
tnents of Foch, Petain, Castelnau, Man
gin and Gouraud are still too recent to
be dull memories. And in this article
mean to review briefly the achievement
of the most conspicuous of the British
generals.
New-York tribune., 1918-12-15

of great campaigns. In the face of all
obstacles he brought victorious Brit
ish army back to Mons on November II,
and | believe his achievement will grow
rather than diminish in the eyes of men
as his real task is more clearly perceived.
New-York tribune., 1918-12-15
Tremendous
4 Handicaps

AS 10 the brltlsn army the great thing
we all have to remember is that it was
created after the war began and after
the best of the officers and men of the
British regular army had been, in the
main, killed in the opening battles. It
was thus deprived of exactly the ele-
merts that it most needed for it's own
training.
In the face of these handicaps, in the
face of the still further obstacle due to
the fact that the enemy was in the field
and that he had to be held, a task re.
quiring all that was left of British off.
GERS and regulars and demanding new
troops before they were even partially
trained, the British managed to build
great army, without which victory is
ever impossible. Napoleon found, when
the veterans he had inherited from the
wars of the Revolution were gone, he
could not win victories of the sort which
he had won in the earlier campaigns.
But he never had to improvise an army
or system. The British had to do both.
1t was always impossible in four years
to fashion an instrument as perfect as
that machine built by the Germans as
the result of full century of patient
and uninterrupted effort. We also mis-
understood the facts in the early period
Of the war, when the greatness of the
danger inevitably provoked impatiencs
and invited unjust comparisons. But it
is not by comparison that we can fairly
measure the British achievement in their
army building. They started with next
to nothing, when the structures of their
allies and enemies were practically CON-
plete
With all their handicaps, with all the
limitations imposed by the situation,
they built great army, frequently VIC
torious, sometimes defeated, suffering
the same disappointments which came to
Grants army in 1864 after it had at last
become convinced of its superiority,
sharing this disappointment with ma
tion equally blind to certain truths but
gaining in power and efficiency up to the
hour when it broke the strongest lines of
the enemy, manned by the best of the
surviving troops of the foe, and began
march to victory which was only halted
by the white flag of the Kaisers gen.
erals.
think the fair measure Of British
military achievement is a contrast be-
tween what Britain has done and what
military men, Germans, for example, be-
lieved she could do four years ago, when
the Kaiser challenged England as well
as France and Russia. And nothing is
more certain than that, had the Ger
mans comprehended that the British
army would play the role it has played
they would never have risked British
entrance into the struggle. You get the
full measure of German amazement in
all the official German comments on Brit
ish operations from the First Somme on
ward. For them the British, despite
manifest and recognized Limitations,
were steadily doing the impossible.
New-York tribune., 1918-12-15
The Generals, Their Trials and
Their Strategy i'm
Retrospect
Bv FRANK Fl. SIMONDS
Author of ''The World War;" ''They Shall Not Pass

talked about Grants campaign from the
Rapidan to Cold Harbor. 1t was terribly
costly; it did"not bring immediate sue
cess
New-York tribune., 1918-12-15
THE Costly Flanders
l. Campaign

The next year the opening victory was
complete, Arras was a real achievement,
Vimy Ridge genuine military triumph.
But afterward Haig's campaign was
manifestly impeded as he Loyalty en-
deavored to aid Nivelle, who had failed
and was falling. The British campaign
was sacrificed, delayed; the blow in
Flanders came too late, although it began
with the great success of PlrYmer. About
this Flanders campaign men talk as they
New-York tribune., 1918-12-15

had they come on the field while the
German was still what he was in 1918
and 1917, or in March and April and
May of the present year. But all CON-
parison between French and British
armies is manifestly unfair, as compari.
son with the German army is even morn
unfair. If there is to be comparison II
must be between the French army and
the British fleet, for as France put he,
reliance upon her army and concep.
trated upon it her best effort, Britain
did likewise with her feet And surely
such comparison will not be to the dis.
advantage of the British.
New-York tribune., 1918-12-15
The Man Who Bore
Il the Entire Burden

OF Haig it is perhaps hardest to write,
because all the burden was his and no
man knows now exactly how great that
burden was. Politicians interfered
with him. Last spring, when the heavy
blow fell upon his armies, bringing tenn
porary disaster, it was political dictation
which had compelled him to stretch his
line to such an extent that it was thinlv
held at vital points, and it was political
influence which had deprived him of
necessary reserves. So much we know.
Aside from controversial points, how
ever. certain facts are obvious. Of all
Allied commanders Haig is the Oldest in
point Of service as chief, as he is I be-
lieve the youngest in years. He came TO
command in 1915, when French went
home after Loos; when the new British
army had only begun to come to France
and the real organization of victory was
still to be made. The army that fought
at the First Somme in 1916, in Artois,
Picardy and Flanders in 1917, at the
Somme and in Flanders in defeat and
then in victory, in supreme victory in
the present year, was Of his making.
Before he commanded armies the reputa-
ton of Sir Douglas Haig was made in
battle He was the outstanding figure
Of the First Ypres, which was fought
mainly under his immediate direction.
When French went home there was no
one else thought of to succeed the Boer
veteran. In the great Somme campaign
Of 1916 the British army, under Haig's
direction, learned it's business. It was a
costly lesson, the mistakes were manv.
but at the end Of the campaign the army
believed itself superior to the German:
it felt that it had learned its Job.
Evening journal., 1918-08-24
DIR. WATT TO PREACH
At SILVERBROOK
Singing Will be Featured
at Twilight Service
Tomorrow
MEETING
TUESDAY NIGHT

The services tomorrow at Silverbrook
NJ. z. Church will be: Sunday School
at 10 o'clock. in all departments Of the
school from the organized adult classes
to the beginners department.
The morning preaching service will
begin at II O'Clock. The Rev. Robert
Watt ID. d., superintendent Of Whining
ton district. will conduct the service
and deliver the sermon.
The concluding service Of the day
will be held at o'clock. These twi-
light services are brief. A large part OF
the service is devoted to singing and a
short sermon is delivered by the pas
tor. the Rev Elwood w. Jones' The
subject Of the pastors sermon at this
service will be THE Sense OF Want a
Blessing" Raymond w. Lilley will con-
duct the song service. Glass meeting
in charge Of Joseph w. Coley, will be
feld Tuesday evening, at o'clock.
Glass and prayer meeting combined,
will be held Wednesday evening. at s
O'Clock.
Evening journal., 1918-08-24
PREACHER TO TALK
OF SUNDAY BALL
R. L. Minker, Diamond
Star, Will Preach at Grace
on The Rooter"
ORGAN RECITAL
ALSO FEATURE

Tomorrow evening In Grace NJ. z.
Church at 7.3O o'clock the Rev. Ralph
l.. Minker will preach on the subject
'q'he RoOters." Mr.. Mlnker believes in
athletic Christianity and Christian ath-
etlcs. The Hooters" will express his
ideas on the subject He Is a former
Wilmington ball player.
There will be special musical fea-
lures throughout the day at both
morning and evening services. Fred ;.
smith will give an organ recital at the
opening OF the evening service. from
80 20 las O'Clock. This will be MIR.
Snlih's last recital as assistant organ
ist. he takes his place az the organ In
Delaware Avenue Baptist Church on the
first sunday in September.
Following Is the musical program for
the evening service: organ Recital :
Variations de Concert" ," Bonnet; "Rev-
erie Triste," Dlggle; "Eplthalamlum,' -
MatthgWs; Professional Hymn. Stand
Up, Stand Up for Jesus Anther
Evening Hymn" Rheinberger; O1er-
tory. Scenes From An Imaginary Bal
let" Colyeridge-Taylor; Onertory solo.
The Lord is My Light" Alliston. by
Miss Madeline Reed; Choir and Congre-
CATION, Walk IN the Lights" Recession
al Hymn. "Now the Day is over" organ
postlude, "Marche Mlitarlre," Shelley.
In the morning at 1890 o'clock the as
slstant minister VIII preach on the sub
lect a Witness for Christ"
The musical program for the morn
ing will be: Organ Prelude, In Spring
time," HOllins; professional hymn.
Love Divine, All Loves EXcelling.'
trio, Lift Thine Eyes" from Elijah,
Miss Madeline Reed. Miss Bradford and
Mrs. Re,nOlds; ofertory, The Cues
ton WclstenhOlnl; orertory solo.
' That Sweet story Of Old" West. Mr.
Marion j. Nlinker; choir and congrega-
tion, Take My Life and Let IL be Con-
stcrsted Lord. 10 Thee" reccssional
hymn, Arise. My Soul Arise" organ
pOstlude, "Maestoso p Risoluto," Nevin.
On wednesday evening the prayer
and praise service will be held Every
effort Is being put forth 10 make this
hour Of worship bright and attractive.
A musica: feature IS on the program
Carh week.
On Tuesday evening the Good Eel
lows Club will have another stunt,
definite announcement Of which will be
made through .he newspapers by the
solicitation committee
On Friday morning the Red CrossAuX-
ilfary Will meet in the church house 10
sew on hospital garments. The women
Of the congregation and community are
asked 10 be present every week at 3
o'clock.