New-York tribune., 1918-08-26

Il
r., jure with in Germany. Cts
English equivalent is sub
stitute"-a substitute Just as
good') The Germans have been eat
ing "Ersatz' food, drinking "Er-
satz" beer and smoking "Ersatz"
tobacco. They have been wearing
"Ersatz' clothes, made out of paper
Now the government ard the mill
tary critics have undertaken to sup
ply them with "Ersatz" war news.
Says the 'Frankfurter Zeitung,"
whose military comment used to be
paratively fair and intellgent
Our Bapaume front is firm, and
we do not doubt it will remain so as
long as it pleases the German Com
mand. Bapaume, for practical pur-
poses. fell yesterday. Necessarily,
according to the Frankfurter Zeit-
ung's' theory, it no longer "plcased"
the German Command to hold on
to it.
Here is the cver-handy, india-rub
Der German alibi. Nothing can ever
happen unless the German General
staff foresees it and wills it. Even
If the German High Command starts
out to take Paris. and, after six
months of costly effort, finds itself
back on the old IIindenburg line.
there can be no mistake and no fail
ure. because everything was CON
Quoted according to a prearranged
programme. If it pleases Ludendorf
to march up a hill and then march
down again. that ought to be the end
OF the matter. so far as military
wisdom is concerned.
1T might be the end of the matter
even now in Germany. except that
HIndenburg, who never was an in
slder in the Great General staff
Clique ard who lacks a little the
overweening sense of military ON
niscicnce with which that clique is
obscssed, blurtod out part of the
truth the other day when he said
that the German armies have been
set back r. was professional
perfidy on his pare. But what are
the German "Frsatz" war news
makers going to do about ito They
can explain away the Lassignv
Massif. They can explain away Las
slgny and Bapaume Soon they Will
be explaining away Roye and Novon.
and even P6ronne But how are they
gong to explain away Hindenburg's
tactless adumbration of the brutal
truth?
The Germans have been fighting
desperately to hold Bapaume. 1t
has been the key to their positions
between the Somme and Arras. They
made tiercer resistance here than
hey made about Roye, Lassisnv or
Noyon. But it has been unavailing.
BY last Saturday q British envelop-
ment Of this important centre had
been virtually assured SATURDAY.
and Yesterday the British continued
to enclrcle it from the north. the
west and the southwest. The high
road running northeast from Albert
to Bapaume was cleared yesterday
up to Warlencourt- Eaucourt and La
Barque, only a couple of miles below
the doomed city. The high-road
coming down in a southeasterlv di-
rection from Arras was cleared to
Sapignies, about three miles north
west of Bapaume.
BRITISH troops have now crossed
this northern high-road to Favreuil
which lies three miles south-south-
east of Sapignies and about three
miles northeast Of Bapaume. At the
same time some of the Anzacs
pushed yesterday directly east to
Avenses, which is hardly more than
half a mile west of the tottering
German base.
Unofficial reports from the front
coming through from Ottawa last
night, said that British patrols had
entered Bapaume. These Canadian
bulletins also said that further
north, i'll the Sensee Valley region.
the British had driven east as far as
bullecourt. which lies seven miles
northeast of Bapadm and is on the
old Hindenburg line.
Field Marshal Haig's night com
munique did not confirm this last
claim. But it indicated substantial
progress all the way up from Ba-
paume to Arras. East of Albert
the British advanced to Mametz.
Mametz Wood and Contalmaison
, ON the way toward Combcs. They
also gained ground east of Bray.
which fell on Saturday. Thousands