Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-09-15
GERMAN OFFENSIVE
EXHAUSTED ITSELF
Almost Impossible for Attacking
Side to Score Decisive Vic
tory These Days.
ARMIES CAN FALL BACK
While They Are Doing So, AS
saults Fall by Their
Weight.
ARMIES CAN FALL BACH


magnitude OF modern battles makes II
almost Impossible for the attacking
side 10 score decisive victory, pro
rided the defensive side has enough
room a, it's back TO Civ. ground untii
the force OF the blow is spent;
In Picardy. on The Lys ::nn on INC
greatly superior force OF shock troops
10 those holding the allied positions.
sprinkle the back area and hreak up
the allics' organization ana transport.
they packed into their 'front.' iiucs an.
unprecedented number OF trench NOR
tars and machine guns and then sprans
thcir surprlSc.
Their initial blows made "a,
butchcry in lives that only German;
Would consent I" pay IN so brief
fcnsivc positions OF the British ana
French tespeGiNe!y Then over the
hurled countless relieving divisions,
each unit preceded by vcri,ablc cloud
OF machine gunncrs and crews carry
ing portable trench mortars. Ludeu-
dorm seems to have solved the prop.
lon ~ keeping these weapons in am
munition by detailing entire commands
10 carry up belts OF cartridges and
tic big projcctilcs hurled by the
'iminnies. heretofore the creates,
difficulty has always been encountered
in supplying advanced orcnance OF any
description. bu; the enemy apparently
hpldl Gusdrupled his Carrying parties.
assault came the German road builders
putting Ia shape existing highways
and laying corduroy ;horouGhiarcs ror
motor trucks 10 fc:ch up supplies anu
iroouS. Furthermore. they laid dowi.
narrow gauge railways RICH, at Inc
heels Ui TIA" advancing troops. Since
the operations We're intcnd>i break
throushs" and there was no limitation
OF obycctiscs, prepared material Rad
been placed Ia readiness behind the
lines 10 enable gains TO be exploited 10
Their fullcst
NOT ENOUGI MATERIAL
ron EVERY EMERGENCY
Iigt despite all the careful fore
thought OF the enemy high command
pairing for every forcseen eHentuaiity.
enough material could not he stored
IN readiness fo- every enlsrsency. ana
smother tn. allied airm.n.
Instead. tho British and French. ably
arc spi.ni.lcd through almost every
cscadrilic behind the front, rose to the.
occasion mngntnccntly, machine gun
ming German troops in the open, shoot
ing iown German machine Eunners ana
fcIG gun crew.. and ccaScicssly bomD-
ing roads and bridges which II was
vitality Important that lie enemy keep
open ia order to feed ana supply his
adNanCin. waves.
As tho Germans nushed their ad
Nanccs deeper and deeper into hastily
,pnStructrG liprS OF ccinihu lCttlOn pc
came markedly longer, More ana
more rivers ana streams were crossed
and bridgcd, and more ana more tar
gets were offered 10 the relentless al
lied bombing aviators.
Further il became necessary for the
Germans 10 move Mp the bulk OF their
reserve TROOPS closer in support be-
hind the UNITS actually in the line.
These troops were unable TO find the
snug hombproot shelters in the newly
captured terrain tnat they had hunt -"
labor!ously behind their original posi-
tons, as allied planes had better cp-
porttnitics 10 spray the enemy troops
ON The march, al rest, or Divouack"J
with machine gun itrc.
Finally in All OF the drives, the ad-
vance came 70 a stop. Not through
bloody costly CONTEMPLATING by the
French and british. which would have
caused them to draw upon their care
fully guarded reserves, put by the
clumsy weight OF the advance itself
and the insistcnt activities OF the AVA
tors, who never left the lines OF com
munication alone for a moment. day or
night After the situation began 10
stabilize. allied countcrattacks were
launched to thrust the enemy out o,
such dominating positions as he haa
reached al the !urthcst points, but ina,
WAS all The offcnSives, destined and
| proclaimed by the Kaiser himself as
4 being aimed AT decisive victories. spent
I themselves by very exhaustion from
4 the allied retirement and incurred
IJosscs which HudcnburG could IL! ar
4 ford wiki the United states Army al
4 ready in force on these SHOES ana Win
buDi old hordcs more en- r'utc.
H When the allies assumed the ohcn-
isivt. on large scale it quickly became
manifest that a master thii< was az
lrccting the assault ana q master hann
was Al bhe helm The encmy'S Wanted
in Gcncralsnlp. In strategy
Hin the science OF modern warfare. be-
Icamc the laughing stock or the worIu.