New-York tribune., 1918-03-06
Haig Says Cambrai Reverse
Aided Hard Pressed Italians
Field Marshal Declares Germans Diverted Toro -
Critical lime-Victory Was Within Grasp When
Enemy Launched Surprise Attack

LONDON. Monday, March 4.-The
War Office tonight made public long
dispatch from Field Marshal Sir Doug
las Haig covering the much discussed
battles on the Cambria front last No
vember. It relates in much detail how
the operations were carried out, tells of
the successes a. first achieved. and al
ludes. quite as frankly, to the subse-
quent reverses which compelled with
drawal from territory that had been
captured, no blame being imputed to
any one for this latter occurrence.
Discussing the reasons for the deci-
sion 70 attack on the Cambrai front.
Field Marshal Haig says that the re-
peated assaults in Flanders had caused
q weakening OF the enemy's line else
where and that OF these weakened sec
tors that Of Cambria was deemed the
most suitable for the surprise opera
.ion contemplated, the ground being
favorable for the employment of tanks.
;he plan being to dispense with pre-
vious artillery preparation, which would
have prevented secrecy, and depend in
stead on the tanks to smash their wav
through the enemy's wire
Believed Time Was Ripe
Tne enemy writes the field mar
shall, was laying out fresh lines Of de-
fence behind those which he had al
ready completed Gil the Cambrai front.
and it was to be expected his troops
would be redistributed as soon as our
pressure in Flanders relaxed He had
already brought large forces from Rus
sia in exchange for divisions exhausted
IN the struggle in the Western theatre
and 1t was practically certain that
heavy relnforcements would be brought
from the East to the West during the
winter
against the arguments in favor OF
immediate action | had to weigh the
fact that my cwn troops had been en-
gagged many months in heavy fighting
The conditions of the struggle had
greatly taxed their strength. Only a
part Of the losses OF ny divisions had
been replaced. and many OF the re-
Gently arrived draft were still far from
beng fully trained and included in the
ranks Of the armies
Eventually the British commander
decided IN favor Of immediate action.
The Plan of Attack
'The Infantry. the tanks and the ar
llllery, working in combination, he
continues were to endeavor to break
through al the enemy's lines of de-
fence on the first day. II this were
successfully accomplished and the
situation developed favorably. cavalry
were then 10 be passed through to raid
the eneny's communications. disorgan-
lze his system OF command, damage his
railways and interfere as much as pos
slole with the arrival Of reinforce
uents.
1t was explained to all the COM
manders that everything depended upon
secrecy up TO the moment Of starting
and aftsr that on bold determined.
rapid ation. Unless the opposition
could be beaten down quickly no great
results c,uld be looked for"
The attack. the field marshal notes.
was startd at $50 o'clock on the morn
ing Of NGember 20. The spectacular
successes which first attended it have
been told N the correspondents re-
ports written at the time. 1t was on
the last dg of November that the tri-
umpn began TO give way TO disaster
At the Torthern END Of the Bonavis
Ridge and IN the Gonnelieu sector" the
commander relates. the swiftness with