Evening star., 1918-05-30
RELY ON SH|F TING
RESERVES TO WIN
Allies SkilIfuIy Maneuver as
Warfare Settles Into
New Phase.
FORM DEFENSIVE RELAYS
BY PAUL SCOTT MowRER.

. SbsWu S6s ebvSsve tes0s
BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.
Cablesram to The Evening Star and
Chicago Daily News. Copyright. 1918.
WITH THE FRENCH ARMIES. May
29.-The allied retirement seems to
have been carried out in excellent or
der, according to the methods Of the
latest and best defensive tactics. The
entire war has entered new phase.
Until this year 1t has been chiefly
trench warfare. in which each side
has struggled desperately to hold
highly organized positions. At the
present moment individual positions
are Of little Importance. The war
consists, as of old, in strategical ma
neuver Of reserves. The side finding
itself overwhelmed by superior num-
bers keeps retiring as far as may be
necessary to give it's own reserves
time to arrive.
Guiding Principles.
The principles governing an often
sive may be stated as follows:
1. Amy position can be taken by the
All that is necessary is a sufficient
tombardment. This bombardment
may either continue for several days.
methodically destroying the enemy's
osEsnisations oso,snay may tar
hours with plentiful use of gas
shells.
tack will be in proportion to It's
width. Thus an attack on a two kilo-
meter (1.2 mi1e) front may progress
only q few hundred yards, while an
attack on a forty -kilometer Owenty-
four miles) front Is almost certain to
progress several kilometers.
prise by concentrating the attacking
force far behind the front. only bringing
it into position by night marches.
4-Surprise always means that the
assailant will possess superior numbers
during the initial stages Of an offensive.
In view Of these facts. both the Germans
and the allies have adopted a defensive
system far different from the old line OF
trenches, into which all the defenders
were crowded. Under the new system,
the first line consists merely Of a thin
line of outposts. One or two kilometers
(.6 or 1.2 miles) behind the outposts is
the first defensive position. or rather
zone, and several kilometers behind the
first zone is the second, all forming part
~~~e~s S~NSA@sSS
Moved by Night Marches.
These principles should be kept clear
y in mind by those who desire to un-
derstand the present campaign. The
German divisions were concentrated
about one hundred klometers (sixty
nilesl within their own lines and were
moved into position strictly by night
marches, some reaching the battlefield
only Just In time to take part In tho as
sAult
Tho preparatory bombardment, begin
ming at midnight, was Of great violence,
quickly rendered the entire first zone al
most untenable. This zone extended
e1ong the high. narrow. irregular ridge
eorth Of tho Aisne. called the Chemin
II James zane an 49,. a..
Afantry left the trenches The principal
enorfs were to turn tho ridge at both
ends on the east by tho plain Of Rheims
ana on the west by the Crouy plateau.
Tne maneuver was successful The
nont attached was held by French and
English divisiona The Germans march
Cd to the assault with more than twenty
divisions. The odds wer Irresistible.
~ soon a. it became apparent that the
Germans were turning the eastern end
os c tne noge By Craonne it was evident
tnat II would be necessary to retire
across the Asne, a. no reinforcements
could b expected the same day.
Retreat Foot by Foot.
The allies. therefore. began to re-
treat foot by foot. The units were
echeloned In depth according to the
saeesf stesn tacties; a. sn This Tn. means that in
lighting side by side in one line the
allies. despite great numerical in
Ier1orfty, formed relays of defense.
Ine outposts. retreating slowly,
uttered back through the FIRST line
Mnicn. IN turn. filtered slowly back
through the second line. thus always
opposing relatively fresh troops to
the enemy and afrordinE q cover
behind which the broken units could
rsunite before resuming the combat.
Tnanks to these tactics, the bulk of
crossed the Aisne safely.
u vas only toward the end Of the
DAY that the Germans began to reach
the banks Of the Aisne. About II
Ge,oek Sn1s .nd M0nday 1.G night the moon rose
presasing Q change from the sunny.
sultry weather Of last week. Toward
morning q cold wind sprane up.
Tuesday was cool and clouds were
gathering.
Weather Of Prime Importance.
This matter Of the weather is Of
prime importance. Wet ground
means great difficulty in moving guns
and supplies for the attacking force
because the latter has to cross the
old battlefield where there are no
roads. On the other hand, cloudy
weather hampers aviation, in which
the allies thus far have shown great
supertortty. Tho speed with which
French avfators can be Concentrated
vas shown by the experiences Of
March 81. One big unit received an
order In the afternoon. moved the
eerodrome moro than $50 kilometers
(ntnety miles) during the night. and
by the next afternoon had more thar
1e0 planes in the battle. Some Of
the bombarding planes. in proceeding
10 the new aerodrome. new over the
enemys lines on the way and dropped
bombs on them.
An idea Of the important role avia-
fion may play in the present battle
can also be obtained by reference To
the role played by 1t in the last offen.
sive, when, during the first three
weeks. French planes between Chauny
and Amiens made more than 1900
sorties. had $50 fights. made more
than 130 Photographic expeditions.
taking moro than 5000 pictures.
dropped moro than $50 tons Of ex,
plosives. felled nfty-four German