Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-19
nj STRATEGY
MOVED BY DRIVE
S<ry Yard of Ground
aimed Influences Result
of Battle
ALTERS GERMAN PLANS
Enemy Underestimated Amer.
ican Army and Waited
Too Long
ALTERS GERMAN PLANS
BY LIEUT.. CEN. MAURICEe
FORMER Director Of Operations of the
British Army
= Dill. .Jx,s
Special Gable to Erening Public Ledger
Copyright. 1918, bv Nc,c rorI: Times Go.
49, nuSlon .T,l1y 10

u. 0pbriOHf IHfe, pD NCic ) cfis ! fil'lfN o.
London. July 10.
General Foch has always preached
that defensive attitude is no de-
I gfense, and we ma" be sure that the
ftfore Is that he has not had the neces.
sary means Therefore. this counter
attack of his, quite apart from the
splendid results which it has achieved.
Z q an indication that the means are
I coming to hand. and that the painful
I period in which we have had to sit
I still and receive blows. instead of 60.
Z ing forward to deliver them, is
brought to an end.
Every soldier hates a defensive. be-
* cause 1t means the surrender of his
will to that of the enemy. II means
2 uncertainty. hesitation. and at the
avery best the postponement OF de.
4 clslon by the enemy. and not obtain.
! Ing decision for himself.
All who have followed the course
OF this years campaign must now
realize that the deep.rooted belief that
defense is necessarily more eco
1omical of life than an offensive is an
Z Illusion. A successful, attack is almost
always much less costly tnan an un-
successful defense. and as between
an unsuccessful attack ana unsuccess-
ful defense there is little to choose
Foch's Attack inexpensive
In this present battle the Germans
have lost more heavily than the Al.
les because fheir attacks, have failed;
but we may be sure that this last at
stnek of Foch's has not so far been
expensive because it has obviously
been made with great skill
1t has. in fact. all the distinguish
ing marks of generalship. for it has
achieved surprise and has been made
- direction in which every yard of
sground gained must directly infiu.
ence the course of the battle.
This front between the Aisne and
the Marne, which Foch has attacked,
Is the German front for the advance
on Paris from the northeast, and 1t
n In almost certain that the enemy has
= qnvpreparing for such an advance.
He will now have to begin most of
lehis Preparations afresh and wiH have
10 light to be able to do this. for
Focf1's advance has not only driven
the enemy further back from Paris.
but has struck at the main artery
through which the German troops in
the great salient made by the Crown
Princes advance of last month are
fed.
The Montagne de Paris, which Is
-.
dominates Scissors. and even # the
Germans succeed in holding the town.
the railways passing through it can
be so dominated by French guns as
to be useless to the enemy. The
Montague de Paris was captured by
Manoury in 1914 during the Franco
British advance to the Aisne after
the battles Of the Ourcq and Marne.
and 1t brought with it the prize of
0olssons.
Can Hamper Germans
Conditions are now altered very
materially. and II they have trenches
AROUND the town II Is quite possible for
the Eermans TO hold It while the French
are on the heights TO the south: but
none the less the chances of the place
being recap ptured look rosy, whether II
ID rstaken or not. So long as the rail-
4 Wny junction can be kept under French
Z gunflre It should be quite impossible for
the Germans to bring up the vast
amount Of material required for an at
tack upon Paris from this side, ana
dinlcult for them to keep their troops
along the Marne supplied with food and
Ammunition.
Unlike the Crown Princes effort
Foch's blow has. therefore. in a few
hours obtained definite strategic results
3 and this is more to the point than conf
parisons of the depth of the two ad-
vAnces and Of the captures made, though
they are In favor of the Allies. The
Germans In the last four davs have
!. nowhere penetrated further than six
miles, while the French had by noon
yesterday rushed the Germans back
eight miles to the south of Soissons
The French are already able to claim
considerable captures Of guns while in
his fourth midday communiQue since the
battle started Ludendorff cannot boast
of one.
II will be noticed that he makes a
great story OF the failure of large united
counter-attacks to the south of the
Marne These were Foch's local efforts,
which have gained for him the high
( GPound south OF the Narne from which
the French are able to shell the bridges
over the river. counter-attacks which
= have kept the enemy busy and occupied
Ms attention while real united effort
% 3 twenty-fve-miie front between
s Fcntenoy and Belleau Wood, famous for
4 the frst efforts of the American troops
IN this part of the front, was being pre-.
{ pared.
~ Americans Are Successful
sf. II II certain that the Americans have
taken part in the latest development of
%fhe battle. but at exactly what part we
e ~ not yet know but. since the attack
4 has gained ground on the whole front.
II 10 obvious that they have been sue
eeseful IT is a very high trial for new
i 1foouo 10 take part in "a surprise attack
which has been hastily prepared. as
( 4nfa one must have been, and American
x nDl1tors have every right to be proud of
" 1h64r achievement.
n laaks very much as II Hindenburg
~ waited too long, and in this second
MANA % the Marne as II might rightly
81 f467uflled for the Crown Princes attack
~ l6ot month was really the battle OF
!. ~ Ajspe. he has made the mistake OF
Z {1of6g 6gtimsting the American army
i ~ - . predecessor of his in the FIRST
M>1lo Of the Marne underestimated the
81 alsh army. and paid the penalty.
~ II q counter-attack. the real pur-
kt ~ which In &c upset the enemy q
:. - ~ attack. and not an offensive
~ to break right Through the Ger
& frent. and II II in the highest de-
10 impfsbable that Foch could have
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