Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-10
WAR AT HIGH SPEED

DARIS AND AMIENS are no longer in
serious danger, but war prophets are.
The present summer has seen history in
its most mercurial mood. The peril Of
thinking too precisely on the event" has
been repeatedly manifested. Hindsight has
provided the safest trench, and yet even
the Interpretation of past occurrences has
not been fully standardized. Explanations
Of Ludendorff's real intentions and of his
defeat still vary. Estimates Of the scope
of Fochs counter offensive undergo daily
revision.
The significance of Haigs brilliant ad-
vance on the Amens front raises addi-
tional problems. Conservatives and en-.
thusiasts alike have been confuted by the
whrlgig of epoch-making circumstances
set in motion since July Is. Battles have
been won, campaigns fought with such
startling swiftness that the most sensa-
tional representations seemed tame beside
the actual happenings.
The war is in a state of fux. Measure.
ments of ground gained are no longer
given in yards, but in miles. On March
81 Germany began to operate on that
scale. On July Is the Allies and America
adopted the same standard for their own
glorious purposes.
The specific meaning of the great new
battle in Picardy is dependent on many
possibilities. The passage Of the initiative
to the British is, Of course, clear. 1t is
perfectly evident that Second Marine"
turned the whole tide of the war and
smashed the large aspect of the German
| plan to win this summer. Haig's speedy
drive still further emphasizes the splendor
| of the changed situation.
The immediate results of his present ac-
| ton are, however, affected by a host of
contingencies. 1t is possible at this writing
| to read in his success an astonishing COL
lapse of German military efficiency, as
based on man-power. The recapture in a
| few days of territory painfully wrested
from the Germans in the course of weeks
| during the Somme offensive of 1916 might
suggest the beginning of Hun debacle.
On the other hand, the comparative ease
| with which the Franco British armies have
advanced may indicate that a general dis
aster is still far off, but that the imperial
general staff has determined to play a de
| fensive game in the most effective way for
the remainder of the year.
| In that case. the best military strategy
would obviously order a retirement to the
strongest positions available without toe
| great sacrifice of ground. This was Hin.
denburg's game two years ago, and il
worked well enough to prevent Britain and
| France from winning the war before Rus
sia betrayed the cause.
A third possibility involves not so much
the breakdown of the entire Teuton mill
tary machine as bad functioning in onl,
a part of it, 1t Is well known that the
Crown Prince in Champagne was com
PEELED to call upon the reserves from
| Prince Rupprechts army in Flanders
Realizing that this force was weak, Haie
| may have determined to make the mos
of a golden opportunity.
The design of an offensive is open tt
innumerable amendments. Plainly thu
Allies are now determined to go as fal
as they can without wasting reserves OF
falling into trap. Anything more detinit,
in the general plan of operations can no
now be foreseen.
|. For the last three weeks the bulletin.
of victory have been so resplendent tha
the temptation to speculate should be re
sisted. We have won signal successes, ant
can at last afford to await the next com
muniques, not with trepidation, but with
hope.