Evening star., 1918-06-02
HUNS USING Won HUTIN METHOD
IN ALL WESTERN FRONT DRIVES:
IS BATTLING TO ALLIED SKILL

mean 10 ieASe Tor next week the dn-
cussion OF the local values OF this latest
German effort So far II has carried
over the ground won by the French In
their costly attack OF q year ago and
the further gains made brilliantly and
ine1pensively by Petain a few months
ground occupied by them at the end Of
their retreat from the Marne IN 1910
and at points IL is bringing them very
near to the Marne itself.
Unless the French pivots OF Soissoas
and east of Rheims break the Germans
will soon have to halt. just a. they aid
in Flanders, and direct their attention
to clearing their tanks. for their wedge
10 becoming too narrow and deep for
comfort, or even for safety. On the
other hand. an advance Of four or ave
miles now will take them to the Aarne
and enable them to cut the Paris Cha
Ions Nancy railway. one OF the most
important Of French lines.
Before these lines are printed the
crisis in the present offensive will per-
haps have been passed. and certainly
have been reached. Unless the Ger
mans promptly widen their wedge they
viii have to stop. and when they stop
all past experience would indicate that
the halt will be for a considerable period
OF time, for allied reserves are coming
UP fast and are already engaged.
But. as have repeatedly said. a halt
in Champagne will almost infaiNbly
mean an attack in Picardy. in Artois o.
in Flanders. even conceivably in Lor-
raine. and Il will be profound error 70
hail a check in Champagne as having
more than local significance. The next
blow will be wherever the line has been
most weakened to meet the Champagne
thrust. and it's success viii be condi-
toned on the extent to which the weak.
ening has been carried.
SideHght on German Strategy.
An interesting sidelight as to Ger
man strategy may be gathered from
the following extract from the mil.
itary comment OF the Frankfurter
Zeitung:
1T can be regarded as the
intention of the German supreme
command first to loosen the whole
front Of stationary warfare and
to convert the stable wall of ce-
ment into an improvised front D.
consisting of masses OF reserves
and shaken at several points Of
vital importance-human bodies
| instead of armored works. As
| soon as this aim has been achiev-
| ed. and as soon as the whole po-
sition OF the English and French
armies has become, so to say,
ripe for storming, and the devei-
opment of the enemy reserves
has been forced. the time has
Il
strategic blow. Although the ex-
ternal phenomena of such STRAIT
egy are undoubtedly of extra
ordinary importance, the point
upon which everything depends-
the central point Of German STRAIT
egy in this battle-is completely
invisible.
1T is. no doubt. a matter of
very great importance whether
Amiens or whether the English
position on the heights in Flanders
falls; 1t is SO important because
the great English bridgehead on
our side OF the channel cannot
afford to lose too much ground
without the strategy of the west
ern powers being gravely impair
ed. and the bridgehead itself
being menaced. But the point of
| view which alone is decisive for
| the strategy of this campaign lies
beyond these outward and visible
battle successes. The ultimate
question Is the measure in which
the preparatory strategic opera
tfons eat up the forces on both
sides. When all the Introductory
blows have succeeded in loosen
ing the rigid mass and our army
undertakes the last and decisive
stroke, will the German command
| still have preserved 50 much
hghting strength that the favor
able strategic situation can be
| thoroughly exploited?"
Pessimism Not Warranted.
And now one word as to the spirit
| in which we must all of US face the
| impressed in the last few days with
| the pessimism and apprehension
which have been produced by this
latest German attack. 1t seems to
me they are not warranted. and con-
tribute materially to helping the
German in his own particular game.
He is striking at our morale even
| more than at our lines. He hopes to
| conquer those behind the line even
when he only forces the line back .
few miles.
The gains which the German 10
making are considerable and dissp-
pointing. There is no blinking this
| fact. But, on the other hand. these
gains will not spell victory for him
If he does not vastly increase them,
shortening. He is using his best His
| own morale will not stand the present
pace indefinitely and he is con-
sciously seeking not gains. but a de-
the battle reports for the announce
ment. not of the fall of Rheims, but
of new Waterloo or Sedan. For that
public knows that nothing else will
avail.
Great Campaign in Human History
have constantly warned against un-
due optimism in recent works. and re-
peat the warning, but there is equal
reason to be on our guard against az
aggerated apprehension. We are in one
Of the great campaigns of human his
tory. and In the third month OF IL the
German is still far-very, very far
from his victorious peace. He has only
four. or at most only 1--WE. months more
of campaigning weather and each month
brings more than 100000 Americans to
France. Long before October his own
casualties will compel the German to
abandon the attack ~ he has not hrou~ht
off the victory, and that victory is not to
be discovered in what has u4ppeneu so
far.
Next week / shall analyze this third
battle Of the Aisne in detail. but I de-
sire my readers to keep in mind what ]
have said above abou. tns 5.i mall vp-
Jective, which. believe. is comprehended
in seeking by a series of blows delivered
at weak points to produce a general dis
location Of the allied front and conse-
quent disorganization and defeat of the
allied armies Getting Amiens or Calais.
reaching the channel or the Marine. will
be important rather as they contribute
to the grand result than because or their
own importance.