The Washington herald., 1918-08-19
HUNS PREPARE
POPULACE FOR
BIG RETREAT
Camouflage Late Defeat by
Alleging Generals Are
Shortening Lines.

Amsterdam, Aug. IL. Every
day articles appearing in the Ger
man press make it more apparent
that the Kaiser's government is pre-
pairing his people for a great retreat
! on the Western front.
Many OF the articles are undoubt-
edly inspired by the general staff, and
most OF them hint vaguely at i'm
! pending military disaster. yelling the
real situation under such terms as
! shortening of the front" and con
centric gathering of our armies"
Gen. Won Ardenne, in the Berlin
TagebIatt. is the most outspoken of
the military critics. He warns Ger
many OF an impending change of
position in q backward direction"
adding:
III. Notwithstanding the manner
in which the Germans have fIus-
trated the French attacks, a shorten
ing Of the front Is carried out, IL can
only be pointed out that the German
armies are standing in enemy couN-
try and that the war is now one OF
movement. The momentous decision
to give up the line OF the Marine will,
therefore. be no reason for great re-
joicings on the part Cf our enemies"
Foch Strategy Praised.
At the same time another famous
expert, Col. Gaedke. writing in ''vor-
waerts." warns Germany Of events
that may come" He gives extraordi-
nary praise to Gen. Foch's strategy.
which always does the right thing
at the right moment in the righ;
way"
The military writer of the Berlin
Lokal Anzeiger remarks that
change in the present line is posi-
bic. and even probable. The phrase,
a war Of movement sufficiently eX-
presses the fact that both parties
attacker as well as defender have
regained their liberty and may again
consider the battlefield as a chess
board. without clinging desperately
TO villages. heights. or even sec
tions." he says. 1T is Indifferent
whether troops move forward or
backward. so long as the adversary's
aims are impeded."
The Cologne Zeitung SAYS:
Gen. Foch's attack has caused
pessimism I'm Germany. The dismal
ones are going round with I heir
heads bowed. uttering lugubrious
cries and endeavoring behind the con-
else statements of the official re-
ports to discover all kinds of bad
suppressed events.
THE work OF the German supreme
army command should not be rem
dered more difficult or altogether vain
by chattering at home and on the
front, as occurred in the case of
the offensive begun on July IS"
Retreat Foreshadowed.
An article in the Vossiche Zeitung
clearly foreshadows a retreat. it
saws:
ut is not in the interests CT tnc
German army leadership to allow the
fighting front in France to stifIen.
! that Is to say, to revert TO a wal
! OF position. Our strength is in move
ment. Hindenburg has already shown
once by his. great retreat that with
out endangering the general situation
it is possible to bring movement into
a stin front also by change of posi-
ton to the rear. Viewed in this light.
I
advantage which lies for Germans in
the fact that they are standing deep
in the enemy's country. We have
therefore. at disposal as the field
of operations the whole area between
the German frontiers AID the pres 1T
:rcnt. TIE lines IN Sni,:h the two
opponents sta n opp site each othc"
are now so intricate. that somehow
, or other a solution p,:Isu b, 'ound.
Such intention as is connected with
the battles Of this year and ensuing
developments Is in the long run un-
bearable. Somehow or other this
situation must change.
do not allow yourselves % be de-
ceived. Further great events must
follow. To even a greater extent than
ourselves the French leadership hns
engaged itself SO deeply that It can
not break of the battle. and Is
forced to fight It out.