New-York tribune., 1918-06-21

81 Tf1hEE nlOIlLNS ago LO-Qdy Luueu-
dorf struck his first blow in the
'' German offensive Of the present
year. We have therefore come to the
halfway mark in the campaign Of 1918.
Last year weather conditions were SO
unfavorable in August and September as
to paralyze the British offensive in Elan
ders. A repetition Of the climatic condi-
tions Of last year would preclude any
major German success after September !.
But, in any event, it is no exaggeration
TO say that we are at least half way
through the storm and stress of this
critical year.
What is there, then, to be said of Ger
man achievement, actual and relative?
Three months ago the greatest and best
trained German armies that had taken
the field sinca the days of the Marne
campaign, commanded by more expert
enced officers and vastly better equipped
for contemporary warfare, struck the
Allied lines between the Disc and the
Scarpe and scored one Of the notable
victories of the World War. Yet, de-
spite his great initial successes, the VIC
torious German was pinned down almost
at the edge Of the old devastated district
Of the Somme, with the road to Paris
still barred and with the union between
the British and the French armies main
tanned. The first battle of the campaign
ended far short Of any decisive result.
Less than three weeks later second
and lesser German blow, in Flanders,
resulted in local gains and local sue
cesses Of considerable magnitude, but
successes purchased at heavy cost. This
stroke, too, ended by failing either to
reach the Channel ports or isolate the
British and Belgian armies in Belgium
from the Allied forces in France.
Again, as in October and November,
1914, the road to Calais was securely
barred.
The third German operation, which
took place in Champagne, beginning on
May 27, was another considerable and
striking victory, again devoid of any
thing approximating final achievement.
Strong positions and valuable territory
were taken, together with many prison
ers and much war material, and the Ger
mans drew nearer to Paris than they
had been since the retreat from the
Marne, but once more they were checked.
Finally, on June 8, the fourth German
effort was made between the Disc and
the Avre, and ended in an immediate and
decisive check for the German, whose
losses recalled equally vain sacrifices
made at Verdun. Actually this fourth
and last great blow was parried within
three days, and the German broke off
the battle on the fifth day, having scored
an advance of a little more than eight
miles at the extreme point of penetration.
There are two standards by which we
must examine the Germans achievement
IN the first half of the campaign Of 1918.
What he has done must be considered in
relation to what he hoped to do and had
to accomplish to realize his own purposes.
He opened the fighting with successes
achieved by methods which took his
enemy by surprise and made profound
impression upon the world. Not since
the early days of August, 1914, had the
German in the West achieved anything
like the successes won between March
q and June 15. He had outguessed his
foe, and he harvested the fruits of su-
perior strategy and better tactics. His
haul of prisoners and guns, materials
and munitions recalled the booty of the
opening months of the war.
On the other hand, in tho first three