Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-11
WORLD WAR STORY
IN BRIEF OUTLINE
More Than -Four Years of Unparalleled Strife, in Which
Humanity Has Won Signal Triumph Orer
Forces of EUii


many.
II was in March of last year that the
whole German army on thd western
front Withdrew to the famous IIindcn-
burg line, extending from Arras TO Sois-
sons The battle OF Arras. Begin on
April 9 and ended early in May,
brought slight gains to the Allies. The
battle OF Flanders. lasting from july to
December, resulted in the capture oil
Passchendaeles ridge and other gains
But tie crowning triumph for tile Allies
in the west OF this campaign came with
the battle OF Cambria, which began or
November 30 ana ended in December.
The battle was begun BY "tanka' with
out artillery preparation. The Iiinden-
burg line was penetrated and the Ger
mans were forced to retire on a front
OF twenty miles and TO depth OF sev-
eral miles Violent counter-attacks by
the Germans forced partial retirement
OF the Allies from part OF the line.
The Russian DebseIe
Russia. meanwhile. was in tie throes
OF revolution. Socialists and radi-
Gals formed a Government Under Kerr
ensliy. The Czar abdicated on March
10. Russian and German armies on the
east front rested on their arms. Ger
lAis-lt lOOh huN VI Itlt Iuil " bt4LO
Riga, thus threatening Petrograd GEN
eral Korniloff failed In his attempt to
seize power with a view TO restoring
order and prosecuting the war. Koren-
sky was overthrown b. the Bolsheviki In
November. Russia's obligatlqts to tho
Allies we-o repudisted and d separate
arillstice with a view TO immediate
peace, was negotiated with German.
to-,
Both automatically and inll.tariiy
Ttaiy's contribution 10 c!viiizat!on's We
tory was Of an inspiringiy explicit and
decisive order. Her prompt withdrawal
from the old Triple Alliance to which
she had been bound with Germany and
Austria, for defensive purposes alone.
relieved France from defending her
Savoy frontier. Her overwhelming ds-
feat OF Austria OH the plains of Venetla
this autumn lcf: crunbling Germany
Isolated.
Italy declared war on Austria on May
90, 1915. Her offensive over difficult
country toward the Tlentino and the
Case plateau was slow but determined
for nearly q year and u half In the
fall Of 1916 came Cadorna'a dashing
advance which won Gorilla and allnos.
opei.ed the way to Laibach.
The First Reverse
In May OF the following year the
Italians began u great Offensive In the
Isonao area. but when the Russian TIP.
heaval permitted the withdrawal Of
Austrian troops to the Italian front q
new Austro-German counter-dr!ve vas
begun In October ard the Italians lost
2S0.o0 men and thousands Of guns. The
Italians made a stand on the Piave and
Brenta rivers and opportune aid by
British and French halted the advance
of the enemy.
The defeat OF Caporetto. as this cam
paign has come to be called, WAS largely
occasioned By an insidious Hun propa-
ganda, whereby the italian morale was
perilously undermined The reor5aniga-
ton OF King Victor's army. now led By
General Diaz replacing Cadorna, 10 one
OF the most wonderful reversals OF form
in the whole history OF warfare.
III the belief that such a reformation
was impossible. Austria, prodded by
Germany. began a tremendous offensive
on the Italian front on June 15. 1918.
French and British troops aided Diaas
forces. with the result that Austrian
initiative proved a boomerang and the
italian armies stood immovably on the
line of the Piave river.
Triumph without Precedent
Italy's Victories of the past month
have been unparalleled. A half million
Austrian prisoners were taken before
General Won Weber signed the model
OF drastic armistices last Sunday. Trent
and Triest were regained before hos
tilities ceased.
The complete downfall of Austria un-
questionably put the final emphasis on
the seal of Germany's doom. The re-
cent battles were also unprecedented in
that the fortunes OF war, changed three
\ times on the Venetian plains-oncs
shcwily but actually ineffectively in
favor Of Austria and twice gloriously
for Italy.
British Win Palestine
The British In the East. who had suf-
fered large reverses in the Dardanelles
campaign. regained prestige in the latter
part of last year by brilliant work In
Palestine
Russia's disintegration into several IN
dependent States marked the beginning
Of the precent year. Upheavals OF. the
population in various parts OF the dis
tracted country and extending into ST.
beria were accompanied by civil wars.
political and social chaos, economic dis
organization and great suffering.
Ukrainia, one Of the independent States,
negotiated and signed peace pact with
Germany In February. and In March the
Bolshevik Government concluded a
peace treaty with the Central Powers,
thus ending for the time Russia's par
ticipation in the war on the side of the
Allies. Men and munitions thereupon
ware transferred by the German general
| staff from the east 70 the west front,
and the Hirdenburg hordes were enor-
mously strengthened.
Tho Brest-Litovsi treaty, under which
this betrayal Of the spirit of Russia was
erected. has been exposed as one OF
| the many heinou3 crimes OF treachery
and falsehood characteristics of Ger
many's course throughout the war.
These attributes were evidenced In the
Rumanian negotiations. which reduced
that land to impotence and to national
humiliation, and they have been listed
among the evils TO be corrected in the
just peace to be exacted in the arn,st!ce.
| IT cannot be denied that tho early
days Of 1913 were fraught with great
anxiety to the Allies and to the United
States. which in the interval of consid
ernbly less than a year had added more
than million OF its young men TO tn,
armies or freedom.
The tense feeling that prevailed II
hundreds of American families and hat
Its reflection In Government circles wa!
not relieved when the Teutons begai
their greatly advertised spring drive.
which they boastfully proclaimed wal
going to end the war In their favor. I
MAS ATnx -.
and in thirteen days by terrific masse(
, attacks tho Caf-rpana drova bacl- m,