The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-04-12

morale"
Well, he saw from the first that
the British and their American kin
were the supreme enemy to his am
bition. If democracy must first be
slain, Britain and America were
clearly the enemy.
The. first need, therefore, was
feet-the German built a fleet. And
as commercial conquest could go in in
peace" Germany carried on a COM
mercial brigandage called peaceful
penetration" which was soon making
the whole German people so affiuent,
that the idea of the German dominion
over the whole world became an alb
solute necessity, as well as a dream,
in every German home. All solid OPP
position was soon silenced.
So rapid was the triumph of this
vast commercial treachery in every
Industrial field thmat one is amazed
to think of the arrogant folly of Ger
many in going to war at all before her
commercial conquest of the world was
complete.
, However, from the Kaiser to the
scavenger, every activity and nerve
and energy of the whole people were
set on the conquest of the whole
world:
How was it to be done?
1t was certain that if Germany
boldly attacked Britain, France would
at once leap at the chance to fly at
the Germans throat, and would bring
Russia with her. Therefore, Britain
| and America must be tricked into neu-
trality until France and Russia were
| first smashed and rendered power
| less-this would have the added ad-
vantage of seeing the German assault
on Britain being carried out, not only
with a sullen and deserted France
| looking on aloof-or, rather, what re-
manned of France-but with Ger
many at the sea- gates of Britain and
commanding the Channel.
There were then set up two plans
of campaign. The ultimate plan,
which we had better call the first, or
| supreme, plan of campaign-indeed
| the German knew full well that it
must: be the supreme and final act
was to attack France and Russia. The
| latter would be held off defensively-
| as the slower to get into action but
| the more dangerous when once set
going-until France was rapidly and
utterly crushed, when the invincible
German legions, flushed with victory,
would turn and rend Russia assunder,
Britain and America being lured into
neutrality the while. As this would
give Germany a new frontier across
the north of France to the mouth of
the Somme, the whole of the Channel
| oil o,,,
enemy would be in complete possess
sion of a jumping off ground for the
conquest of Britain and America.
Note that the French fleet would
bring up the German strength and
complete the degradation of Britain's
sea-poWer.
Two Great Plans of Campaigns.
Perhaps the best way to make your
ordinary man realize what this would
have meant for US all is for him to
grasp what Alsace-Lorraine has meant
to Germany since 1870. If Germany
had not had Alsace-Lorraine she
could not have armed her troops nor
munitioned them for this world-war,
for three out Of every four tons of
German iron comes out of Lorraine;
|
of her guns, machine guns, submarines,
battleships, baynets, rifles, shells,
three out of every four bombs dropped
out of the night sky on London town,
all come out of Lorraine.
Will thse who clamor for peace try
and think?
From sheer ignorance, our then
pro-German court and government
betrayed France in 1870 by allowing
Alsace-Lorraine to be torn from her,
and we are today fighting a Germany
that could not have fought US without
Alsace-Lorraine. 1t is worth brood
ing upon this, our deserved punish
ment. Is there any man of real
British blood today who would con-
sent to betray France again?
This first plan of campaign was
clearly going to be a dangerous and
9, colossal adventure; but there was a
second plan of campaign that would
make it a dead certainty. If the Sec
ond. plan of campaign could only be
quietly completed before the bugles
sounded for the great advance to the
conquest of the world, the world
would be half won
, This second plan Of campaign of
the German strategy for the conquest
of the world was of prodigious value
to the fulllment of the first plan, as
we shall see, and its skill and design
show German strategy at its highest.
1t is quite simple, and deadly as sim
; pie, and if won and consolidated, the
first plan is also absolutely secure.
. Why the press and the public were
l blind to it, and have been kept in
, darkness so Iong-why they are
7 blind to it still-passes the wit of I'M
: official man to say. Every man ought
5 to have had it clearly put before him
: the day that war broke out, and his
: not knowing it now is an absolute
t danger to all. However, here it is
and as it is that on which victory OF
= defeat for US all now hangs, it would
kbe just as we'll for every man to try
: and get grip of it.
Before attacking France and Rus
e STA. and striking his first great blow
Y in his first plan of campaign, the
l. German saw that he could make him
self a hundred=fo1d more powerful
e and secure for his assault on Britain
on ''the Day" by carrying on the
e mastery tradition he had learnt
4 from Bismarck of first increasing his
war machine to its uttermost power
: To do his best-fn other words, tc
prepare and perfect second and
: more overwhelming machine for the