The Washington herald., 1918-08-12
Yes, q Real Surprise.

AYERS of the enemy headquarters staff 1t is the
surprise of the American army-the German high
command and their military critics had so often
told their people and soldiers that the American
army was a myth. The Kaiser himself had sworn
by his own God that America could do nothing
against Germanys plans. In the way Of surprises,
they are well served today. American soldiers,
what soldiers they arel"
These are the words Of Gen. Malleterre, whose
military eritques in the the New York World are
the best of their type Americans are anxious to
hear every bit of foreign comment about their
army abroad and words like these golden, for
we are young enough in the to have faith in
our own invincibility and own dauntless
courage.
Nor will any of our allies grudge US any swell
ing of the Uranium which comes from these
dithyrambics the work of our troops, for
they have all been through the experience
themselves. Britain has Mons, which, although a
defeat made Gen. French's Contemplate little
army" immortal; and countless other prodigies
of valor for the nourishment of her national SOUL
France has the whole to reassure her of her
unconquerable
And America shares in the glory of the second
battle Of the Marne-but her share is yet a small
one although growing at magnificent speed
Here is the way Gen. Malleterre sketches the
surprise" which Germany launched last March
coming of the American army:
"On July IS, from Chateau de Thierry to Main
de-Massines, the new German offensive was
launched against the French army. 1t pretended
to drive back our Champagne armies from the
whole region embraced between the Asne and
the Marine, then to cross that celebrated river by
a colossal maneuver to separate our eastern
armies from Paris, and thereby reduce them to
hurried retreat, scmi-capitulaton.
a,d
were to be the trophies OF this victory which
would shape the destnies in favor of German
peace AT the present time, after three weeks oi
fighting. in 1914, the Germans retiring to-
wards the Aisne. Once again their colossal plan
has failed
The check is more serious than that in 1914.
Gen. Ludendorff's bulletins attempt to treat it as
negligible The withdrawal from Tardenois ranks
among the high strategic combinations of the Ger
man high command, just did their retreat in
1914 On both occasions went far the
Marne to attract the enemy reserves and give
them the pleasure of seeing the subtle and in
genious Germans file away before their eyes. Now
the German press, although much embarrassed by
the necessary change Of tone, persists in vaunting
the high commands tactical ability and insists thai
Foch and Petan lost more than three weeks and
numbers OF soldiers in bringing about the evacua-
ton of Tardenois and the Marine pocket. which wa:
d
the German armies being surprised impaired
in retreat which is but the necessary prelude to
and marvellous operations.
THE German newspaper bulletins go to a great
deal of trouble to prove that the surprise element
remains in the hands of the German high COM
mand; that one cannot compare what has just
happened in Tardenois to the magnificent, de-
eisive surprises of March and May II, from
which the allied armies have not yet recovered.
Gen. Ludendorf is preparing others of the kind,
the Germans assert If it be said that that of
July IS did not altogether succeed.
There was indeed a surprise, in the military
sense of the word, in March and May. Not that
the allied high command had not foreseen that
the German offensive would be extremely ener-
getc and would demand very powerful action, The
FIRST effect of the surprise perhaps in the sec
tors of attack but the principal surprise March
81 the rapid collapse of the Fifth British army.
This army succumbed and opened the roads to
the German hordes not so much on account oi
the manifest nferiorty of its electives, to lack
OF solidarity-the British soldiers were as always
remarkable, as they again east and southeast
OF Amiens-but because the high command wanted
TO defend the first line positions foot by foot,
always done in trench warfare. All defensive
efforts annhilated on the spot through Ger
toxic gases and their intensive bombardment
under successive assaulting waves. There remained
nothing IN the rear to check the impetuous ad-
vance OF the victor. French divisions arrived in
the nick of time, to form barrage, but only
between Montdidier and Noyon.
"The same thing happened on May II. The
French army, which held the Chemin-des Danes,
was really numerically inferior. The local high
command again wanted to hold, cost what it might,
the Chemin-des-Dames, and it used all its reserves
The result was the same as in March There was
nobody left to defend the Aisne and the magnif-
cent position the Vesle, and the Germans went
as far as the Marne doubt much stupehed at
being able to go so far, but they were carried
away intoxicated, by their unexpected success, out
OF which their defeat
But the lesson had served its purpose The
French high command henceforth master of the
general conduct of the war, has given new in
structions resulting in surprise effects which we
have already witnessed. 1t was the Germans turn
to be surprised. 1t is so in war Surprise follows