The sun., 1918-08-28
WEAKEN GERMANS.
FOCH'S AIM NOW
Allied Leader Paving Way for
Delivery of Final Blow
When Time Comes.
ny H. sIDEBOTHAM.
One Of the Foremost Military Critics
In Europe.

In Europe.
Special Gable Despatch to THE SuS from the
London Times Service.
Copyright. 1918: all rights reserred
LONDON, Aug. 2T.-To-day brings
another example OF what. to use a
musical metaphor. may be described as
arpeggio tactics Of attack. A new note
has just been struck by Marshal Foch
in the region Immediately east of Arras.
where our retirement before the German
offensive early this year was least
marked. Between the Scarpe and
Cojeul. where Gen. Byng is attacking,
the total depth OF our retirement was
little more than four miles. The capture
Of positions at Monchy. Guedappe and
Wancourt brings US close at this end
of the line to the old Hindenburg line.
Unfortunately the good weather in
France seems TO have reached an end
though the subsoil here, like that OF
Flanders further north. is fairly hrm
The going near the rivers Is bound 10
be bad II the weather turns wet
Further south we are Just west Of
Croiselles. which is some miles west of
Bullecourt. the scene Of some Of the
worst fighting during the summer OF last
year. Mory, where such fine resistance
was made to the German advance this
spring, has been left behind.
out OF Bapaume and south of that
city We are still some distance short
OF the Peronne road, but our troops are
believed to have passed Longueval. pre-
sumably the high wood where SO many
brave men died during the Somme
battle Along the Somme River we are
once more approaching Maricourt
Our progress. especially near Arras,
has been very satisfactory and not very
costly. There IL still a certain amount
Of misundersta nding concerning the
main military objects OF the present
fighting. These operations are not de-
signed to break through" In the old
fashioned way. What we are doing Is
TO take advantage of the fact that a
revolution is now going on in the Ger
man General Staff
After the 1916 Somme battle, when
Hindenburg had Just come into power.
the enemy began a new orientation of
his military policy. and the FIRST pas
sage In the new policy was the So
called voluntary retreat from the
Somme. but what really was a deferred
dividend" The Germans propose TO
repeat this manpuvre now and to arrive
back of the old line by the time winter
sets in.
Marshal Foch is hurrylng that retreat
harassing it at every step and with
every means in his power. but he Is not
anticipating the moment when our de.
csive blow ought TO be struck. We are
not ready yet to strike once, strike nc
more" That moment will come wher
our strength has reached its maximum,
and when the enemy's powers are a,
lowest ebb. This may come next year
or year after next.
In the meantime our immediate bust.
ness is to infilct the heaviest possible
loss on the enemy with the minimum OF
loss to ourselves and above all to re
tain the initiative. When their retrea
began In 1917 the Germans for some
time had been on the defensive, excep,
at Verdun, and must hsve had in their
minds for some time the alternative re-
treat. for they made elaborate prepare.
tions for It.
Not so now. We know that right III
TO the time Of Foch's great victories In
July the German high command still
chung to the idea that II might be posi-
BILE to finish the war by a "breal
through" Since then they have suffered
succession OF defeats worse than any
thing they have had in the whole war
and Is II likely they have their new de-
fensiye lines In anything like a complete
state of preparation?
What they want above all things /!
time to prepare to settle down, and tina
is precisely what Marshal Foch is deny
Ing them. 1t Is possible, but not likely
thet We can keep up the pressure, but d
we can we may be able TO prevent thu
Germans from settling down in theil
new defensive lines, We may overrur
these lines At any rate, II Is our dut,
to take fullest advantage OF the momen
when the enemys plans are In state o.
transition. as are the Germans now.
Enough mischief has been done on the
western front by pressing our STROKES
We began these ambitious offensives n
least two years before there was an,
chance OF carrying them through Thes
abortive attacks stood In the way OF ou
success In other fields where success
would have been likely.
Our present attacks evidently belonl
10 different sphere of military thought
far removed from those early plumbers
Retaining the initiative ~ not IA mer,
phrase. but tremendous reality, ant
nothing Is more certain than that II tn
Germans had been allowed to retreat o,
their own time they would now be build
ing defensive Tine OF Formidable
strength. Ia following his retreat W.
e not only defeat lis new defence plan.
but defeat also his project ed offensive he
fore 1t has time 10 dev.lop