Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-05-20
FocH's GREAT GAME
Allied Commander Is Waiting Like
Cat for the Time to Jump .


it may be profitable to take account OF
stock not only in that region. but in the
general field of the war.
We have been close to the great night
and the press has been filled with so
many details that the larger strategy OF
the campaign has been lost sight Of
When the Germans have forced the
British back on a sector ten 0r twenty
miles long we have said that it looks
dark for the Allies, because we have seen
nothing but the point where reverses
have come. But we know now that the
Germans have gained ground end moth
ing else in their most recent drive. Cen
eral Foch has been playing with them.
He has been meeting their great mass
drives with destructive machine-gun tlre
and when the cost of holding a position
became too great he las withdrawn and
saved his men. This has led the Ger
mans farther from their base and has
taken the British and the French nearer
to their bases. The plan has been to
destroy as many Germans as possible
with the least possible loss of men. Gen
eral Maurice has reminded us that Gen
eral Foch has always preached economy
of force and the importance of holding
reserve in readiness for decisive action.
Now it is announced that General
Foch has been holding his French re-
serves almost intact and has been using
them only when necessary to sustain the
A. tbo Gold
The Germans have discovered what has
been happening to them. They have
been drawn in two places into water
logged ground where they can be cut to
pieces. They have temporarily sus
pended action in large numbers until they
can bring up rc-enforcemcnts to renew
their attempt to break through. Cen
eral Foch is likely to meet them again
with the same tactics, compelling them
to pay heavily for every mile that they
gain. And when he has them where they
are within his power he will strike
quickly and with overwhelming force.
All this is indicated bv the official state
ments given out. So there is no reason
for dScouragement when we read in the
dispatches that the Germans have gained
ground here or there. They are expected
to gain for some time to come.
But the time is coming when they can
gain no more. There are two reasons for
this belief One is the great army which
we are raising in the United States The
British and the French can hold shift
ing line and prevent the Germans from
breaking through until our armies are
in France. There seems to be no doubt
of this now.
The other reason is the waning man
power of Germany. When the war began
the Kaiser had an army Of 100000 men
in the field This had grown to 4,6O0,0
in August, 1915, and on August I, 1916,
his army contained 6,SOOOOO men, the
largest number he has had under arms at
any time. A year later it had shrunk to
100000 and at present he has only
100000, or 100000 less than nine
months ago. He is likely to lose three
or four hundred thousand more before
the fourth year of the war ends. At
present he is losing at the rate Of more
than a million men {. year. 1t is not
possible to recruit more than 100000.
From now on, therefore, his army will
grow progressively smaller with every
year and the army of the Entente Allies,
re-enforced by the Americans, will EroI'
progressively larger. There can be only
one outcome, and that is defeat for mill
tary autocracy.
The Germans, we know, are counting
on re-enforcements from the Ukraine.
but unless they change their tactics there
they are likely to need some of the
soldiers on the western front to repress
an insulrection which their brutal meth
ods are slowly fomentinG among a peace
full people.
In the meantime there will be des-
perate attempts to force a decision in the
field before we can get our men across.
But we are assured that l,500 900 Amer
lean soldiers will be in France before
the end of the year. We are likely to
have 100000 there before August /.
If we keep these facts in mind
during the summer we shall be able to
read the war news without discourage
ment when there are apparent German
victories, for Germany is already de-
feated and the German generals and
statesmen doubtless know it.