New-York tribune., 1918-10-13

following in explaining the
First Battle Of the Narne A lot of
ink has already been spilled on it. Here
is new insight on it, taken from re-
view by III NJ. T." in 1The Nation's
Iondon) of General Focn at the
Marne," by Charles lie Goffic, a wit
ness of General Foch's strategy The
Belloc explanation of the Marne is that
Foch saw breach in the German lines
and promptly thrust his army into it.
The new version makes the French gen.
eral out as much more audacious in the
face of desperate need. This is what
III. n. T." says about it:
"If there Is one war subject more than
another which needs a thorough sorting os
the mixed straws in the beard it is the First
Battle of the Marne. Anyhow, it does in the
case of my beard, and one of my straws is
the Russian myth Everybody in Francs
knew some one who had seen those Rus
SLAMS. One huge camp was near Chartres
I was shown Cossack caps which had come
from there. The Battle Of the Marne was
then engaged, and we had seen the historic
sortie OF cabs bearing Maunoury's men east.
anu ourselves were out near MeauX, WILL
Messing little of the affair. Like every
body else, had to believe there was soma
thing in that story of the Russians. Any
how, could not disprove it. With the
German right wing SO vulnerable, thso-
retically. what influence had that Rl1saian
myth on the minds Of the German gen.
erals? When we, who were getting cir
cumstantial evidence everywhere iii France
of the presence Of the Cossacks, could not
upset the story, how could the Germans
. ignore those Russians a possible factor
in what was undoubtedly a situation
fraught with gravity for their armies, In
spite of many victories? For certainly they
had heen informed the Russians were
there; and most ccrtzinTY they could MT bee
sure they were not.
-sT have but bored attention for
military history, and my interest in war it
self is the same for muck cretinism or bad
drains. I merely wonder why it is and wish
1t wasn't But the Marne keeps me won
dering and baff1ed as would a ghost stnry
in which ! to some extent concerned
| want to read whatever is SAID about t.
We know what happened there as the result
OF nine days battle, and can guess the tre-
mendous import of the detection it gave to
European history; perhaps the result of no
other battle ever of such deep consc-
quence. All that is clear
But Why did fate tip the beam that
way? In France, though some of US held 10
an entirely unreasonable faith that the
enemy would never take Paris, in spite OF
what Kitchener and the French government
thought, yet, when challenged, we could not
explain why. for we knew the facts were
against US. To have heard the guns af the
| Marine was as though once one had listened
to the gods contending for our destiny We
could not eat sleep; there was nothing
| we could do but to get close as possible
for an mixing Is to what was going to hap
| pen to
Reading this book Of NJ. LIE Gofiic's as
controversy, as romance and as a challenge
to pers 5lal memories. I have secured its
pages for quotation; but you Will have to
go without There is room. There is
too much that is excellent So.ne writer OF
the future centuries hencn will spell out
lie Goff1c on the fighting about the Tower
OF the Marshes at Mondemont It was the
key to the swamp of St Gond, the French
centre. The Tower held by the French
when, by every military theory, they ought
to have given it up; but at lass il was lost.
Then the French got it again, out of pure
cussedness, far the evidence shows;
because at the time they regained it Monde
mont had ceased to be anything but key
to door which was broken down Foch.
according to the books, was beaten. But
Foch, it appears, fond of quoting this
saying of Joseph de Maistre: "A battle
hiatt ,-,b; Oh
lose So while his battalions we're reduced
to sparse companies without officers, and
the Prussan Guard and the Saxons were
driving him back everywhere Foch, who
had borrowed the 42d Division from Cen
eral Franchet d'Esperey, kept reporting to
headquarters, The situation is excellent
Yet the AID had not arrived, and he con-
tinued TO retire
Now, contradiciing Belloc and the usual
cxplana IONS N. L. Gotfc declares that Foch
was unaware OF any gap IN the German
lines into which he promptly flung the op-
perfume 42d With bleak audacity he thrust
that borrowed division against the flank OF
the advancing Prussans, VINO were in ST.
perior force. The Prussians retired But
were they not already preparing to retire
And for what reason? When all SCENE d
lost, Foch won in the centre
why? There, the extreme Frencl,
left. where Manourys outfanking of Won
Kluck was itself being outfianked, the
fatigued ard outnrmbcrcd French soldiers
were expecting the worst. They were
beaten. but they would net admit IT,
doubt whether soldiers ever fought viii,
greater Intelligence and courage than the
French at the Marine. For them it was the
end. They we're holding rhe pass. On
large sectors they advanced, but on their
left wing and their centre they were in d
bad way. What really happened has no.