New-York tribune., 1918-08-20

ociotion (The NeaU York T1ibune)
in line, and at least 25 additional Ameri-
can divisions are approaching state Of
training where they can be employed.
Thus the German has lost in five
months all the advantage he originally
possessed in superior numbers. Since his
divisions are actually smaller than those
OF each of his opponents, he has now
fewer men on the front, although con-
cclvably an equal number of divisions,
and this inferiority is bound to become
more and more marked as our troops
arrive at the front, for the German
made his maximum effort in March and
cannot even bring his existing number Of
divisions back to their old strength dur
ing the present campaign.
Measured by events, the same facts are
revealed. In March the German success
was enormous and rapid In April his
second thrust was an imme diate success.
AS late as May 27 his Aisne drive gained
much ground and many prisoners. In
these three operations he claimed 5000
prisoners, 1000 guns and a conquest of
at least 1000 square miles, All this
achievement was in the period of his full
strength and our inferiority; it lasted
from March 21, the opening of the Sec
ond Battle of the Somme, to the end of
the Third Battle of the Aisne, on June s..
But in the battle of June 9 on the
Matz the Germans took no more than
lo,OOO prisoners in four days and broke
OH the engagement on the fifth day. and
their advance was inconsiderable. We had
then the first clear evidence of the Grad
ual approach of equality of numbers dis
closed by Mangtn's successful counter
thrust On Hutier's flank, after the 'front.'
al advance had been checked far north
or Compiegne. Looking backward, it is
manifest that this fourth German often
sive disclosed a changing situation.
Actually the German superiority was dis
appearing.
And in mid-July at the Marne, and in
dusty" Champagne, the fifth German
offensive was broken in three days, after
the capture of less than 10000 prisoners
and an advance Of hardly more than
three miles, followed by an Allied coun-
ter offensive, the capture of $4,000 pris
oners and 700 guns. After this comes
the Third Somme, with an Allied often
slve launched in advance of any German
attack, showing the clear possession of
the initiative, and in this offensive at
least $4,000 prisoners and 800 guns have
already been taken, making total of
10000 prisoners and 1900 guns in sim
gle month. More than thousand square
miles of French territory, half the area
conquered by the German in the earlier
battles, has also been retaken in this
month.
Inc meaning of these events is meas
ured by the statistics Of military strength
In the two armies during them. Nearly
forty divisions the stronger in March.
the German won his greatest victory
ana ne was able to continue his victorious
career until he lost the advantage Of
numbers, but, having lost it, his defeats
were prompt. And he has no chance of
regaining, not the advantage of numbers.
put the relative comfort of an equal force.
in this war
Moreover, it is a source of profound
satisfaction to all Americans that be.
tween March and mid July we were able
TO furnish our allies the numbers neces-
sary to restore the equilibrium, for the
foundation Of Foch's strategy both in
defence and on the offensive has been
the American contingent. While he was
outnumbered he waited, endured, avoided
supreme disaster; when he had equal
numbers he attacked and won two great
victories. Hereafter he will have su-
perlor numbers, rising to an excess Of
not less than 100 divisions, measured bv
the size Of German divisions, in the cam
palgn of next year. This is what the
newly planned American army will mean
in Europe when the campaign of 1919
begins, and Foch will have an excess of
100 divisions, as compared with the 40
on which Ludendorff built his great con-
ception of the present year, which in
cluded the taking of Paris and the e,;ro;-
nation of France
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