The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1918-08-13
LLOYD GEORGE REVIEWS
PROGRESS OF THE WAR
Calls FOch's Counter Offensive Most
Brilliant sin Annals Of
(. 4 War.

NSo' SSp TIC DiiliSH prime minister,
in a speech before the house of COM
mons, reviewed extensively the war
situation. He referred particularly
to What had been accomplished in
the recent drive by the allied forces
on the Soissons-Rh salient, to
the destruction of German subma-
rines, of which $50 had been ac-
counted for since the war began
more than half of these in the last
year-and the part the Americans
now were playing and would play la
ter in the fight for the cause of de-
mocracy.
He would be a sanguine man on
the German general staff who could
now predict that Germany could OBJ
tain military decision this year"
the premier declared, as he charac-
terized Marshal Foch's counter Of
fensive as 1.-The most brilliant in the
annals of the war"
Reverting to peace, Mr.. Lloyd
George said the people who had made
the war still were in evidence and
that they could have no peace so
long as they were predominant in the
councils of the enemy.
When Great Britain decided to
throw her whole weight into the war
four years ago, he continued, she did
SO because of an outrage on interna-
tional rights. Had she not taken this
decision the whoie course of the war
would have been different. He pic
tured the part the navies have play
ed in the war, in the vast wilderness
of the sea, with no one to witness or
TO describe their operations, and
said he did not think that many per-
sons realized that if the allies were
defeated on the water the war would
beAoyer.
When the war began" said Mr..
Lloyd George, "the British navy.
then the largest in the world, repre-
sented tonnage of 2,5OO,OOO. Now.
including the auxiliary fleet, it is
100000. Were it not for the in
crease the seas might be barred for
the commerce of the world. Every
trade route of the world is patrolled
by it's ships"
The premier then referred to the
other activities of the navy, such as
conveying, patrolling. mine laying,
mine sweeping and the chasing OF
Submarines. 1t was here that he
said $50 German submarines had
been destroyed, more than half of
them In the last year.
During June alone" the premier
continued. British naval ships
steamed 100000 miles. To this
must be added the efforts of the mer-
camille marine which is now a branch
OF the British navy and whose men
face the same dangers carrying for
the allies as we'll as for themselves
most of the American troops that
have SO valiantly acquitted them
selves in recent combats.
"On the western front after the
enemy had been relieved of all ap-
prehension on the eastern front be,
cause of the Brest-Litovsk peace. tn,
Germans brought all their best divis-
ions against us and our allies. There
fore when the German offensive be-
gan March 81 the allies were con-
fronted by the flower of the German
army who had rested and made pre-
parations specially for the great
blow while the French and the Brit
ish, were tired by the prolonged Of
fensive on our part under the most
eXhausting conditions.
considerable American forces had
been expected to reach the battle
front by spring but as a matter of
fact on the 21st of March there was
only one American division in the
line although there were three or
four divisions behind the line which
were brought up after the attack be-
gan.
The enemy's object was to obtain
military decision this year before
the American army could come up.
first of all by severing the two ar
mics and then attacking the separat-
ed French and British forces
How did the Germans prosper?
There had been four and half
months OF such fighting as never be-
fore was seen on the face of the
globe. What happened? At first,