New-York tribune., 1918-08-14

drove three deep wedges into the Allied
lines. Each Of them failed to reach a
vital point, but each of them gravely in
terfered with Allied communications. To
remove these and to take advantage of
the defective state of German lines of
defence were the first necessities of Foch
To permit the battle to continue on the
old lines, after the surprise has passed
and the enemy has succeeded in reach
ing new position, is to sacrifice large
numbers OF men, thing permissible
only when the objective sought is of ut
most Importance.
If the German armies facing the Brit
ish and the French between the .Ancre
and the Disc have been so hammered as
to be on the point of complete disorgani-
zation, then a further effort would hold
out the promise of commensurate profit.
But otherwise, if, as seems the case, the
Germans have recovered from the sur
prise and concentrated reserves and
guns in sufficient numbers, then the
time has arrived to turn elsewhere; and
the sole operations which are to be ex
pected on the Somme field are local
efforts to improve in restricted areas
positions which are likely to be held for
considerable period of time
We must not expect too much of anv
one operation. We must recognize the
purposes of the strategy which lies be-
hlnd it. Foch is not now at the point of
seeking a decision CIR a general disloca
ton of German lines. The thing is still
beyond his resources until the American
forces in full strength can take the field.
But in truly French fashion he is
raining blows upon the confused and
dlsplrlted Germans and, at ridiculous
~ low price, harvesting great gains in
important territory and large captures
OF prisoners and guns. He stopped in
the Marne operation when the Germans
were behind the Vesle; he is hkelv to
stop in the Somme fighting when the
Germans find all equally good halting
place, but IN each case-and this is the
important thing has achieved his
purpose, his whole strategic purpose:
and what is left is merely adding to this
Whatever further and less considerable
profit the situation may afford at rea-
sonable cost
1T is by no means improbable, there
tore, that the next blow-and there will
be next blow, certanly-will come in
FLANDERS, while the Somme fire dies out
as mas the Marne condagration. Again.
1T is worth while now to keen an eve
upon the Italian situation: the t;me ;s
certainly at hand when an Italian often
slve IN Venetia may be expected. and
given the Austrian domestic situation
given the depression following the Haps
burg defea, at She Piave and the Hohen-
zollern disasters on the Marine and the
oohlme, another Austrian defeat might
have farreaching political effects. alike
IN Vienna and in Sofia and Constantine
pie. Napoleon found in defeat show
rapidly his allies forsook him; the
Kalser's experience will hardly be diff
ferent. He may for little deceive his
own people as to the meaning of recent
events, but the people, the rulers of Tur-
key and of Bulgaria, as we'll as of Aus
trla, cannot be deceived in this fashion.
and there is for Turkey and for Bull
garla the possibility of an escape which
does not exist for the Germans.
Meantime, it is worth recalling that
one month ago tomorrow Ludendorff
launched his peace storm" In the
month he has lost 900 scuara VILLAS IS
territory, $4,000 prisoners, more than
1900 guns; he has lost the accumulated
personal prestige of four years of un-
broken success on the East front and more
recently on the West. The whole phvs;-
cal and moral situation has been CHANGED
A transformation as great as that fol-
lowing the Marne victory of September
1914, has taken place The German is
beginning to perceive the possibilities in
the future; we on the Allied side tn
realize our opportunities. Thus the.