New-York tribune., 1918-05-12
sanguinary Defeat at
scherpenberg Com
pletely Dislocated
Enemy s Plans
Eoch Conducting
"Sale Of Ground"
Germans Already Have
Paid $4,000 Men
for Relatively
Slight Gains
pv HILAIRE BELLOC


luthor of "Elememts Of the Great
War" and Britoin's Most Distin-
ouished Military Critic.
TT is one of the difficulties in fol-
lowing a great military cam
J. paign in written articles that
the part which is played by the army
m the defensive is always difficult to
explain. 1t is so true that it is safe
to say that the public's interest al
vays lies with offensive action, and
that even when that action is futile
il can be more easily aroused by it
than by success of the most brill
iant kind which is effected by the
defensive forces. And yet, perhaps,
three-quarters of the decisive battles
and campaigns of history have de.
pended for their success upon some
lougish defensive phase before their
close.
The Allies in France and Flanders
are at this moment fighting a de-
fensive action which they hope is the
prelude to such a success. They are
fighting a series of battles, the place,
the time and intensity of which are
decided by the enemy, who has the
initiative and who attacks when,
where and in what strength he
pleases. The whole future of the
war depends upon the skill with
which the higher command of the
Allied side fixes the exact limits of
the time of action, the space of
ground surrendered and the expense
Ct men endured in their defensive.
But it is exceedingly difficult to
give popular general conception of
these vital factors. The most bril-
liant defensive action is nothing
more than block, a calculated "sale
Of ground; and defensive cam
paign is, after ali, retirement.
Brilliant Piece
Of Work at KENNEL
At any rate, one Of the most brill
iant pieces of defensive work in this
or any other campaign of which we
know was performed on Monday,
April %, and should be carefully
studied and apart from the great
strategy of the West front campaign
asatechnical example of the success
ful performance of the task which
the Allies now have to undertake.
1t was the largest local action
which the enemy had attempted for
nx weeks-since his advance was
brought to stop before Amiens. 1t
was pushed with extreme vigor and
at a corresponding expense of life to
nun. 1t completely failed, and this
failure was followed by five full days
IN which he was unable to move be-
cause of the blow which had shaken
MS local organization.
Struck to Win
Range of Hills
The details of the action were as
follows:
After the capture of Mount Kem-
mel the enemy was faced by the re-
mainder of the range of hills, which
we're grouped Immediately opposite
am beyond the low saddle in the
fiase (the group including the some
xhat isolated Mont Rouge, the lower
scherpenberg beyond it and at the
western extremity Of the range of
mont des Chats). If he could seize
@e whole of the range quickly the
nefny might make the holding of the
.pfes salient impossible. That sa-
aent has no strategic value in itself,
rus the rapid evacuation of it by the
0fsush forces would certainly be ex-
Nnsive and might be locally disas-
nous. Moreover, when once such a
movement had begun under such
pressure as the German was pre-
p1eo to exert, one could not know
saere it might stop, short of the line
" the Aa River.
~ was with the object of Selling
nese remaining hills, therefore, that
9'fseen German divisions were
SssWn up for attack upon a sector Of
9aay ten miles, stretching from the
saage of Meteren to the Ypres
sanai. The Allied line awaiting the
s.0cx OF this attack ran in a direc-
A0n . little north Of east from Met
sa on its extreme right or western
w through Locre and Voormezeele
tne Ypres Canal and beyond on
~. ~ extreme left or eastern end. The
.e village Of Meteren is in the
..n south of the hills, or rather on
nssle foothill at their base.
Ane forces opposed were roughly
tnan two Germans to one Allied
for it is always the object
aefensive to maintain its posi-
With minimum possible loss