The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1918-09-19
By Frank H. simonds.

Germany has lost the campaign OF
1913, and with this loss has been joined
the inevitable extinction of the last
cna nee TO win a military victory, pro-
vided only that the great nations now
IN arms against the German and his
minor allies remain as firmly united as
they have been in the past. Germany
escaped q defeat which was plainly
lnulcated after the close OF the cam
paign Of 1916, despite her Rumanian
welcomes OF that year. solely because
Russia abandoned the struggle and
thus freed German hands. In 1917 the
russian debacle enabled Germany to
defeat British and French offensiyes,
ana IN 1918 TO undertake her own great
OFFENSIVE which has just been wrecked
At the Marine.
Ii one could conceive that, following
the Russian precedent, Germany could
hereafter eliminate Britain, France, the
CMted states or italy from the war
sne might be able to undertake new
OFFENSIVE to win a military decision in
lne west with q reaSGna BILE prospect
OF victory, but apart from such q sue
cess she has no longer the mum ers
or the resources necessary for the ia SIX.
We have had in this war three
phases which have been exactly alike
ana have led to the same results. In
AUGUST and September, 1914, Germany
undertook to eliminate France from the
war by her great offensive Her
strategy was based upon the theory
.lial Dslore RUSSIA could intervene ef-
IectiVely either in East Prussia or
asaiIsl austria the German army
could dispose of France and thereafter
Turn It's aItent1on to the reduction OF
Russia. The failure of the Marne en-
stalled the decisive defeat of this STRAIT
e9y. Ihe German army proved in
adequate Tor Its mighty task and
French military power endured.
again, at Nerdun, having beaten
Russia down Rnd while Britain was
sun unready, Germany endeayored to
dispose OF France. The problem was
the same. the issues identical, and in
this case 1t was Britain who played the
role OF Russia In 1914 and at the Somme
began an offensive which deprived
Germany of all chance of realizing her
Nerdun purposes. For second time
the western line held and Germany
was thrown back upon the defensive.
We are just seeing the last phase of
the third German effort The sreyolu-
ton in Russia. carefully guided by
German agencies had at last disposed
of Russia in 1917. The United States
could not effectively intervene in the
first half OF the campaign of 1918.
Ludendorff had nearly six months
ahead OF him, as he calculated, more
than six months as it then seemed, in
which to dispose of Britain and France
before Pershings army could turn the
scales. And as in 1914. in the Marine
campaign, and in 1916, before Verdun,
the Germans have come within an ace
of success and have failed, only after
brilliant preliminary trillmphs
But again there has been repetition
of the Waterloo circumstances The
German Napoleon has sought three
times to overwhelm the allied We1iing-
tons, Joffre, Petain and Foch in turn,
time--the Russians in 1914, the British
in 1915 and ourselves in 1913, AS /.
result each grandiose attempt has
failed at the moment when the German
not too rashly believed that victory
was within plain sight
Now, going back to the former occa-
sions, we see that the failure In the
Marine campaign was followed by a
transfer of German effort for nearly a
wear and a half to the east front Ger
many could not fight offensive cam
paigns on both sides, so she abandoned
the west to settle matters in the east.
When she came back to the west in the
Verdun campaign, she was too late.
Britain was almost ready and France
able to hold until Britain could begin.
After the Verdun failure it was neces-
sary to go east and south again, Rus
STA having once more become danger
Gus and Rumania a fresh foe
But Russia definitely destroyed for
military purposes, Rumania disposed
Of, the east at her feet, Germany came
west again this spring. America was
as unready far more unready than
Britain in the Verdun time The
chance to dispose of the older enemies
before the new one was on the field in
troublesome numbers was unmistak-
able. The battles of Picardy, Flanders
and the Aisne seemed to promise the
ultimate victory just as Morhange,
Charleroi and Mons seemed to promise
it in 1914. The most optimistic allied
observer could not deny that Germany
had a fresh opportunity-to gain a deci-
sion on the continental battlefield the
moment it was disclosed that. the Ger
mans had devised system of battle
tactics which abolished the value of
trench systems, as their heavy guns
had abolished the value OF forts nearly
four years before. The parallel was
again striking, but fortunately the end
was the same.