The sun., 1918-08-23
SEES HINDENBURG
BACK IN SADDLE
Sidebotham Says Recent De-
feats Have Cost LudendOrff
Kaiser's Confidence.
FOCH PERPLEXES FOE
Germany Probably Will Seek
Gains i'm East for Losses
in West.
ny II. sIDEBOTHAM.

One Of the Foremost Military Critics Of
Europe.
Special Gable Despatch 10 The srS from the
London Times Serrice.
Copyright. 1918; all rights reserred.
LONDON. Aug. 22.-The development OF
Marshal Foch's plans continues. Yes
terday was the British turn again. and
Gen. Byng's third army struck on
front Of more than ten miles north Of the
Ancre.
1t Is worth while to note the variety
in tactics and strategy of our operations.
Sometimes. when there is no question
OF effecting a surprise we bark back to
the old method OF formally opening with
bombardments and >Quasi-siege opera
tons Such have been the operations
OF Gen. Mangin's army between the Disc
a nd the Aisne, which yesterday gained
fresh success
Sometimes there Is a return to the
nibbling process like Joffre employed.
At other times there is a strategic sur
prise. The object in the British attack
yesterday appropriately. seeing Byng
was in immediate command. harked
back to the ideas first illustrated at Cam
brai. Always one is conscious Of the play
OF some mind between these operations.
mind that is constant to few simple
principles. but with the versatility to
present them with a bewildering variety
OF forms.
1t does not detract from but height
ems the merit Of Foch's tactics that the
| Germans had probably made up their
| minds to evacuate a great deal OF the
territory into which they had pene-
trated. but they wanted to do II on their
own time. Instead they are doing 1t on
our time. and the least sign of move
ment back of their lines precipitates an
attack. They have lost nearly 100000
men during the last month. and of all
the reversals of fortune in the war this
one Is the most complete.
HindenburE Now in Saddle.
Rumors are current that Ludendorff.
after usurping first place, has now been
replaced by Hind ,nburg. Hindenburg
is regimental officer par excellence.
| who sprang to fame through his VIC
| tories over the Russians He was quite
outside succession to the Prussian mill
tary hierarchy. and it was only the
crushing German defeats at Nerdun that
| forced the Kaiser TO entrust the su-
preme command to him.
The position was one for which he
was untitled, and his Lieutenants. such
as Ludendorn. who was the chief. be-
| came the real directors. with linden
burg in the background, a non-commit-
tai sphinx. concealing indecision in ST.
lence.
Once more the General Staff deter
mined to break through the west and II
has failed even more disastrously than
the first attempt at the Marine and
Ypres, after which Won Noltke went by
the boards, and the second attempt at
Nerdun. which was Won Falkenhayn's
undoing.
Each Of the failures was wind for
Hindenburg's sails, which are now full
again. His old prescription had three
Ingredients. The first was a retirement
in the west which could be represented
as voluntary. 1t was voluntary in 1911.
but now Foch has OWNED the whole
plan and is adapting his tactics to II so
subtly that ii may develop into disaster
His second ingredient was a heroic
German defence on the whole western
front. Tfat the Germans will fight well
goes without saying, though the enor-
nous captures OF prisoners by Mangin's
men indicate a lessening OF morale. This,
however. is only local or probably accl-
dental.
Plans Eastern Offensive.
The surest counter to an obstinate
defence is a varied and novel attack,
with economy of man power Prodi-
gality of expenditure of thought must
be our first war principle.
His third ingredient was the diversion
of tie offensive to the east Whether
that is possible now depends largely on
what happens in France, but the Ger
mans will take some risks and as 1t is
their determination to finish the war this
year that fact makes some noise.
1t must be remembered that back of
the military oscillations of the General
Stan there is good deal OF politics
The so-called moderates. Bcthmann-
Hollweg and Kuehlmann, l ave from the
first looked to the east for their rewards
and as il is pretty well agreed that
Hindenburgs military ideas ft in with
their political views it is pretty certain
there will be a German peace offensive
this autumn, the main idea of which
will no ~ con1nounJ tho ruinn,s in