The Washington herald., 1918-06-23
By GEN. FOCH.

There are many good generals. but
they try to envisase too many things;
they try to see everything. to guard
everything. TO defend everything--the
bases. the lines OF communications,
the rear. every good position, then
every other position that il equally
good"
So on the defensive they string out
their forces, and when they take the
offensive they attack in many direc-
lions, or make several different at
tacks; a procedure which in one case
as the other leads to dispersion, for
bidding the exercise of unified COM
mand. the combination for a single
purpose. the strong blow leads. In
short. to paralysis.
"As for me, 1 see with a single eye;
for me. only masses exist; charge
myself with destroying them, knowing
well that the accessories will fall of
themselves afterwards
How shall we fight in the new kind
Of war, more and more national in
origins and aims. with means of de-
struction more and more powerful.
passions more violent, which rejects
all systems hitherto founded on such
considerations as ground. position,
armament. supplies; which places az
Of secondary Importance the posses
sion OF territory. the taking Of towns.
the conquest and occupation Of strong
positions? What means shall we
adopt; how shall such a war be COM
menced. and how finished?
As we have seen. II Is to the theory
OF the decision by strength OF arms
that we are forced; no other will meet
the facts. Instead of condemning the
wars and battles of Napoleon as acts
Of barbarism. we see in them the
single eficacious means OF success.
Arms for . Principle.
War must be waged in this way
when a country finds itself in the
presence OF an opponent who fights
in the same fashion;
Who takes up the arms for an idea.
a principle. modification of the
tariff; the reason matters little, is i'm
material;
Who also counts on carrying out
his political or economic theories with
his armies:
Who will not abandon them until
them:
Who will not admit himself con-
quered until he cannot or does not
want to fight longer. which will be
when his army has been ruined, ma
terially or morally.
Hence modern war knows no other
methods than those leading to tho
| overthrow OF the enemy army: to bat
tie, destruction by applied force. The
whole aim Of modern war Is to seek
out the enemy armies, the centers of
| the adverse power. to destroy them
to rob him Of his bases; to penetrate
such and such a part OF his territory
to which access is easy; none OF these
results constitutes an advantage by
itself: 1t is not an advantage unless
| 1t leads Up to battle under advan-
tageous conditions, unless 1t conduce.
to the most favorable exploitation Of
our strength.
Only tactical results constitute ad-
lvantages in war. The decision by
force Of arms Is the only judgment
of valor. because It alone decides who
is conqueror and who conquered; II
alone modified the respective positions
Of the opponents. making one master
Of his acts. constraining the other to
submit to the will Of his enemy. No
battle, no decision; nothing happens.
To undertake meuacing movement
without attacking the enemy; to en-
Iploy. against him movements and con-
centrations as II certain dispositions,
certain figures had in themselves IN.
trinsic virtues: all this Is to do no
more than build house Of card
board.
You cannot make q serious adver-
sary recol by choosing wisely your
direction of march. You cannot i'm
mobilize him excepting by an effective
attack, any more than the house
front Of cardboard will keep the rain
| and cold out of the building.
We are studying war. which is posi-
tive In its nature, and admits only
positive solutions; no effect without
cause; II you wish the effect develop