The Washington times., 1918-03-10
FRANCE STANDING
FIRM, AWAITING
AMERICAN AID


(which It will be noted IL much more
frequently bombed from the air than
any other place. Is the most import
ant OF all these allied air detectives.
II you will look at your map you will
see that north Of the hosSlle valley
there II 4 large billy forest district.
with very few roads and no large
towns, lying partly In Belgian and
partly in the Rhenlsh provinces OF the
German empire. It includes the Arden
nes. the Eifel and what the Bslgisns
call 'Haute range"
Peer CommanIeatioas.
Though there IL one line Of railway
crossing this country the whole dis
triet Il little suitable, because Of iSo-
lation and the broken character Of the
ground, for good communication and
the single railway IL not q main line
and does not lead up to the system on
which the German front In France de-
Ponds for its supplies. It Is, In fact,
blind alley ending in the Ardennes
and only reaching the German front
by roundabout ways.
The two great avenues OF supply for
this fToht are to the north and south
or this mass OF hills and forest; to the
north goes the great backbone rail-
way OF Northern Europe-the Paris
Berlin line, OF which the crossing Of
the Rhine is at Cologne and thu cross
ing OF the Mouse is at Lieges This
railroad was the chief artery OF COM
municRtion for the original German
advance. To the south Of this mass
Of hills Is the line OF the MoseIle
Valley, and Treyes IL the knot or
junction point for all its communi-
cations in addition to being a con-
siderable depot for men and ma
terial
An Important Part,
The continued bombardment Of
Treves, therefore, OF which the rail-
way stations by this time have been
destroyed. is Of the highest strate-
gical value 1t Is, luckily for the al
lies, easier to reach than almost any
other point OF equal Importance be-
hind Ithe enemy's line. It Is only
seventy-five miles from the airdromes
when the allies offensive bombing
planes start. Roughly, that Is only
about half the distance from the alrH
dromes to Mannheim. That means
that half OF the weight in petrol
which the planes destined for Mann
helm would have to carry Is saved
in a raid on TreveS, and in mere
mileage IL means that there Is much
less than half the risk Of being hit
by the anti-aircraft guns on going or
on coming back.
In this matter. by the way, the
actual mileage IL an Insufficient index
OF the comparative dangers, because
the risk obviously increases more
rapidly than the distanee-ths time
to send warnings an dto prepare re-
sistance ahead OF the raiding planes
being q function which rises in eff-
cheney more rapidly than the direct
trajectory OF the flight. The same 10
true OF the liability to engine trouble,
OF the exhaustion OF petrol. etc.
WouId Divide East.
The other geographical point which
ought to be understood upon your side
OF the Atlantic il the political ESog-
raphy of the states which the Ger
mans and Austrians are now carving
out OF the western provinces OF what
was once the Russian empire.
It is mere commonplace OF
course, which we all take for granted, !
that IL Prussia can obtain q nsgotia-
ed peace she will turn these states in |
to dependencies OF the great central
European empire, OF which she will
be the head. and that although they
will enjoy some form OF nominal au-
tonomy they will, II she Is unbsaten I
in this war, be no more than provinces !
under her dominion. They will GER
tainlys for instance, have TO furnish |
of troops as her silies in /
any future war, and they will still 1
more certainly be economically at the 4
mercy OF German exploitation. All /
this, I say. is understood everywhere I
in Europe and taken for granted. 1t .
is equally understood and equally T.
taken for granted in the enemy's /
quite as much as in ours
that IL his armies are defeated on the
west the whole OF his ambitious
scheme in the east collapses.
What are not equally appreciated J
on our side OF the Atlantic, and ]
suppose on your eide either. are both
the magnitude of Germany's eastern
effort and the policy OF division on |
which this new erection OF states is
bs sed.
As 20 the policy Of dIvIsion-di-
viding in order TO rule-the whole
business OF Prussia is to diminish and (
weaken Poland. or all these states