Evening star., 1918-07-14
HOW AMERICAS FIRST MILLION
IS TURNING TIDE ON WEST FRONT

VIII supply men In any numbers; IL
may be doubted IL either nation would
for divisions organised out of Rus
sian recruits, this is merest moon
SHINE: Germany could not find officers
Tor tnem; it would take a year to
create the Organization essential to
eHecttve units. and IL all these dim
cuities were surmounted there Is moth
Ing to suggest that the Russians
would be willing to fight.
At Bottom Of Their Barrel.
The truth is that Hindenburg and
Ludendorff went to the bottom Of the
German barrel last spring and last
winter
We may conclude, then, that the
Sermans, knowing that the Ameri-
cans nave sent enough troops to Eu-
rope to equalfze the situation by mid
siVe some time before this change oc-
ours: We may conclude that Luden-
! dorm is putting the finishing touches
upon the organization of final attack
which shall equal that of March 21.
90 not believe that he can deal a
heavier blow. and that he is using the
remaining time in making his plans. in
that methodical and amazingly skill
ful fashion which was revealed In the
last great attack, which produced the
L
! since by comparison have been minor.
Gains VIII Not Count.
II this second major attack fails to
bring decision-and believe it will
fail-then there will not be time left
to organize a third before weather
conditions close the campaign of 1918.
Great gains in ground like those made
| earlier In the year, provided they do
| not open the way to a decisive sue
cess. a success which will break the
military power and civilian will of
France or Britain. will not count, for
they will not change the situation. We
may safely say TO ourselves. with
! every recognition of the terrific
weight of the blow that is coming,
that II fs the last. and that. II IL fails.
new blow. the fighting for the year
will be over.
Looking to the future, this means
that when next years campaign comes
America can have on the line not less
than 100000 men, ready to go in by
May of next year. 1t will rep
resent 125 German divisions in nu-
merical strength. and, added to at
least 1s0 divisions Of our allies will
give our combined armies at least 31s
DIVISIONS FOR next year. against a
German total which In ali probability
not pass ESQ
We are getting on. then. approach
ing tne END OF what must prove the
last bad crisis OF the war Ludendorf-s
purpose has been to deal with the Brit
ish and French before the Americans
could arrive. It was with this idea
N minc that he struck his terrific
blow of March 81. but this blow. while
bringing one of the great victories Of
the war. did not accomplish the larger
purpose. Tire for America to come
since the battle of Picardy began, and
inward of three-quarters of a mil
lion American fighting men are now
In Europe. Ludendorn has now to
strike his second blow, and with it his
numerical advantage will disappear.
II he fails to win the war with this
blow he will be outnumbered, and be-
fore he can organize a third blow
weather as well as numbers will have
turned against him Here are bases
for real optimism, for sane confidence.
We must not expect too much of our
new troops; We must not. and natu-
rally do not, reckon them the equal
OF German veterans of picked divi-
sions, but we may think of what
equally unframed British troops ac-
kafsers army after Ypres, and thus
appreciate the value to our hard
pressed allies of the American con-
tingents.
u 10000 Others Helping.
Further than this outside the cal
culation Of 75e.e00 fighting troops,
stand more than 300,00o Americans,
who are at work on communications.
at the ports, in all the behind-the-
line tasks which must be performed.
The contribution of these men to win
ming the war is quite as great as that
Of their comrades on the firing line.
They have rebuilt railroads, created
ports performed labor which will be
of great value this year. and even
greater next 1t is mistake to
reckon these men as lighting units.
1t Is an even greater error to elm
mate them from the reckoning at this
time. when France and Britain. as well
as Germany, are suffering from ter
rible lack of labor.
There is another phase Of Americas
|. contribution which must be consider
ed. although one will speak of it with
some hesitation. When Russia col
} lapsed the war was lost for our allies
had we failed to do all of what we
have done. We could not do less and
perform our duty to the nations which
; had been fighting this struggle which
is our struggle over three years Of
agony. But If the United States had
not been ready and willing to step
into the breech Germany would have
won the victory.
Enabled Allies to Use Reserves.
The knowledge Of the fact that
America was coming served to bridge
the difficult time between the disap-
pointments Of last year at the Aisne
and in Flanders and the arrival Of the
first considerable contingents of
Pershing's army. Again, after the
battle Of Picardy, in March and April.
our allies would have been beaten had
there been no American reserves to
rush to France to restore the balance
between the two armies numerically.
Not only this transport of troops but
the knowledge that our troops were
coming enabled the British and the
French to use their reserves as they
could not have used them had there
been no other reserves soon to be-
come available.
j SEES FUTURE FOOD SUPPLY.