New-York tribune., 1918-07-28


KENNEL which looks down upon the rear
Of Ypres, and threatened to reduce this
restored salient, which had for the Brit
ish Empire the same significance Verdun
carried for the French nation. This
greater success was not attained, and
sharp repulse on April 29 closed the
Flanders battle; but this second episode
had served to demonstrate anew the ef-
ficacy of German tactics and the advan-
tage of German numbers and interior
position. 1t reopened the question Of
the arrival of the Kaiser at Calais and
emphasized again the greatness of Allied
peril.
Already American troops were begin
ming to cross the seas in great numbers;
Foch had succeeded to supreme COM
mand; France and Britain were repair
ing previous errors; but henceforth, as
he awaited the coming of the Americans
to save new Waterloo, Foch was bound
to recall frequently the words of
Wellington, the impatient longing for
might or Blicher"
The third German blow was in the
larger sense even more terrifying than
the first. Although two months had
passed and the Allies had been allowed
time to study the German method and
prepare an answer, Ludendortf was able
In late May to duplicate his March sue
cesses, and,-.sweeping across the Aisne
and the Vesle, the victorious German
troops reached the bank of the Marne
once more, after nearly three years of
absence. Nor was this all. The British
positions in Picardy had lacked any
dominating military strength, but the
French positions at the Aisne were
among the finest on the Western front.
1t may be that this German success,
which took the Kaiser to the Marne, will
prove the higf-water mark of the present
campaign; it may be that when the Ger
man troops returned to the Marne they
were the vanguards of the ultimate
advance of the Germans in the war. It
is too early to prophesy, but in any event
when the June fighting was over Paris
was plainly menaced, Allied fortunes
were IN desperate state, German vic
tory, so far as the European phase was
concerned, seemed no longer impossible.
At best the possibility of the loss of
Paris and of retirement to the south
had to be considered.
But before June was over the tide
had changed. Seeking to sweep the
French out of the Compiegne region,
open up the lower valley of the Aisne,
insure the continuity of the right wing
of his operative front between Soissons
and Montdidier by clearing the French
out of strong ground and carrying their
line into the open ground south of SEN
lis, Ludendorff launched fourth blow
between Montdidier and Noyon, between
the Avre and the Disc. This time there
was no surprise, no collapse; the Ger
man machine ground it's way forward
for short distance, cleared the Lassigny
heights and some valuable ground along
the Disc. But by the third day it was
checked, and Mangin, the dehverer of
Verdun, was striking counter blow on
the German flank, which paralyzed the
offensive. Compiegne was not taken; at
staggering cost the German had gained
little ground, but his fourth venture
had been failure
While Ludendorff prepared for the
fifth stroke his Austrian colleague.
Borevic, struck on the Piave and sought
by supreme stroke, with the largest
and finest Austrian army which had vet
appeared in Italy under his command. to
crush the troops who had been beaten
SO terribly at the Isonzo cix months be-
fore. But the Austrian offensive failed
dismaly, brief advance, short des
perate period of days when. Italian coun-
ter attacks held up the advance, then
floods and new Italian attacks. and the
Austrians were driven in disorder across
the Piave, losing quarter of million of
men, innumerable guns and having suf
fered in few brief days defeat as
destructive to their plans for this year
as Verdun had proved for the Germans
in 1916.
And now, last of ALL checked on the
Disc and at the Compiegne salient, we
have seen Ludendorff in recent days
launch his fifth offensive, a colossal at
tack from the Marne to the Argonnc
later restricted to local operation to
break in the Rheims salient and clear
his flank and rear against the day when
he should resume bis drive for PARIS.