The Washington herald., 1918-04-01
Eoeh's Fabian Strategy.

The counter attacks OF both the French and
British yesterday-reported as having checked the
Hindenburgisn Juggernaut in its slow, cumbrous
advance towards Amens-are not to be taken as
disclosing the allied plan of strategy as held in
the compact little brain of Gen. Foch or as having
determined the future contour OF the battle.
The fact is that Franco-British generaship has
not yet disclosed its plan. Its chief aim now is to
keep the Prussians puzzled and guessing" OBJ
viousy the hour is near when it must strike The
German offensive, if not spent, is at least as near
the end of its headlong, csreening progress as it
was when Won Kluck stuck his head into the trap
along the Marine and the Ouroque, and was sent
reeling back in disordered retreat By not strik-
ing Foch is not only adding the strength of the
blow he will be able to deliver when the appointed
hour comes, but is bewildering the enemy with
suspense and anxcty-for he has not forgotten
when Foch did to him at the Marine. He has
wholesome respect for the brilliant commander-in-
chief of the allied armies.
1t was Foch who sent this word to Jofre: INV
right is retreating my center is breaking my left
is fast giving way; know of nothing to do but
10 attack" And attack he did; with what results
the world now knows. 1t will be Foch in the
present conflict who will forge the thunderbolt that
VIII crumPle the regulations OF Hindenburg and
Ludendorf. That at least is our firm conviction
We believe that the present desperate German Of
iensve IS going to be converted into great allied
'N'"iy' hot only IN terms OF German losses of
manpower and material but in the amount of
terrain that is recovered from the clutch of the
Soche-terrsn that he has purchased in the past
ten days at such outrageously heavy price in
human blood. clean-cut defeat for Germany in
the present battle-Such believe is now COM
lng-wil mean the collapse of the Hindenbure-
Ludendorf legend. This legend has given these
giants OF Junkertum the halo of invincibility the
armcr OF unconquersble German power Smash
If ,,oU
oFg, what" If Hindenburg must walk the plank
ts Won Moltke and FaIkenhayn did-and defeat
IN this climacterc struggle would mean that he
must DC scrsppcd-there is not another war leader
lett IN Germany who can assume the discarded
mantle OF invulnerability none whom the German
people can follow in blind faith If there is god
in Germany today it is Hindenburg Show the
people that he has feet OF clay and the end is
near at hand.
In the present status of the battle the whole
problem is focused in Foch's army of maneuver in
ne reserves whom he is now emplacing in his
pan OF action 1t may be used as d great pincer
or nut-cracker to shatter the Montdidier salient
or to strike back when the Boche makes his su-
Preme effort TO attain Amiens, which most experts
believe to be his objective, or to execute flank
movement which will affect not merely one sector
OF the present battle line, but the whole of it. So
far Hindenburg has found the allied line plant,
yielding and elastic; he knows that he cannot
smash 1t merely by mass attacks, and he now has
TO take into account the mobile army of maneuver
which, We may safely forecast will be used in a
way to display Foch's extraordinary abilities as a
strategist at their highest 1t will strike with dra
matte suddenness, and the German will find real
disaster staring him in the face-for his lines of
communication attenuated, his drive has lost
much OF its impetus, and his position is tentative
and hazardous. He must drive on" or 90 back
He cannot dig in" where he is and even if he
could, it would be tacit confession OF the failure of
Hindeuburg
Col. Repington points out that the Franco
British leaders pursuing exactly the same
tactics did Grand Duke Nicholas in that
terrible Russian retreat of 1915. The allied armies
are being kept intact. no matter at what expense
OF ground, and the Teuton is being baffled in his
main obective-as he will find out TO his cost
later. Only those military who have an exact
knowledge OF the present situation know how long
Foch will ind it advisable to continue policy of
delay, to postpone the hour OF decision.
For our present purpose it appears sufficient
that the German forces being held in check
and that local counter ofensives are yielding ex-
ceent results. 1t is quite possible that before the
conflict is concluded American reserves may prove
the decisive factor.