Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-05-15

II lOuS VI AllO
French and English papers in
the face of the terrific and at
first sight successful drives of the
Germans requires, say the American
correspondents at the front, some
explanation to be Ineligible to
Americans at home. They tell us
that as long as the allied line holds
it does not matter, from a purely
military point of view, how far it
bends. 1t can even bend back into
Western France, Paris and the Chan
mel ports can be given up, and all
are agreed that If at the end of
these tremendous and costly opera
tions the Germans are still faced by
an unbroken line, then they will
have suffered, in effect, a crushing
defeat. They tell us that the only
thing we have to fear during the
present operation is a break in the
line, for it is only through a break
that the Germans can obtain their
object. This object, we learn, is not
the capture of Paris, nor the occU-
patton of the Channel ports, but a
military decision" which will end
the war. In fact, the Germans
themselves tell us quite frankly that
this is their aim, and incidentally
General Won Ardenne admits in the
Berliner Tageblatt that a speedy
decision is imperative. as the Ger
man soldiers in the trenches are at
last getting restive. He writes:
The necessity for fighting it out
was absolute. The unbroken battle
will of England" which had prom
lsed France its own and America S
help for the attainment Of unmeas-
ured war. ends. compelled us to enter
upon decisive bout against the
p-olongers of the war. Peace is
only attainable if England is ede
TO feel the superiority of German
arms. and so sees that she cannot
conquer Germany. The sooner this
p, oof coule be produced. the better.
Moreover. we We're urged to tins by
the impatience OF our own army,
which rightly felt that we can see
the road 70 peace only in a decision
by arms"
The Frankfurter Zeitung. too, in
sists that the Germans must break
through If they wish to claim any
complete success. 1t points out that
no decision can ever be arrived at in
trench warfare, and one side or the
other must be forced into open bat
tie before the final and victorious
thrust can be given. 1t says:
'Hindenburg and Ludendorff are
~" Nn5dSSo III tdhlIlS the
to open up an area of operations for
open warfare. Not by a terrific on
slaught for months on END and OF
an army of millions against the steel
wall of the enemy, not in a long
and searching battle in which the
strength of the enemy is gradually
exhausted, but the decision is to be
sought in open fighting by the forces
released from trench operations.
This of course presupposes a
local break-through.
I'VE all feel that this will be OBJ
tanned, and that the real task OF
German strategy will only begin al
the point which the enemy have oc.
casionally reached but have never
succeeded in passing.
ut is not the attainment of this
or that sensational objective thai
| decides success or failure, or the
| capture of some booty, but only the
destruction of the enemy's will tC
| fight"
How much chance they have .ot
that is clear when we turn to the
! English papers. where we find note
of CHEEKY optimism pervadipg the en-
| tire press. Notwithstanding the re.
| treats before the Germans complete
| confidence reigns. and all are sur,
| that the allied armies will stand-tC
use the words of the Germaus--likt
"a wall of steel" and that the mucf
hoped-for decision, when it comes
will be through a counter-attack b.
| General Foch which will tear a gap.
| ing hole in an exhausted German
line. In an article entitled "Wha'
the Germans Are After" the Londor
Daily Mail says:
I'm the fresh blow which tn,
/ Germans are now preparing with 81
much effort it is safe to conclude
that their aim is the same. 1t Il
to break through the allied line
German strategy proceeds on com
nonsense lines. 1t does not aim a
the capture of towns, such al
Amiens, except in so far as thei
capture may serve some furthe
purpose. Its object is the destruc
tion of the armed forces of tn,
enemy.
THE break-through has been dis
cussed very thoroughly by German
| military writer's. and especially b,
the late Major Moraht. His conclu
sion is that a break-through is yer.
difficult to effect against good troops
if these are backed by good materia
and in anything like equal numbers
Now the allied troops in Franc
are certainly not inferior to tn
! Germans in spirit and fighting pow
er. They are known to be abou