New-York tribune., 1918-10-30
Figures Show Central Pow
ers Have 100000 Fight
ers Opposing 100000
Drives Are Sapping
Hun Strength F asst
HcrArmies Still Considered
Too Strong to Allow ANY,
thing but Surrender
By hampton Hunt
{ (Soeciol Coblc In The yyibunD

PARIS, Oct. CA careful study Of
the figures, known TO be approximately
correct, as to the respective strength
Of the Allied and enemy armies in the
field provides an unanswcrablc argu
ment justifying the Allied govern
ments in refusing to consider for one
moment all questions as to granting an
/ ermistice to Germany except upon
terms of unconditional surrender.
1t is now clear that Germany staked
everything upon the elimination Of
! Russia from the side Of the Allies.
Once this was accomplished, there is
no doubt but that the Germans pos
sessed enormous superiority in num-
bers. On this fact they based all
! their operations at the beginning OF
/ the present year. Other conditions
remaining unchanged, the summer Of
this year ought to have seen Germany
triumph. But the entire German plans
were based on securing this triumph
before the Americans were in a posi-
tion to center the Dance" as the
French say.
Americans Make History
The astounding rapidity and un-
believable strength in which Ameri-
can troops reached the Western front
will go down in history as the real
vital factor which brought to an end
the greatest war the world has ever
seen.
At the end of 1917, when the Ger
mans began to transfer their troops
from Russia to the Western front in
preparation for The final offensive that
was to end the war, the enemy had
155 divisions, roughly, and 1900, 900
men in France and Belgium BY
March q, the date on which the first
of their great series of drives began,
| their total strength here had been
raised to 207 divisions. or we'll over
100000 bayonets.
Against this force the French had
108 divisions and the British about
sixty, after allowing for a half dozen
belSid uiNlololiS anu weakened
Portuguese army corps, making a
grand total, roughly, of 1,750,O00 men,
The enemy in addition had between
100000 and 100000 men available in
his total to 100000.
Three Reasons for Success
To-day this state of affairs has been
permanently reversed. The change is
to be attributed to three reasons,
each Complementary of the others.
First, the magnifcently devoted re
sistancc offered by the French and
British to the four terrific German
drives of March, April, May and June.
Second, the Incompatible skill of
Foch, who struck with unerrng pre-
clslon on July 18 at the exposed flank
of the Germans between the Aisne and
the Marne, and has ever since followed
up the blow with clairvoyance and
success that will be acclaimed in all
time to come as the highest excmpI-
fcation Of modern military genius.
The third and eliminating reason was
the entry of the American army, no,
necessarily into the fighting line. but
into positions in the war zone where
they constituted an ever increasing
menace to German military power.
German Losses 100000
Since March q 100000 German
soldiers have been taken prisoners bv
the Allies and certainly double that
number have been killed or rendered
unfit for fighting. German strength
to-day, after subtracting their 1900.
600 losses of killed. wounded and
prisoners from their total strength of
100000 of March 81, is therefore not
more than 100000 or, at most. 1SC
divisions, 2 large number of which
thousand men each.
The Allies, on the other hand. have
consistently increased in strength in
spite Of their losses since March 21
The Portuguese army corps has been
temporarily Withdrawn from the 6rino
line after having acquitted itself
magnifcently. This has been compen.
sated for, however, by the entry into
the line of Italian divisions and stronp
detachments of Poles and Czecho. Slo.
vaks. Further the first American
army, which may be regarded as rep.
resenting twenty divisions, has takcr
It's place in line, while the seconc
American army has taken or is about
to take its place, and the third is un.
dcrgoing training and organization.
Allies Have More Men
Recapitulating, while the German
total fighting strength has fallen tt
somewhere near 800, 600, still left +,
retain her grip on her spoils, the AL
lied total has risen to more tha,
1000 900.
Germanys cry for an armistice ant
peace is pitifully disguised plea 70,
mercy.
Peace with Germany. while German,