Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1918-07-05
WIN BY OFFENSIVE
Such Must Be Plan of Victorious
Army, Says Foch.
Allied GeneraIissimo Declares Well Or
oanized Reserves, Delivering 9Iud.
aeon Blow at Proper Time and
Place Will Destroy the
Enemy.

London.~V Victory can be won in the
end only by the army that takes the
offensive, and success in this depends
on outstanding and instructing the re-
serves. So declares General FOch in
the weekly journal, the Field.
Modern warfare, to arrive at 1ts
end and to impose it's will on the en-
emy," General Foch says, recognizes
only one means destruction of the
enemys organized forces.
"War undertakes and prepares this
destruction by battle, which brings
about the overthrow of the adversary,
DISCREPANCIES his command, destroys his
discipline, and nullifies his units as
far as their fighting power is con-
cerned.
No Victory in Defense.
"Our first. axiom must be that to
achieve it's object battle must not be
purely defensive. A purely defensive
battle, even well conducted, does not
result in victor and vanquished. It
is simply game that must be begun
over again.
"From this it is an obvious corollary
that an offensive, whether started at
it follows the defensive, can only give
results, and, in consequence, must al
ways be adopted at the finish.
ITO maintain our position is not
synonymous with being victorious and
even prepares for a defeat. If we re-
main where we are and do not pass to
i! the offensive to fix the direction of at
enemy, and prevent him from carrying
out the same maneuver, we must I'M
dertake to carry on and sustain numer.
Gus cOmbatS, each with determined
aim.
! All Depends on Reserve.
But since there remains no doubt
that decisive attack is the very key
stone of a battle, all other actions
which make up battle must be en-
visaged, considered, organized, pro-
vided with forces in the measure in
which they will prepare, facilitate, and
guarantee development of a decisive
attack characterized by it's mass, it's
surprise, its speed, and for which, in
consequence, it is essential that there
shall be the maximum reserve force
possible of troops of maneuver.
THE reServe-that is to say, the
prepared bludgeOn-is organized and
kept carefully instructed to execute
the single act of battle from which re-
suits are xpected-namely, the de-
cisive attack.
Surprise, Mass and Speed.
Preserves must be husbanded with
the most extreme parsimony SO that
the bludgeon may be strong enoug tt
make the blow as violent as possible
Let loose at the finish without any
; lurking idea of saving them, with 6
we'll thought out plan for winning thu
battle at a point chosen and deter
mined, reserves are thrown in all to
" lence and energy all other phases O.
> battle, an action with proper charac
teristics-surprise, mass, and speed
y All our forces really participate, eithe
by preparing it or by carrying it out.
In this, our supreme aim, we mus
not be deceived by appearances. Al
though theory fails when applied b.
g feeble hands and when accessories oh
scure the main principle, history an
g reason show us that in battle there
5 a single argument which is worth Will
q namely, decisive attack, which
e alone capable of assuring the desire
reSult-the overthrow of the advel
e sary."