Evening journal., 1918-03-29
The UnknC Wn Quantity
From the New York Tribune)

General Won Ludcndorn. The real
power behind the German military ma
chine. has always shown curious
frankness in talking about the war.
In an interview al the front with the
correspondent OF the Berlin "Tages-
ssituns" he is reported as saying: "A
great battle has been fought and VIC
tory has been won, but nobody can
fOresee what will result from TO-
Won Ludend0rn, with every Incentive
% ONer-emphasize German success, cau-
tiously suspends judgment. Perhaps
he remembers Nerdun. Nerdun looked
ike a glttering victory 40 the start.
but IN the end had 90 be accepted as a
prlishing defeat It cost Falkcnhayn his
his place as the head Of the German
General slaT. VIII the present tactical
success Of the Germans. purchased at
an enormous cost. remain only a bar
ren tactical success Can 10 DE pushed
FAR enough 90 dlsorgsnize the Allied
armies and split them asunderf or Will
as nrsl promise OF far-reaching consc-
quences turn 90 ashes as did the prom
Isl OF lhe arsi onrush of Nerdon9
10 itsaf the recovery of the devas-
taied territory which Hlndenburg aban-
doned a year ago has no significance
from the military point of view 10 was
not worth the price which The German
armies have paid for IT, If they have
reoccupled 80 merely In order Go hold
It they are no better or than they were
last year. Although they have driven
the British for the moment back across
the old Somme battlefield and have
penetrated again 10 Noyon, The N0yon
salient Is now threatened more seriously
from the south than 10 was IN 1914 for
The French still hold thanking positions
well above Scissors, which they con-
sclidated after Hindenburgs strategic
retreat.
Every big offensive on the western
front has had two phases. In the first
much ground has been gained by the as
sailanis-sften more ground than could
be safely taken over. In the second the
forward movement has been checked by
counter attacks. Then the original Of
fcnsive either held fast or was driven
back toward It's starting point At Cam
brai these two phases were very sharp
~ accentuated. 10 will be surprsng
II the Allied high command on the
west front doesn't shortly deliver a
counter offensive comparable to that of
the Germans 40 Cambria Clemenceau
has predicted such an offensive within
thirty-slx hours.
Ludendorff is also reported as saying
1--WE have succeeded In changing the
fghting from position warfare TO war
fare OF movement" But how that will
help the Germans is not clear The Bat
tie Of the Marne was the elimination
of warfare Of movement on q vast scale.
The Germans, defeated there. dug them
selves in in France, and have remained
dug in ever since. They deliberately
preferred trench warfare o. warfare OF
movement. Were the sacrifices Of the
last week worth while merely 90 change
the style Of nghtlng on the western
front 2"
or was ft the German purpose "a
over-swe the world by q tremendous
slaughter - by another demonstration
Of Germany's 'Vvill to conquer"g 10 so
the demonstration has already failed
Hindenhurg's offensive has been follow
ed hy revolt against German rapacit
in the Ukraine, and odessa, which Ger
many already counted as her own. ha
been retaken by the Bolshevlst soppou
cnts OF the pro-German Rada
What, then, does lbe German Yves
front victory" mean? What Is tn
Ludendornlan alcebraic IN the equa
lion which IS SIN awaiting solution o
the soil Of Picardy?