Evening journal., 1918-07-24
BY WILLIAM PHILIP sMMs.
[Unltsd Press San CORRESPONDENCE }


UNITED Press STAFF Correspondent
Copyright, 1918, by tho United Press.
WITH THE BRITISH ARMIES II
THE FIELD. July ion this front three
big things loom UP out of the veal
which began the middle OF last sum
mer and ended the middle of this;
Hais's offensive in Flanders and a
Cambria.
The decision to brigade Americans
with the British.
The German offensive.
Each Will have a large place in the
history Of this war.
Although at that time there was nc
such thing as a generalissimo on the
Western front, there was something ap-
prosching unity Of command, and il
had been agreed between British and
French that certain general policies
should be followed in the Allied offen-
sive Of 1917. Without going into de-
tail, the tactics Of the Franco-Brl'ish
commanders were almost precisely
those Of Hindenburg and Ludendorfl
this year. That is. an offensive was TO
be turned loose in a particular place,
and II this came TO a standstill an
other offensive should be got under
way as quickly as possible somewhere
else
SO, on April 9, 1917, the battle Of Ar
rss began. A few days later the French
attacked between Scissors and Rheims.
The storming Of Messines Ridge came
next and after this the push in Flan-
ders and the drive against Cambria.
The Flanders offensive was aimed
against the high ground east and north
east of Ypres, against Passchendaele,
Roulers and the U-boat bases on the
Belgian coast. Had these been taken
Germanys position in Belgium would
have been precarious and her whole
northern flank menaced.
But Haig played 10 usual British
luck; the weather was abominable.
Flanders became a quasmire. There
were days when some of the finest
ffgf1ting men who ever pushed a bayo-
net failed to reach their obieotives
only because it was a physical impossi-
bility TO cross the bog.
OF course progress was hopelessly re-
tarded, losses were heavy and the cam
paign season ended with the capture OF
Passchendaele. The Germans were not
seriously incommoded. On the other
hand, British troops, who had TO fight
rain and mud quite as much as the
other enemy, were very tired.
Still after a pause, the Cambria sur
prise was sprung on the Germans. And |
this was a surprise, the Germans them |
selves notwithstanding Personally ] |
believe the war might have been ended
there and then had the Allies not been |
dog tired at the end of a long, hard |
campaign instead Of being at the start
and fresh. For the tanks, hundreds |
OF them, broke completely through be-
fore the panic stricken enemy realized
what was going on. In front OF the
British infantry lay Cambria and The
wide-open country. All that was need
ed was strong fresh army 10 exploit
the breach. The whole German Front
might have been rolled up.
But and that's the whole story
the men were tired and their
ranks thin and, not being strong enough
20, push on, had, ten days later, to
withdraw out OF a dangerous salient.
Rumors OF 0frensive
About this time rumors of great
German offensive against the west front |
began 10 take form. The Russian col |
lapse had become practically complete
and a front which had required rs Ger
man divisions TO hold down, disappear
3D. Even at the time of Cambria Ger
nan divisions were arriving from Rus
ian and from that moment on the !
1aiser's armies In the West grew big
5er and bigger. :
A little over a year ago there were /
ut i2s German divisions on the west :
Z. IL
ear these had grown to isi. Only 50 :
visions were left in Russia, two
thers being IN the Balkans and three In
tally. a total Of PAL.
The German offensive which began
farch 2i was not a surprise In any
,av whatsoever. While In Switzerland
uring the latter part Of January
earned that the offensive would com
nenoe shortly after March depend
ng upon weather and other conditions