New-York tribune., 1918-08-08
Seas Clear; Foe Losing; Says Lloyd George

OUT gigantic efforts in men and ma
'erlai' ANY distribution of resources
"hlch would impair in the least the Ell
I loro would be ruinous to the forces Of
the Allies.
would like to point out, in deal.
ing with the army and its growth, that
the maintenance of the navy and the
mercantile marine is the first charge
on 'l;,;. me resources of the country. Our
demands of those obligations on our
resources in men and material. vet,
SINCE august, 1914, including those al
ready with the colors, Great Britain
alone has raised for the army and the
navy o'2oo,Oo0 men, for the most part
voluntarily. The Dominions contrib
u'ed 100000 and India 1,25o0Oo.
Americas Showing Excelled
o, III America were to call to the
colors the same number of men as
Great Britain. in proportion to popula-
ton, it would mean. nearly $1,000, 900
men.
"On the Western front, after the en-
eemy had been relieved of all appre-
henslon on the Eastern front because
OF the brest-Lltovsk peace, the Ger
mans brought all their best divisions
] against US and our allies.
therefore, when the German Of
fenslve began March 21 the Allies were
confronted by the flower of the Ger
man army, who had rested and made
preparations specially for the great
olow While the French and the British
were tired by the prolonged offensive
on our part under the most exhaustinp
conditions. .
"Considerable American forces had
been expected to reach the battlefront
by spring, but as matter of fact on
the list of March there was only one
American division in the line, although
there were three or four divisions be-
nlnd the line which were brought up
after the attack began.
Reserves Not Available
The weather conditions were the
most favorable that the enemy could
have chosen. Our united command was
not yet an accomplished fact, in spite
OF all endeavors to achieve it, and each
ueneral was mainly concerned over the
perlls OF his own front so that when
the blow came the reserves of the Al
les armies were not available to meet
1t where it fell.
Those were the conditions under
which the long prepared and carefully
planned blow Of the picked troops Of
Germany fell upon the British army.
The enemy's object was to obtain a
military decision this year, before the
American army could come up, first
OF all by severing the two armies and
then attacking the separated French
and British forces.
Nv e must understand the enemy
plan in order to realize what the valor
of the British army achieved.
Ii the two objects had been obtained
the American forces could not have
arrived in time to save the Frech army
That was the German calcuation. Let
US not forget in the light of what hap
pened afterward that it was net such
an impossible effort.
Many Anxious Moments
How did the German plans prosper?
There had been four and half months
of such fighting as never before was
seen on the face of the globe. What
happened? At first, the German army
ach eved considerable success and we
had anxious moments-very anxious
moments. Those who knew most about
the situation were the most anxious
Our losses were considerable in men,
in material and also IN prisoners.
The second German blow might very
we'll have overwhelmed the British
army, but before the battle was over.
thrown across the Channel. and in a
months time $4,000. Every gun lost
had been put back and every machine
gun replaced. Not merely had the de-
fciency been supplied, but .he number
had been increased.
"At this moment there are more guns
and more machine guns with the army
IN France than ever before. 1t was the
first German miscalculation. They cal
culated that we .ould not do it,
"We owe a debt of gratitude to a sec
ton of the press for misleading the en-
cmy. They led the Germans to believe
that we hadn't even been able to make