The Washington herald., 1918-06-13
ENEMY LOSSES
|. CHEER ALLIED
OFFICERS HERE
Military Observers Wonder
Where Germans Obtain
Fresh Troops.

Despite the admission that one OF
the most critical battles of the wal
is developing about Compiegne
there is a distinctly more optimistic
air among British, French, Italian
and American military men in
Washington. This optimism is
frankly based on two factors.
The huge losses of the Germans
The rapidity with which Ameri-
can troops are pouring in.
Taken together, these factors as
sure the allied experts that no mat
ter how much territory the German
armies may cover-even to Paris
itself-the vital ratio of man power
is working so steadily against them
that they cannot win
Were getting your own fresh
troops" said a British critic here
yesterday. God knows where Ger
many is getting more men. Even II
she is getting them they are not
to be compared in quality with tho
American armies. They must be
either Russians. boys or old men"
The latest development of the Ger.
man attack to the sector southwest of
Compiegne is marked as an attempt
" POChCl tildl great Runway lO"h anu
the two great forests which protect
it'll 'Aigle and Compiegne.
Germans Avoid Forests.
II know Compiegne forest WELL"
said a British officer yesterday. "I'ye
hunted many a bear there in the days
before the war. It's a real forest
The Germans like wood fighting less
than anyone in the world. They arc
trying to go around the forests"
The Importance OF the fall of these
natural defenses is not minimZed. Re-
tween them and Paris there are few
geographical features that so lend
themselves to defense. But the Ger
mans have a tough problem to solve.
To get to the south of Compiegne
forest. they must pass between it and
the forest Of Nillers-COtterets. Either
wood is capable OF holding a nuge
allied force which could debouch in
a fierce counter attack OH any Ger
man flank left exposed in an advance.
They are lighting through territory
which. as pointed out in these dis
patches. is the home ground of the
bulk of the FOch reserves. II neces-
sary to make the Germans pay price
for their advance. some of these re-
serves will be used.
The confidence of the German losses
are based on the figures as to the
number of enemy divisions which
have faced the allied fire as submitted
in the Paris Journal. NJ. Bidou, critic
of this paper. asserts that total
of $50 German divisions have at one
time and another faced the allies this
spring. In these appearances many
of the divisions, of course, appeared
two. three and even four times.
Each time a German division has
been withdrawn. a competent British
authority declared here today, it
means that 1t has suffered losses OF
at least 1900 men in killed, wounded
and missing.
Losses Total Million.
According to this computation,
therefore. the total German casual
ties since operations began this
spring are 1,OSO,Oo0 men.
Many of these men, of course,
have been rehabilitated and sent
back into the battle line. 1t is also
quite possible that the allied losses
have been somewhere near as heavy
as the Germans. But British and
French officers point to the one fact
that the allied losses are being re-
placed by fresh American troops.
while the German losses are re-
placed. as one British officer said,
God knows how"
The officer responsible for the
statement that 5000 Germans are
lost each time a division is replac-
ed. declares the estimate to be con-
servative. He says that all ad-
vices indicate that the German
command is furnishing its divisions
as hard as they can stand it before
withdrawing them.