Evening star., 1918-04-19
Such Is View of French Gen.
eraI Who Played a Brilliant
Part in 1t.
HOLDS ALLIES STRONGER
IN MATERIAL AND MORALE
Credits American Assistance With
Large Part in Turning Tide
of the Conflict.
BY PAUL SCOTT MowRER.


Cablegram to The Evening star and
Chicago Daily News. Copyright, 1UiS.
WITH THE FRENCH ARMIES. April
19.-The French general whose brilliant
intervention March %, when he fought
with few divisions against twelve ene-
my divisions and closed the valley Of the
Oise to the Germans, thus covering the
retreating right wing Of the 5th English
Army, and who, March 81, with few
more divisions, held fast against the ter
rife assault on the line Of Noyon- Mont
didier against double the number of Ger
mans, received me at his headquarters
today and in the course Of long con-
versatiop made the following statement:
The crisis is now ended. The Ger
mans have made their great effort ana
have been checked. Every German
officer we capture admits that the OF.
fensive has failed.
Hun to Attack Again.
Il do not mean that the offensive has
ended, for the enemy. once having be-
gun, must continue at any cost. He
has still fresa divisions available and
must be expected to make stili anotner
endeavor to break the allied line. We
only hope that he will make the at
tempt. We are ready. The British have
blocked him in Picardy and Flanders
and are ready at whatever third point
he may choose. and we hope to sustain
the effort.
Another month or moro OF heavy
lighting must be expected. In which the
enemy will utilize every resource. HE
losses have already been great Some
divisions have lost so per cent OF their
electives and others 40 per cent. His
losses win be still greater. Disillusion
has already set in. This. too. VIII %
still greater as time passes ana the SOL
dfers realize the emptiness OF the prcm-
isestof m sarly psaee
|~ss~Ezsry Reason for Conhdsncs. ~
1--WE havs svery reason to be con-
hdent. Economically. we are better
situated than the enemy. who still can-
not expect food from Russia for sew
eral months. Materially. we are
stronger. Our artillery and aviation
at present completely dominate his
and America guarantees to provide us
with everything we need. We are IN
sured superiority as more and more
American troops arrive in France. but
what Is ever more important than ma
terial is morale. Morally also we are
superior to the enemy. we KNOW tnoe
our cause is just.
I'VE know that to allow the enemy
to win would mean the enslavement OF
the whole world. Nothing can shake
our determination. The side which has
the deepest conviction of the righteous
ness of its cause and strongest viii to
victory is sure to win in the end.
The people of the allied nations
should clearly understand these thfngA
That is why" added the general. yonr
the highest Importance. For 1t 70
through the newspapers that the ma
tion's morale is informed and sus-
Offensive War Foreseen.
Replying to my request to explain
what happened when his army inter.
vened and checked the German advance.
the general said:
saThe enemy's offensive was foreseeu
at the point where it actually occurred-
The intervention had begun ON the
third day before all the divisions could
British front is still not entirely clear
to me. I can only say that from the
moment of our arrival the conduct OF
the British troops was splendid. Tney
are really remarkable soldiers. ana the
devotion with which they fought can.
not be too highly praised.
"A British corps fell under. my COM
mand. Its loyalty and discipline
throughout were remarkable; Ny
corps commanders transmitted their
orders to the British corps command
ers, yet there never was the slightest
friction.
when a British general said he
would do a thing you could absolutely
depend on his doing that thing. The
ability of the British corps commanders
me to such an extent that
my command. Of writing my personal
thanks to them and my congratulations
on the quality of their men. There
was no doubt as to them, and their
troops were magnificent.
.sThey had bad luck March Fl, but that
is something that may happen to any
army. You should have seen the men
of those two corps when on their de-
spite all they had been through. their
heads were held high, their shoulders
square, eyes fiashng-hrm and spirited"
tied"
Fought Superior Forces.
The general. who is a singularly mod
est man. dwelt little on his own
The fact remains that
during several days he fought the Ger
mans though outnumbered three to one.
unaided. without artillery ana under
every disadvantage. Yet he succeeded
effectually in barring the road to Paris
40 that the enemy turned the brunt OF
the attack on Amiens. farther to- the
north. The losses sustained by the
enemy on March 81. when he again
made a mass attack on the French
lines, were probably the greatest Of the
war; yet the attack yielded nothing.
'HThe public, perhaps. fnsufnciently uu-
derstands the whole war on this front
the general continued. TT fs like q sins
gle battle, which. instead of lasting onS
day lasts four years. Yet II is subject 20
the same principles as the great battles
Of the past Every battle consists OF
two forces coming together on given
ground, fighting back and forth. one
side gaining the advantage here and the
other there. In other words, II fs q
series of local actions up and down the
[ine until finally one side IL able either
superior strength or superior
skin to make decisive use OF its re-
serves.
Take Marengo. where the all-daY
battle went against US, yet In the eveyl-
[ng we were victorious. Take Jena 1t
was the same thing. Napoleon seemed
70 have lost. yet the arrival Of reeeryeA 3