South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-04-14

which. all things considered. might be regarded as
practically inexhaustibe supreme purpose OF the
allies. then, with as little loss of ground
and men as possible, until America was ready. Any
thing but major disaster was price they must and
did consent to pay for time by major disaster
they understood German victory that would insure a
German peace.
Given these conditions on both sides let US see how
the game worked three weeks Of the
German offensive The German planned Napoleonic
blow. He undertook break through the British on
front of fifty miles. drive the French
and the British roll British back upon Calais and
Boulogne. that is north of the Somme contain the
whole British force the now restricted front with
a relatively small fraction his troops who would
dig in and then concentrate all his AMI
mprobaby fraction of the resources of his
allies upon final blow asanst the French
In his original conception IIndenburg expected to
break through the allied line. throw the French back
behind the Seine and the routed Brit
ish behind the Somme even the Canche and then.
with his hands free for the moment deal the deatr
blow TO the French. And is essential to recognize
that If the British had been thrown back behind
Somme the Canche penned up in the marrow
thus crcumscribod. the peril 20 France would
have been tremendous 1t the NapOleonic con
cepton Of the Waterloo campaign. 10 divide the Brit
ish and the Prussians drive the towards
Ldege and contain them with Grouchy and then smash
Wellington. The failure failure of Grouchy
to contain the Prussans who got back into effective
touch with the British and routed the French.
let US follow the working out Of the strategy
far it had gone April 9. which is just short
OF three weeks. First all. there was an immediate
rupture of the allied line Coughs fifth army was
beaten great British army has ever been beaten
Not only beaten. but retreat was 50
badly handled that the were able to inter
north and similarly between and the French armies
to the south. The NTH army link in the allied
chain of armies from the sea and this
link was eTectually broken by Friday, %
in two days Hindenburg had accomplished what Falk-
enhayn had failed achieve Verdun he had brok-
hole between the allied armies.
The ultimate German victory after the immediate
and enormous local west of St. Quentin was
prevented by the French. they saved the British
more Enthusiastically than Bluecher saved WELLINGTON
Waterloo. Had the French been able intervene.
the Germans would have realized week the
main purpose of their strategy they have drv
the British in something approaching a complete
rout. the fifth army concerned. o
the SOmme and of touch with the French.
The French saved the British and the situation by
the rapidly with which they moved their reserves
northward They had two things do. The collapse of
the fifth British army had only opened a gap be
covered the main roads Paris Thus the French had
to rush troops north to Paris they had also
rush troops up in front of the German push
westward, which rapidly getting point where
possible between the allies
would be impossible.
The threat Paris stopped short and never be-
grave at any time during the critical period. But
it until March that French had got
round the and in f-ont of the point
of the wedge and by this time this point had
passed Montdidier had begun climb the
plateau between the Avre and the Noye valleys
And in the Noye valley the main railroad from
Paris to the north. 1t breathless finish Of
the exciting all military history.
The Germans did not Immediately accept the fact
of defeat days they continued assa this
necessarily thin line which the lifeline allied
armies since il bound the British and the French
sether. the French soldier blood and bravery
held BY April ] the German forced TO abandon
his immediate efforts break the connection. He
had. temporarily to the end his strength
this front. where he 80 miles his starting
point and the hopeless roads behind him wers render
ed more hopeless by the rain storm that in