The Washington herald., 1918-08-14
The First Serious" Defeat!

Il Junker newspaper in Berlin declares that the
battle in .Pcardy is the first Serious defeat" that
German arms have sustained in the war.
E So soon is the history of the war forgotten?
Was the first battle Of the Marne not defeat?
Was Verdun victory? Was the first offensive of
the Grand Duke Nicholas at the outbreak of the
war, putting East Prussia in danger, and forcing
the complete collapse of German plans in the west
for that critical campaign of 1914, victory,
though it ended in the debacle of Tannenburg?
Was the first battle of Ypres victory?
:, Was not Germany defeated in the first few
weeks of the war-defeated because she had staked
all on the chance of gaining decision in brief
periods
i OF course, it is idle to expect the Hun to admit
defeat except when the fact is inescapable. 1t is
significant that pan-German journal is ready to
assert that Foch has defeated the Kaiser's armies
in Picardy. The blasting of 'Ludendorffs plans in
the Aisne- Marne salient three weeks ago was
called by official sanction Strategic retreat"
The battle of Picardy is just beginning. 1t may
shortly reach its climax by forcing the enemy back
to the Hndcnburg line. 1t has been a continuously
expanding fight. and Foch evidently intends to in
crease his pressure both to area and as to in
tensty as far as the strategic position permits
him to do.
So far, despite various critics, there is no hint
that the enemy will be able Stabilize" the posi-
Lassigny heights had been gained and that Roye
was expected to fall within forty-eight hours This
means that the momentum of the drive has not
been impaired by stiffened enemy resistance in the
center 1t means that the allied armies have not
yet reached the full tide of the force of their for
ward thrust; that the position the Vesle and the
blow in Pcardy may soon be linked together, so
as to force a retreat to the Chemin-des-Dames and
drive in an stronger flank attack the
Picardy salient from the. south.
If Foch has as good luck in the next four
weeks as he has had in the past month, there is
no doubt that he will force the fighting and give
the enemy no rest In which we may see a
German retreat not merely to the Hindenburg line,
but much further back 1t is futile to expect that
the Germans will not be able to put up a much
stronger and more tenacious resistance in the near
future His only slightly inferior to
Foch's if any. He still has the advantage of
shorter lines of communication. He is still work
ing from the inside of the circle, while the allied
armies operating from the outside.
There is much debate and disputation as to
when the Boche will be able to force resump-
ton OF trench warfare. Is it entirely to say
that the choice of trench or open warfare remains
with the defensive? The allies were entrenched
last March, but Ludendorff drove them into the
open. On the same principle, why cannot Foch
determine the nature of the fighting he desires,
as long as he retains the initiative? Through the
surprise attack, which is assured to the army that
has command of the air, the allies now have, it
seems to be almost easy to drive defenders out of
the trenches and bring about open fighting at any
given point Cambria and ST. Quentin, not to men,
ton the present battle, have demonstrated this fact
If the Germans recognize in the battle of
Picsrdy Serious" defeat, they bound to use
an even stronger adjective when the Foch stroke
has developed to its full proportions.