Evening star., 1918-01-09
DESTRUCTION OF FOE.
SEEN BY GEN. HA|G.
Allies Have Reason to Be
Proud of Years Accomplish
ments, Says British Leader.
PLANS INTERFERED WITH

from the events in Russia and Italy al
ready has been largely discounted and the
ultimate destruction of the enemys helo
forces has been brought apparently
nearer is the confident summing UP by
Field Marshal Haig. the British command
er-in-chief in France and Belgium OF last
years work by the British army on the
western front. The statement is contained
in an official report of Gen. Haig's spring
and summer campaigns, which occupies
twenty-six pages in the Official Gazette.
The report covers the period from the
opening of the Arras offensive, April 8.
to the conclusion of the Flanders offensive
in November. Subsequent events or the
year. including the Cambria battle, VIII oc-
cupy a separate report which is to be
published shortly.
Tribute to Americans.
Gen. Haig closes the report with a
brief tribute to the Americans.
During the year." says Gen. Haig. "the
United States has entered the war and
taken up their part with all the we'll
known energy and ability Of that great
nation. Already many thousands of Amer
ican soldiers are in France. Warm as is
the welcome they received from the French
people nowhere will they find more gen
uine or friendlier greeting than among
speaking armies"
At the outset of his report Gen. Haig
explains how the general allied plan of
campaign for the year was settled at a
conference at French headquarters in
November. 1916.
THE plan," the report says, COM
prises series of offensives on all
fronts. so timed as to assist each other
by depriving the enemy of the power
Of weakening any of his fronts to re-
inforce another"
Plan Forcib1y Modified.
This plan had to be modified on
wholesale scale from the very start,
owing to a variety of unexpected de-
velopments. such as the Russian situ-
alton, the requirements of the allies
and, particularly in later months, to
adverse weather conditions.
Notwithstanding these difficulties the
whole story of the years work is a
steady continuation of British successes
and German setbacks. which give Gen.
clusion.
"The Flanders offensive was main
tanned for three and half months un-
der most adverse conditions" says Gen
Haig. The weather entailed almost
superhuman exertions on the part of
the troops of all arms. The enemy did
his utmost to hold his ground, and in
endeayoring to do so used UP no less
than seventy-eight divisions, of which
eighteen were engaged a second or
third time after being withdrawn to
rest and refit.
Things Preventing Capture.
Despite the magnitude of his efforts,
1t was the immense natural difficulties.
accumulated MANIFOLD by abnorrnaIly
wet weather. rather than the enemy's
resistance, which limited our progress
DTevPnfad 1ofa
the ridge. What was accomplished un-
der such adverse conditions is the most
conclusive proof that. given a normally
hne August. the capture of the whole
the poVr of our men.
IN n advanced every time with alb
solute confidence in their power to
overcome the enemy. even though some
waist deep to reach him. AS long as
they could reach him they overcame
him. but physical exhaustion placed
narrow limits on the depth to which
eaGh advance could be pushed and COM
peiIed long pauses between advances.
The full fruits of each success conse-
quently were not always obtainabIe.
Foe Able to Reorganize.
Time after time the practically
beaten enemy was enabled to reorgan-
ize and relieve his men and bring nm
reinIorcements behind the sea of mud,
wnich constituted his main protection
notwithstanding the many difficulties
much was achieved.
Our captures in Flanders since the
END OF July amount to $4,000 prisoners.
"a guns and 941 machine euns ~ 10
certain that the enemy losses exceeded
ours.
THE most important of all is that orr
new and hastily trained armies again
have shown that they are capable Of
he
troops under conditions which favored
In this respect desire to empha size
the supreme importance Of adequate
line OF battle. 1t is essential IL "a crffce
Is to be avoided and success assured
that troops going into battle should
hrst be given the opportunity for spe
clal training under officers who are to
command them in the task which fhev
are to be called upon to perform,
Russia Failed to Help.
THE general conditions Of the strur-
gle this year have been very different
from those contemplated at the confer
ence In November. 1915. The great gen
eral and simultaneous offensive then
agreed upon did not materialize. Rus
sia. though some of her leaders made
| a fine effort. not only failed to give the
| help expected. but even failed to pre-
vent Tue enemy from transferring forfy
fresh divisions from her front in ex.
Change for tired ones used up in fhe
west or from replacing his losses on
the west by drafts OF fresh men from
the east. o1
The combined Franco-Brittsh orren-
sive In the spring was launched before
italy was ready. and the splendid ar
tort made by Italy later was unfor-
tunately followed by deyeIonme ments
which resulted in the weakening Of the
| allied forces in this theater. IN the cir.
cumstances the tasks OF the British and
french armteS have been far heavier
| throughout the year than Originally
was anticipated, and the enemys means
or meeting our attack was greater thar
| he or we expected
Record Of Which to Be Proud.
That under such circumstances we
Won tho victories Of Arras. vimy and
aMessineS and the French those at
Moronvfllers, Verdun and Malmaison
constitutes q record Of which tho alIies
nave right to be proud. The British
armies have maintained a vigorous and
continuous offensive throughout the
period covered by this dispatch. No
other example Of offensive action on ID
large q scale and SO long and SUCCESS
fully sustained has been furnished BY
the war. -
TN the operations It Arras. Massin.s
Lens and Ypres 131 German divisions
were engaged and defeated by less than
half that number Of Britain