Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-10
[LLIED SUCCESS
SHOWS VALUE OF
UNITED COMMAND
Victory Comparable to Ger
man Offensive at Chemin-
des-Dames
WAS TACTICAL SURPRISE
Place and Hour Chosen by
Foch to Produce Greatest
Effect on Enemy
WAS TACTICAL SURPRISE
By WALTER DURANTY

special Gable to Evening Public Ledger
Copyright. 1918. bv Nc,c York Times Co.
With the French Armies, Aug. 10.
According to the latest information
the Allies have accomplished a strate-
g1s success and pierced the German
fine on a scale comparable to the
Chemin- -des. Danes offensive by the
Germans on May %. 1t is further
striking proof of the miscalcuiatlons
of the German high command. who re-
garded the British army as neglible
after the March losses. Just as 1t I'M
agined the French reserves were en-
hausted by the battles of May and
June.
In point Of fact the British have
been able during four months OF COM
parative calm to bring up their units
to full strength against an enemy
whose effectives were greatly dimir-
ished) and train and reorganize their
whole forces to meet the changed
conditions of maneuver warfare.
The Allies were not slow to appre-
ciate the German discovery OF the
paralyzing effect of gas and smoke
shells on the elaborate defensive sys-
TENS of trench fighting. and the British
have been steadily adopting such per-
fections in tactics as the French in
troduced from time to time. Thus it
was learned that the trained team
work of guns, rifles, grenades and
Hight and heavy mitrailleuses Will
make short work of the crossfire from
machine gun chain th!therto the
worst obstacle of an infantry ad-
vance), even in conditions where the
aid of tanks or artillery is imprac.
ticable,
Value Of United Command
More perhaps than in any previous
war, this latest victory demonstrates
the value of united command. Not
only were the place and hour chosen
by Foch so as to produce the maxi
mum effect on the enemy, demoralized
and weakened by the events of the last
fortnight, but also the manner in
which the attack was carried out and
bears eloquent witness to the intimate
co-operatlon Of the British and French
general staffs.
Rawlinson and Debenny repeated
under Haig the same tactics SO sue
cessfully inflated by Mangin and De
GOutte under Fayolle and Petain. Like
Mangin, Rawlinson delivered the prin-
cfpal blow, to which Debenny's was a
pendant and f1anking cover.
The British attacked almost with.
out artillery preparations save for
few minutes of destruction fire. This
was necessitated by somewhat more
extensive defensive organization than
existed on the newer front opposite
Mangin. Then the troops advanced,
led by very many tanks, under cover
Of terrific Creeping barrage"
Like De Goutte, Debenny made ar
tillery preparation of forty-five min.
utes, which began at exactly the same
moment as the British fire This en-
aoled him to effect a parallel advance
with weaker forces.
Allies Gain Tactical Surprise
In both battles the methods adopted
gave the Allies the advantage of a
tactical surprise, though in both the
enemy had been expecting an attack
in the northern sector.
The French deserve especial credit,
because the recent enemy withdrawal
across the Ayre had established situ-
alton where the use of tanks was i'm.
pussible at the outset, owing to geo.
graphical conditions.