El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-09-27

J north at what Lincoln called his es-
cape was boundless.
Fact OF Marine vs.. Legend.
Now the fact Of the Marne. as op-
posed to the legend, was simple. The
! Germans over many years had fornu-
I lated a great plan for the destruction
I OF the military power Of France The
/ invasion OF Belgium was an essential
detail. since II was impossible to use
I the numbers available on the narrow
/ front OF the France-German boundary,
/ and the war would have infallibly
I degenerated into struggle Of posi-
I lions on the Murthe and the Moselle,
I and not the Aisne and the Lys.
The gigantic thrust through Bel
! gium envisaged possible British par
I ticipation in the war. but so carefully.
so minutely had the Germans plan
l been fashioned, so confident were the
/ German commanders alike IN their
army and in their preparation, that il
/ never for a single moment occurred
/ TO them that there could be a failure
On the other hand. We see clearly
! now that on the technical side French
I armies. French preparations insurfi-
! eient-- We see that the French gen
/ eral staff underestimate the extent
/ Of the German blow through Belgium
and made many, II not all, Of the mis-
! takes which the Germans hoped and
ception. They never sacrificed the
opportunity to maneuver.
( Germans Found IN Hopeless Mess.
Thus, when the French offensive
l had been defeated, when. the German
] concentration IN Belgium was dis
closed twice as strong as Joffre had
1 believed possible, when kluclz was re-
I hre IN his turning movement, Joftre
was able to draw his armies back sys-
] tematicaliy from a dangerous position
until the German armies had involved
themselves in a hopeless mess. They
had outrun their heavy artillery their
munitions They had exhausted their
men in unparalleled marches, and they
now offered to the French an unpro-
] tected flank open to precisely that
enveloping operation which they had
endeavored 10 bring off against
Joffre.
Stripped Of all military phraseol-
ogy' this means that in the ten days
between the battle OF Charleroi and
the opening OF the Narne, Joffre had
been able so to reestablish his armies
as 70 bring to nothing the whole con-
ception OF the Germans and compel
them 10 open the decisive battle in a
position fatally defective. From that
position they extricated themselves,
after a vain effort TO defeat their
enemy, with that supreme skill which
TO the very end marked German re-
treats Their losses in prisoners and
in men at the Marne were insignifi-
can't PROFESSIONALLY they inflicted
heavier casualties on the French than
they suffered themselves. lust as Lee.
NJ 70 the final day Of Gettysburg. IN
flicted heavier losses upon Meade Az
ter the battle the French were unable
10 exploit their victory by turning the
German retreat into a rout- Kluciz
was able 20 dig IN at the Aisne and
German armies STAYED IN France for
four long years thereafter.
Nevertheless, the real fact OF
the matter disenagEes itself
clearly every day. and partieu-
larry in German statements. The
opening campaign was clash be-
tween two systems Of military
thought. II represented 20 years
OF painstakfnE study by the best
brains Of two nations. The Ger
mans conception was frankly to
destroy the French military pow
er before Russia and Great Britain
could intervene. The French con
ceptiOn was to parry the GermHn
blew and hold on until Great Brit
ain and RuEsin could intervene.
When the two conceptions came
In conflict IL WINS the French
which was totally successful and,
after the 9th OF September. Ger
many was beaten provided Great
Britain and RUSSIA played their
paris ~ France had by that time
played hers.
Great Britain did play her part
She raised her great armies with a
rapidity which surprised the world.
Russia, on the contrary, after two
year collapsed As a consequences the
situation which existed in 1914 reap
peared in 1918 when German strategy
was again able 10 try for the decision
which had escaped it at the Marine.
while France and Great Britain were
condemned to adopt Joffre's policy Of