The Washington herald., 1919-09-28

BY JOHN LLOYD BALDERsTON.
Germans formerly in highest po-
sition are now busy telling the
world of their hopes and fears.
their arrogance and their despair.
at the great crises during which
victory swung towards the Central
Powers. now towards the allies.
Among the allies. too. whose lead
ers have not yet spoken, there were
moments of joy and gloom whose
unfulfilled promises and fortunately
unrealized apprehensions will thrill
Ihe future reader of history. /
knowledge of the worst was
spared the American people in
1917 and 1915, because the censor
ship prevented bad news and ru-
mors from crossing the Atlantic,
and the robust faith Of this coun-
by was justified by the event But
there were days lived through in
London and France when to those
on the inside all seemed lost. ex-
eepting honor and the duty and
privilege to fight on with little
hope until the end.
Only Few Knew of Crisis.
The very worst OF these bad times
was not the break-through of the
German army in March. 1918.
The hammer-blows of Ludendorff
against the British Fifth army
Numbered through the world. but
the even more desperate situation
In April, 1917. when the German
torpedo was silently doing its
work. only a few men on the allied
side knew how well, did not come
10 the knowledge Of the public un-
til the crisis had been passed.
|, Late on a rainy afternoon in that
terrible month I arrived at Charing
Cross station from the front Tie
news out there. thought, was as
Mad as it could be. Following the
brilliant Canadian capture of Vimy
Ridge on the 9th. the British at
tack before Arras had been hung
up. and then followed tire, worst
French defeat OF the trench warfare
days. the terrible and bloody repulse
Of the assault IN Champagne. when
in a single day Nivelle sent for
ward fifty divisions in vain assaults
and 90. 0GO Frenchmen were shot down
Division after division then mu-
timed: there were. weeks durinu
wlich the French feared that their
army would not hold out against
determined German attack.
So Sir Douglas Haig. to give
France time to rally her legionsp
was compelled to continue hopeless
and costly onslaughts before Arras
IL the bulk of the German reserves
could he held there, the French would
gain time to recover. Never has
the British army had credit for this,
perhaps its finest feat of the war.
its gallant self-sacrifice in the spring
and summer of 1917 to save tenn
porarily broken ally.
Plugging Away at ASras.
The plan for an attack to win the
FIanders coast early in the sum-
mer had to be abandoned. to keep
rlugCing away at Arras- Flnaliy'
Iater. when it was too late to achieve
yietory before winter ssopped the
iEhting, tie Flanders attack was de
Iicered by Pluner's Second army. ana
again to save the French the Bin
iSb silently endured during that au-
, surnn losses aGgregating 10000 men
n the sodden Belgian morasses'
From Charing Cross station tnat
hpriI afternoon I went to the Ad-
niraIty. OF the French disaster l
sacrificins themselves before ArTas,
and 1 ruminated on the bitter cruel
" that imposed on all observers
Eilence. The world must not know
how hardly the French were hit;
above all, the mutinies must be con :
sealed. Ano so British censorship
must hide the truth. and let the
world think that mad British gem
,raIs were enduring bloody defeats
and throwing their men away IN
sruitless attacks.
So well did the censorship sue
.eed that half the world thinks so
still The rank and file in the army
thought so then: it was at this pc
Rod that a British soldier-poet
wrote of the gold-bespattered gen.
sral who reviewed the troops on
heir way into the furnace:
He's a CHEEKY old cove, muttereo
Harry to Jack,
AS they trudged up to Arras with
rifle and pack.
But he did them both in. with his
plan OF attack"
sink Twenty-Five ships In One Day.
These British soldiers who died as
Ihey thought in vain during what I
heard called those mad months" in
Ie17 never knew that by their
Ieaths they gave France a breath
ing spell; so that France, when next
year it was the British who sue
sumbed. was able to come to the
rescue and hold out until America
was ready
Fifteen minutes after got OF the
rain 1 received my worst shock OF
the war. Calmly. with imperturba-
Die British phlegm, high naval Of
acer in the Admiralty said to me.
-Oh. that's nothing. these troubles
IT the front. You mustn't let this
70 any further. but we lost twenty
rwo ships yesterday. my son."
Does that include fishing
Tmacks?" 1 gasped. Vessels over
1000 tons" came the calm reply.
Ordinarily it is impossible to re-
member the exact words of a con-
versaIion, when years have passed.
But can still hear the AdmiraPs
Toice enunciating every sentence.
rhe shock was worse for me, since
had been at the front and was
eut of touch with what was at that
time the main seat of war, the sea.
How long can you hold out at
that rateT' I said. Perhaps five
months. Better tell those friends
,f yours across the Atlantic to
hurry up. Good bye"
Thought War Lost.
As / went out into bustling
Whitehall ] felt, for the first time,
hat the war was lost. And 1t
aearly was Nearly everybody in