Evening star., 1920-04-21
FRANCO-BELG|AN
ALLIANCE AGAINST
GERMANY LIKELY
Possibilities of Combined De-
tense Discussed-Lessons
From Past Needed.
by FRANK II. sIMONDS.

| Belgium and France. relations enviSag-
| ing a common alliance in the face of
| the renewed German menace. has pecu-
liar value at this time. when the sym
pathes between the larger allies who
fought the war against Germany. have
visibly cooled.
! To put the thing simply, France and
\ Belgium. with combined population
a little short of 50.0O0.000, are capable
not merely of putting into the field
| forces sufficient to hold the armies OF
a Germany. now reduced to a popula-
don inferior to 100000 at the Rhine
| barrier easily, but for an indefinite
| time in the ArdenneS. or rather In the
extension of the Ardennes highlands
| between the Belgian and French from
| tiers and the Rhine.
| Had the Belgian army been organized
at the strength foreseen by the laws
already IN operation in 1914: had its
| operations been co-ordinated with
| those of the French and British: above
all, had the Belgian as we'll as the
| British armies been under French com
mand in 1914 as they were in 1918
the outcome of the first weeks of the
war might have been far different.
Possibilities of Mobilization.
! Assuming that Belgium could. IN the
future mobilize 25O.000 men at the
! outbreak of new war, these added
to the French million would constitute
force substantially equal to any
thing the Germans could hope to send
westward. given their Polish problems
In the east. Moreover. the situation
! created by the return of Alsace-Lor-
raine to France and the transfer to
| French control of the Luxembourg
railways. in German hands in 1914,
| totally changes the face of things to
the advantage of Belgium and France,
and this advantage is increased by
| the destruction of German fortifica- :
| tions on the Rhine.
The lessons Of the last war clearly
established the fact that under mod :
ern conditions of conflict-that is. in
the war OF positions-while a rupture
OF an enemy front may be achieved
by the secret concentration Of men
ana guns at given point, such rup-
ture cannot lead to any decision until
the enemys reserves have all been
exhausted, since he can bring to the
danger point. after the first moment,
lar more rapidly than his opponent
the necessary reserves to restore the
situation.
By the treaty of Versailles Belgium
emerges from her position as a neu-
| tralized state. The value Of guaranteed
neutrality was disclosed by the events
of August. 1914. Henceforth. Belgium
| must defend herself in case Of dan
ger. She can only do this by arming
adequately and by seeking an under
standing with other nations. An un-
derstanding with Britain. however
useful. cannot have the value Of an
agreement with France. because the
British have demobilized their armies
and therefore would be as unable to
intervene promptly in the future as
they were In 1914. when at Mons three
weeks a1ter German troops had en-
tered Belgium and several days after
BRUSSELS had fallen. only 10000 Brit
ish troops had reached the Belgian
frontier.
Belgium Chooses France.
Thus Belgium has to choose be-
tween the French and the British
alliance. and the choice is inevitable.
Between France and Belgium there
subsist certain differences, having
their origin in the Belgian ambition
to reunite the two fragments Of Lux
gium and the other erected into a
principality nearly q century ago.
But in plebiscite. neld after the
war. the people OF the principality
voted to continue free and to enter
into close commercial relations with
france, which included transfer to
France of the control Of Luxembourg
railways. hitherto operated by the
Germans
Recent foreign dispatches have sue-
gesteo thar in the matter of the rail-
Ways France and Belgium were at
the point of reaching an agreement.
But. aside from a question which is
relatively minor. the common inter-
ests OF france ana Belgium are un-
mtstakable. and Belgian realization
or this fact is disclosed in the prompt
decision TO stand with France in the
occupation of German cities follow
ing the German violation of the terms
OF the peace treaty. After all. the
German menace is as close to iiege
as to Verdun, and the memories the
Germans have left behind them in
Belgium are as poignant as those
surviving In occupied France.
English and American publics
mainly ignorant of the true meaning
OF German invasion, unfamiliar with
the devastated cities of France and
tho shameful story Of German butch
ertes In Belgium. md 1t easier to for
get recent history than do France
mans. while masters of Belgium to
destroy the unity OF the country by
arraying F1emmings against Wal
loons-that is. the Teutonic against
the Latin elements-remains for the
Belsians, even more than the atroci-
purpose in their direction
value Of Alliance.
1t is easy to exaggerate the value
of the military strength of Belgium
| In the past and for the future. but 1t
is equally simple to forget that Ger
man military strength Is neither to-
day what 1T was five years ago nor
| likely. for some years to come. to re-
gain the position lost by the disas-
trous defeat of 1918. In this situation
Belgian contingents will have for a
Franco Belgian alliance a value not
| to be exaggerated.
On the military side. too. it re
mains true. exactly as it was in
1914. that the only open road to Paris
lies through Belgium. In fact the re-
| turn of Alsace-Lorraine to France,
giving the French the line of the
Rhine from Switzerland to the hauter
and the fortified area of Metz-Thion-
Vile. on the Mosslle. makes a German
thrust into France across the common
f-ontier more dif1cult than 1t was in
llel4, when 1t failed absolutely in the
last week Of August in the battle of
tho Gap Of charmes.
In 1914 Belgium could not defend
her frontiers, but today her ability
TO hold the loft bank Of the Meuse
until French armies could Join hands
with her own forces may be reckoned
probable, while tomorrow, when Bel
gisn forces have been reorganized
Il should be q certainty. In any event
the Franco -Belgium uhoerstanoihs IL
both q significant evidence Of the
reading Of current events by one OF
this two peoples Immediately men
aced by any military renaissance In
Germany and an understanding which
liz It develops into formal alliance
may have an important bearing upon
the future.
Copyright, 1920. Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate
Polss Deny Invasion Plan.