The Washington herald., 1921-09-04

re-established the view that the Datte was 1851 o'N
the retreat was ordered before it was necessary.
However there is fact pertinent, the dehhl'e
piercing Of the German lines the permanent separation
of Kluck from Bulow only narrowly avoided as
it was by the arrival OF the Seventh German army d
the Aisne 1t touch and go for days whether inc
German army, that is the whole host, could hang Oh
at the Asne would have to retire to the Mouse 10
the frontier French critics believe Bulow was right
and that he saved the German army from complete
disaster. On the whole German critics incline to the
opposite view, obviously because it enables them to
escape the admission that they were actually beaten
at the Marne instead OF deprived OF victory by the
mistake Of an army commander, mistake adopted
by the supreme commander under the emperor
AS for Moltke on September 9. when he heard
of the beginning Of retirement, he made prepara-
tons to issue general order. but the next day post
poned the issue while he made tour Of the front.
He still hoped that what had been lost in the west
might be regained in the But September II
his order finally emerged. the order for the retire.
ment which took all the German armies back on
line from the Disc to the Mouse and from Verdun to
Noyon. Thus, on the German side the battle lasts
from September to September II, although Buow
began to retire Seq tember 8, which was in fact
the decisive day and ahe three western armies were
in rapid retreat BY the evening of September g. - :.
Such, then is tie German narrative. The defeat
was due to two sets of causes First of all the in
vasion Of East Prussia by the Russians led to the
transfer of two corps and cavalry division. nearly
100 600 men, from west to east more than two weeks
before the decisive battle This transfer, denounced
by all German critics, Bernhard most outspoken OF
ALL was due the Emperors personal intervention and
was against the will Of Moltke. The absence Of these
100000 men, taken from Bulow and Hausen, weakened
the Germans at the decisive ppint made possible the
gap deprived Bulow and Hausen of all reserves.
The second. set OF causes gives rise to endless
dispute. Buows supporters Moltkes champions INSIST
that the ruin of the whole battle was due to kucks
dsobedience of orders, his rash push south OF the
Marine and his equally rash dash north with all his
forces when Maunoury seemed about to harvest
supreme success because of the first bunder In both
instances Kluck paid no attention to the situation OF
his colleague and only Bulow's skill and courage in
ordering retreat actually saved the army OF knck
as we'll as the whole German host in France from
final disaster 'T-i ~.
Klucks champions, the other hand, MAINTAIN
that Bulow lost his nerve and retired 100 soon anu ny
his influence upon Moltke and Mokes agent Hentsch,
,rocured the order for the withdrawal Of Kuck and
Hausen from field of prospective triumph But
Moltke's associates deny that Hensch ever had any
authority to order Kuck to retreat and that he dened
every charge of having given such orders Hentsch
died during the war and thus like Moltke is out OF
court
Already there are an endless list of books upon
this question, Kuck. Bulow, Crusius- -Baumgarten'
spokesman for Hausen, Hausen himself, all have
broken into print. Ludendorf mentions the diver
gence of opinion but avoids the controversy by the
blunt statement that he able to find out
whether the order issued too soon or not he
plainly holds Moltke responsible, however, certain
references indicate. Hanotaux, to quote French
authority, insists, with documents, that kluck had
already ordered his troops begin their retreat before
Hentsch arrived, but this is to be questioned.
What is plain, however, is that German high COM
mand broke down completely the eve of the de-
cisive battle for which had been planning for more
than forty years Motkes orders aty disobeyed
by Kluck not once, but several times. The intelli-
gence department totally failed to measure up to its
task and only discovered the presence of Maunourys