Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-09-17
Defense Held Still
Superior to Offense
By Frederic J. HuSkin.

for as long as there has been war-which
Is almost as long as there have been men
the idea of the lightning war, or blitz-
kreig, as the Germans call it, was born
at Versailles, so far as modern conflicts
are concerned.
The Treaty of Versailles limited the
German Army to 100000 men and for
babe tanks and airplanes. This imposed
upon Germany the necessity of so train
ing its small army that it could strike
with the suddenness of rattlesnake and
gain initial advantages before any de-
tense had opportunity effectively to re-
sist. To be sure, with the rise of Hitler,
the terms Of the Versailles Treaty were
ignored and airplanes and tanks were
constructed in large numbers, but the
idea of the lightning war continued to
be the central idea. 1t remained for ex-
perience to demonstrate how well this
theory of warfare would work.
Probably one of the most expert off,
GERS of the American forces is Maj. Gen.
Henry j. Reilly. He commanded an
artillery regiment and an infantry bri-
gade in the World War after having seen
service in Mexico earlier. AS military
observer he watched developments in
Ethiopia in the Spanish civil war and in
Albania and became especially interested
in the possibilities of the lightning war.
Gen. Reilly says that the plan was
eminently successful in the Italian seiz-
ure of Albania, but scarcely thinks so
relatively small an enterprise could be
conclusive, especially as the way for the
Italians had been paved by propaganda
and bribery. However, even before the
sudden German movement into Poland
he had expressed grave doubts about the
success of lightning movement. Only
under the most favorable conditions can
a sudden onslaught prove successful in
present times.
There has been much difference of
opinion among military experts as to the
value of fortified positions. There is
an entire school of military thought
which takes the position that any fortress
built by man can be taken by man. 1t is
only the mobile defender who can hope
to hold out indefinitely. Such defenses
as the Maginot and the Siegfried Lines
cannot be moved. If high explosive tears
them up, men and guns of the defenders
are lost, whereas if defenders keep them
selves and their guns mobile they, at
discretion, can flee and live to fight an
other day. meantime fighting immensely
destructive rear guard actions. Through
out history the Parthian shot, the de-
tense of rear guard action, has been so
important as practically to nullify what
appear on the surface to be victories.
Any theory is likely to go by the board
when it comes to actual warfare. The
German high command promised that
Poland would be reduced within few
days, but that promise was not fulfilled.
There was lightning attack, it is true,
but it was somewhat retarded lightning
and was met by tactical lightning re-
treat. The value of cavalry was demon
strated by the Poles against the ponder
Gus German mechanical army. While
much damage was done by aircraft, one of
the most impressive demonstrations was
the initial lightning attack of the Ger
man air forces against Gdynia, the Polish
Corridor port on the Baltic. The air
bombers missed this fairly large city en-
tirely, their bombs dropping into the sea.
Throughout history it has been the
experience that never ending cycle has
been the theme. When man first learned
that he could hit harder with a stone
held in his hand than with his fist, his
opponent soon learned that he could
effectively reply not by hitting back with
a hand-held stone but by throwing the
stone. The shield was developed, first by
discovery of the bow and arrow and then
by the sword.
Two mighty weapons which made their
debut in the World War were the air.
plane and the tank and, in the years
since the armistice, attention has been
especially centered on defenses against
those arms. Enormous strides have been
made. This time, there is some reason to
think that, for the immediate present
at least the defensive means may have
the best of it-although this does not
mean that some still more effective Of
fensive weapon will not be found.
There is a whole new technique of
defense against tanks. One of the SIM
plest and most effective has proved to
be the hurting of glass containers hold
ing gasoline against tanks. The glass
container breaks and the highly inflam-
mable gasoline splashes over the tank.
At close range, gasoline could be sprayed
upon tanks. This is instantly followed
by the tossing of grenades which set the
gasoline afire. The inside of a tank is
one of the most uncomfortable places in
the world anyway, but when the metal
tank is wrapped in flames, even for a
very brief period, it becomes literally an
oven, capable of roasting the men inside
to death. They must get out, even
though death threatens. To remain in
side, if the flames are sufficiently fierce,
is certain death of the most hideous sort.
To be sure tank does not remain idle
while all this is going on or being at
tempted. But it is under the fire of
anti-tank guns and these have been de-
veloped to high state of efficiency.
- xH
The bomb-dropping airplane has con-
jured up more horrors than probably any
other modern weapon of warfare, espe-
cially, perhaps, because it has been fore
shown that cities would not be spared
nor compassion practiced in the matter
of non-combatant populations. This has
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