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towards success when the German " will to win " has become one prolonged whine in the war-makers who once gloried in war for its own sake and nowadays call Heaven to witness that nothing was farther from their thoughts, and that but for wicked England there would have been no war.

German Fighting

THERE could hardly be a better barometer in such a struggle than the prisoners taken on both sides in attack and counter-attack, and the fact that at not a few points on the British Front, and the same thing is presumably happening on the French Front, superior numbers of the enemy occasionally surrender to inferior numbers of our men speaks for itself—all the more in the face of the desperate efforts of the Powers-that-Be to infuriate German troops against us and to frighten them as to their fate as prisoners of war. Some German Divisions are clearly "fed up" with fighting and have become pronounced pacifists--Bernhardi is no longer a name to conjure with—and are completely sceptical as to every official statement. Many other German Divisions continue to fight magnificently and are veritable Die-Hards. Moreover, we have an undue proportion of these tougher warriors opposite us. It were not only foolish, but unjust to our Army to ignore this, and any newspaper correspondents who suggest that the German army are running away merely make themselves ridiculous. Such fables are resented at the Front, particularly by the men who have to do the actual fighting and realize only too well what "hot stuff" they are "up against." The great German military machine remains a wonderful organization, which its iron discipline has repeatedly saved from disaster. Then the Germans have undoubtedly devised methods of economizing troops when they cannot hold positions, and as their trenches are frequently less crowded than we calculate, their casualties are correspondingly less. There is of course in all armies a tendency to "kill off " more of the enemy than actually die. In making such admissions, and others that might be made, we are not inspired by that besotted admiration of everything in the German army which obsesses some foreigners. On the contrary, we find it difficult to admire anything German, as Germans of all classes have been so revolting all through the war, while the army has indelibly dis

graced itself and brought dishonour on militarism, which was anything but ignoble, by trampling upon all the traditions of civilized warfare and perpetrating barbarities at which BashiBazouks would have hesitated. It is but justice to the British Army to discard the fairy-tales which are industriously woven by those with whom the wish is father to the thought. The majority of prisoners only surrender because they are overwhelmed, and our troops suffer severely in every attack from isolated detachments of the enemy animated by the single idea of selling their lives dearly. Surrender would save them, but they fight on. Still, when every reasonable admission is made, and while acknowledging that we may still have a long and painful row to hoe, the military outlook throughout the Western Front is totally different to what it was at this time in any previous year, and despite the melancholy collapse of Russia all ranks regard the future with a confidence which is all the more impressive because it is as sober as it is robust. How could it be otherwise in the face of the succession of reverses we have inflicted, and are inflicting, at Arras and Messines earlier in the year and latterly in conjunction with the French on the classic field of Ypres, and Lens. We should never be surprised to hear of the recovery of Lille. The German army, despite tremendous and costly efforts, has not retrieved any of these defeats and has evidently gained little by the great Hindenburg retreat which we at one time were invited to regard as the last word in military science. Our soldiers, though modest, believe in themselves, and if they are properly supported and supplied and know that their confidence is shared at the Back, they are far more likely to secure the peace of our dreams than the Right Honourable Faintheart or the Right Honourable Feebleguts or even the Right Honourable Coldfeet.

The Army and the Air

AMONG notable factors in our recent successes have been the admirable timing of the blows-showing, incidentally, that soldiers, even Generals, are not such idiots as politicians are pleased to assume-which have usually contained some element of surprise, the first-rate Staff work to which we owe the most brilliant coups, the improved railway system to which Sir Eric Geddes has made invaluable contribution, the wonderful organization of road transport, and, above

all, the deadly gunnery, reflecting the utmost credit on everybody concerned-including the gun-makers-which has been one of the surprises of the war, as no one supposed that this arm could have been created and mastered in so short a time. But just as the infantry could do nothing without the artillery, so the artillery could effect little without the indomitable infantry, while both would be powerless without the still younger men--the mere boys-overhead, who have long parted with any consciousness of fear and go as gaily over the enemy lines as they went out bicycling in those prehistoric days before the war. If only we could take our stand on some prominence in the battle area on a fine day, when the air is thick with our aeroplanes hovering over both lines and thereby giving security to our gunners, because the enemy dare not disclose his positions when he is out-gunned, we would not allow hysterical newspapers to stampede us every time there is a raid upon these islands to the point of robbing our Army of its eyes, thus causing infinitely heavier casualties than any deathroll at home that panic-mongers have imagined. Ministers should cultivate candour. We have never had enough aeroplanes; we have not enough this year. There are not enough at the Front, where the losses are heavy owing to Germany's great effort in the winter while our Air Committees slept or squabbled. We can ensure that there be enough next year, but the production of newer and improved types can never rest, and we must be ruthless in discarding inferior machines. Meanwhile the Front has the first call on everything, and the Back must take the consequences of having failed in this as in so much else, consoling itself by impeaching the sluggards. When we have enough machines we must decline to take our strategy from the Archbishop of Canterbury, but must carry the war into Germany, not only as the best protection of England but in order to cure Germans of some of their manias--especially their mania for war as a game of " Heads I win, but tails I don't lose."

WERE we challenged as to the military outlook, despite the danger of prophecy before the event, we should be inclined to say that with a modicum of luck the Allies might Verdun cause disaster to German arms this year. It is true that the Eastern Front has crumbled, but the combined

VOL. LIX

2

offensive in the West of these three great armies-which are all in exceptionally competent hands-is a really formidable movement. Our heavy and steadily successful fighting, which has cleared Ypres and threatens Lens, in both of which theatres the Germans have suffered very severely, has been followed by a brilliant French coup at Verdun, the field with which the name and fame of the present French Commander-in-Chief, General Pétain, will be for ever linked. There could be no more welcome celebration of his assumption of command, which is all the more gratifying occurring as it did when for the tenth time the enemy were pronouncing France to be finished and men of little faith in London had begun to warn us that nothing more could be expected of her this year, while there were the usual wearisome whispers of the impending resurrection of Caillaux. Our politicians forget that it is only in this country that the discredited are afforded a fresh chance of injuring their country. General Pétain, we had been told, would be content to mark time and await the arrival of the American army. Needless to say, his latest move has caused the liveliest satisfaction to the British Army, not that it for a moment allowed itself to be infected with the apprehensions of the "Doubting Thomases." The new battle of Verdun provides a striking demonstration of French prowess. The net result of General Pétain's operations by the end of the third week of August is that, besides securing many thousands of prisoners and inflicting a mortifying blow on the enemy, on the west of the Meuse the French are up to the south side of the Forges Brook,* while on the east bank of the Meuse they hold the positions they held on the second day of the German offensive which endangered Verdun in February 1916. We hardly dare suppose that he can contemplate a "break through," but is presumably securing his base for next year's campaign, nor could we hope to recover the Belgian coast this campaign. Both British and French armies are, despite villainous weather, establishing positions which should ensure a Geiman debacle next year, with possibility of an earlier surprise. Both armies know what they are about and each commands infinitely more confidence than do the politicians. It is devoutly to be hoped that they may succeed in warning the latter off the course "for the duration." It is the condition

* We borrow the topography from the always interesting "A Week of the War," by "A Student of the War," in the Manchester Guardian (August 25).

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of victory. Look what the politicians have done with the once great Russian army. Is that the way to make "democracy" safe," which is President Wilson's admirable description of the Allied objective? We trust that Congressional Politicians may equally realize that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in their philosophy.

ANOTHER legend disseminated in the environs of Downing Street by pseudo-pacifists who have managed to adhere to certain Ministers was that "Italy will do nothing more General this year." Here again our cold-footed friends

Cadorna's Coup

have had their answer from General Cadorna, who with our eminent guest, Baron Sonnino, the Italian Foreign Minister-whose recent visit to London proved one of the political events of the year-is the backbone of the Allied cause in Italy against the powerful Potsdam Party of which Rome is the centre. General Cadorna stands out among the most successful soldiers of the war and is at last reaping the reward of his patient forethought, his methodical and scientific preparation, and admirable organization. Just when professional pessimists by dint of persistence had almost persuaded us that there might be something in their moanings and groanings, the Italian Commander-in-Chief launched a great offensive, which has already carried the Italian army a substantial way towards a decision, and at the time of writing continues to develop in their favour. The scene of this great battle, which opened on August 18, is the Isonzo front, from Tolmino to the sea, where something like a rout of the flower of the Austrian army is taking place, signalized by the fall of Monte Santo, which the enemy deemed impregnable. It forms the key of the Austrian defences north of Gorizia, and up to the moment of going to press Austrian Headquarters have not dared to allow the Austrian army to hear of this disaster, which cannot fail to have a material effect on moral. Already more than 20,000 men, 500 or 600 officers, and many guns have been taken by the Italian Second Army. Our Allies have also been successful south of Gorizia, where frowning Hermada confronts them, the naval arm, including British monitors, proving a valuable adjunct. We are not encouraged to discuss the strategic possibilities opening before our Allies, and the Italians are wisely reticent concerning certain positions, but there is every reason to regard the situation

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