THE DEAD PALADIN

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1480, 1 July 1912, Page 6

THE DEAD PALADIN

SIR GEORGE WHITEOUR PECULIAR STYLE OF WAR. AND THE GGItMAN WAY. [Uv "Civno."] - 'Kir George White, the man of J.adysinitli, has been gathered to his fathers, and, .'■o far, one iiitere-tiug matter connected with his campaigning has never been published Mn English. A general may do many things with an army. He may smash kings with it, or smash himself with it, or look pretty at the head of it on ceremonial, or conquer worlds with it; he may feed it or starve it, use it or abuse it, but there is one tiling that: ho certainly may not safely do with it—he may not thrust it into what is known a "strategic re-entrant." That is very clearly laid down in nil the books. H has been the experience of the "old masters" of warfare, from time immemorial, and it is truer to-ilay than ever it was. Even Napoleon, who overrode most of (he rules, which le«cr captains found it expjdicuf to observe, would have shrunk from it. There is only one instance in the history of the Inst hundred years whero it has bewi deliberately done.' That, instance is furnished in (he Natal cumi>aigii in 18!l!l—by '.he people (whoever they were), who forced the laie Sir Opoi'gi , \\hite into doi:ig it. "What is a "strategic re-entrant"? ]r is a nook or angle (often in a frontier), into which, if an army penetrates, it at once stands in danger of total envelopment. In the accompanying diagram the twS lines A B and (J J) form :i typical re-entrant, and let us suppose that the nlher, K. represents an army which has adventured within it. As K is at present, he has his left, flank exposed In attack from A B, and his right Hank exposed to onslaught- from C D, and an army with lioMi fliiiiks exposed is in perilous plight. Moreover, whichever way E wheels, one of his Hanks still remains exposed.

Such a diasram exactly repre.-ents Iho northern nook or angle of Natal. A B is the. Dnikciisliarft mountains, and 0 1) the old Transvaal frontier. E is Sir George ■White's 'army as it was when the Bser storm broke in October, IS!!!).

Nothing could liave been more certain, even -to the eyo of the lust-joined subaltern, than that, the onvelopment. of Sir George''White's army was certain if hu stayed where he was, nnd a certainly it did" actually become. He had eventually to be "dug out" by Bailor's army, nnd Iho "digging out" wa* an unprofitable occupation fur a large field fonv, which could have, been employed with telling effect on a more promising part .of the theatre of war. Whv did Sir George White do il? . It liiust not be supposed (hat he walked into thai terrible re-entrant because he did not know any better. It is almost certain that he entered it with his eves wide open. He was a soldier of (he Indian sdhool. wnll acquainted with the lisi-tliods of Lord Koberts-doiibtks? the best strategist that England has pvsr had—and though what is known r\s "the geometry of war" did not. at the time, find much favour in the Home army, it was different out in India. The geo'nrtry of a given .theatre of war w.->s always tlio very first thing in n camnnigii which T,ord Koberts was'in the haliit of lnok■ing to. and ko can linrdlv believe flint il "could have been otherwise with Sir George White.

What-, then,- led the general into thnt ancle?

Tt is difficult ro Fnv. Tf we knew for certain the whole thin? would not ho worth writing about,' biiHhe safe a'sump. (ion is this: When anything of tin's nature takes place it is ninety-nine chances to one that some politiei-in or r-oteric of politicians are at the back of it. Sir 'George White reached Natal about n week before, the first blow was struck, and h; found portion of the force? committed to Hint ffhiistlv re-entrant as fur north a'-s Dundee. He wanted to withdraw the Dundee forces at once, hut it was represented to him that (he '«(Tecf. on (ha native races and on 'oval Nnhl would be very bart if he did, and mi he let it stay ;>ro tein. LadysmiHi, teo must hnv* enst hit)) many ii nnin. It :<bo was in the re-entrant. Hold on to it or let it <jo? Thousands of pounds worth of niilitavv Mores hod been accumulated in it by the marplot AVnr Offieo who thnue;]it it a Rood strategic position." A Government may forgive a seiicral who lo'rs thousands of live?, but it often makes its iw frit when precious store.? are h-x.l .Old that weitth with Sir Oforge Wlr'te? up do not kftow. i It is rather melancholy business to 'pry oo deeply into what "Germans would have done. they have nractieallv told us in. the writings of their general military staff. They,would never harp hold Dundee, nor L:idy.«mith, nor the Tiwln nor any portion of JCatr.l excent Durban! bangm* every num. liorse, and gnii into the other side of the theatre of war If the Boei-s cho.se to lay undefended \utnl waste they would have compensated the farmers afterwards, and (he cost of rloinc fn would have been infinitely cheap?!llinn the cost of a. prolonged war. But our own generals are not permitted Hie same advantageous terms as their German-brothers. The British -eneral serves a non-military people, and his task- , is terrible. To face the northern reentrant of Natal a general must needs 1>« a man of iron. Sir George White, as it hnnpsMied, nrovetl to be Clint very man _ Nothing but universal military trainiris will ever end the costly and hideous tiling which wo are for ever doiii" in our wars, yet people still look at the. immediate sixpence, and fail to se'e the gain ot (he ultimate pound.