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TWELVE MONTHS OF THE GREAT WAR

TAKING STOCK OF THE SITUATION LESSONS OF THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM One year ago to-day, the civilised world witnessed tli'o opening moves o* the gigantic struggle which Prussian militarism lias forced upon the great nations of Europe. I'coplo -wondered then why the united forces of diplomacy and the great mass of enlightened public opinion could not have arrested-a course of ovents « liich spelt inevitable ruin to certain of the belligerents and a long period of economic depression to the others, to say nothing of its disturbing effects upon the non-combatant nations. They know now that the very utmost that could have been accomplished, had that been possible, could only have doferred tho conflict; it could not Lave averted it. Indeed, it is now possible to say that the prospects of even postponing The conflict at that time wore so remote that diplomacy had practically no alternative but to hand over tho situation to tho war staffs and leave the futuro of Europe to - the armies and fleets of the Powers. For something lilce forty years, Prussian militarism had been scheming and plotting for tho political and territorial aggrandisement of the German Empire, for tho achievement of tliat ideal of Pan-Germanism which aimed at tho ultimate domination of the world by the mailed fist of the Kaiser. For years the great mass of the German people had suffered the burden of tin ever-increasing weight of taxation which had been designed to meet the cost of preparing the nation for tlio supreme effort the Kaiser is now making in his bid for world power. A nation which deliberately embarks upon a policy of this kind ultimately stands committed to the attempt. Hence tno appalling conflict which has arrested the progress of. Europe for twelve terrible months, and by every sign and .portent seems likely to continue for another twelve, and more.

A Solemn Occasion. To-day, the first anniversary of the British declaration of war 011 Germany, tho world is taking stock of the situation. It is a solemn occasion, for it has taken the general public just twelve' months to fully realise what the free nations of the world have at stake, and what the carefully-prepared strength of the enemies of freedom is actually capablo of accomplishing. The two great Teutonic nations, Germany and AustriarHungary, with their Ottoman ally, Turkey, are ranged against Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Japau, Belgium,'' Servia, and Montenegro, throe nations against eight. Even if one excludes from the'odds against our enemies the recently-acquired strength of Italy, tho remote forces of our Japanese ally, and the war-wasted strengths of Belgium, Servia, and Montenegro, it would have seemed inconceivable after a year of fighting that the Teutonic allies at the present mompnt should be in armed occupation of the greater part of Belgium, some of the richest industrial districts of Northern France, and on tho point of entering the capital of Poland, practically on,the threshold of Russia itself. Yet the fact remains that before tho Western Allies oil the one,side, and Russia on the other, can invade tho territory of their enemies, practically the whole of Poland must be reclaimed, Galicia must be reconquered, the enemy must be driven out of Bel-; gium and Franco, and the Iron Gate to tho Turkish capital forced by a strong fleet acting in conjunction with the Allied troops on the GallipoK ..Peninsula. •Twelvo months of fighting have magnified the task instead Of diminishing it. As a set-off, Germany's coloniel empire lias almost completely vanished from the map, her sea commerce has been swept out of existence, her raiding cruisers havo been destroyed, and all that now remains of her sea - power is a bottled-up and utterly useless war fleet, and somo prowling submarines, whose activities are mainly confined to piratical attacks 011 unarmed- merchantmen and helpless trawlers. On every occasion upon which the Germans have been forced to fight at sea they have been completely outclassed,in seamanship and gunnery, with one single exception—the sea-fight off Coronel— on which occasion they encountered a British- squadron inferior in numbers, speed, and gun-range, and so were able to stand off,out of range, and manoeuvre by greater speed into a firing position which gave the .British ships no, chance of effective reply. Moreover, on every occasion that the Germans have been brought to anything like a field engagement they have been outclassed in tactics, artillery fire, and individual efficiency. Man. for man, the German soldier, admittedly a brave and well-disciplined fighter, is not a match for the British soldier; lie lacks-the splendid valour and dash of the French,man, and the dogged remorseless patience of the Russian. What, then, is the explanation of the present position of tho battle-fronts in the Eastern and Western theatres to-day ? ; We V/ers Not Ready. We and our Allies were-not ready. Two factors have sufficed to save the 'Teutonic empires from invasion, and keep their enemies at arm's length for' a wholo year. One, which entitles them to some credit, is that having planned a war of aggression, they have prepared for the task with a thoroughness which has been demonstrated at every point; the other, which has condemned the Germans to everlasting disgrace, and the execration of Christendom, is. the introduction of-methods of warfare wkic>. civilisation never expected to witness at tho hands of a nation whose proud boast" before the war was its culture and its high standard of life. Brutal . terrorising of civilians, coldblooded butchering of helpless citizens for imaginary offences, violations of women and young girls, and indiscriminate shooting and killing by drunken fiends lot loose upon occupied territories, have constituted the elements, of the revolting policy of "Frightfulness" which the.German War -Staff conceived to be tho metier of invading troops in order to impress upon the inhabitants of occupied territories the might of the Kaiser : but it has. been left for tho scientific intellect of Germany to evolve barbarities of fighting on the actual battlo field before which the world has stood appalled with horror. Poison clouds, asphyxiating bombs and shells, and liquid fire, have enabled tho enemy to advance on occasions to a temporary but infamous success. No ono entertains tho smallest doubt about the ultimate issue' of the con-, flict, but this confident attitude of mind is in itself a danger, for the more prolonged the strugglo the worse the economic aftermath which, inevitable as the Day of Judgment, must follow the conclusion of a general peace. Tho paramount question, for us to-day is not how we shall beat tho enemy, but how soon wo shall beat him, and' the answer to that question- lies in the response which wo rnako to tho Empire's call for self-sacrifice, economy,- men for tho fighting-lino, and ammunition for tho guns. Tho determining factor 111 the war now is ascendancy in artillery, and that ascendancy on the whole is at present held by tho Germans. Stupendous efforts are now being made by Britain and her Allies to reverse tho odds, and .no. radical change may bo expected in tho military situation until our superiority in this respect lias been definitely established. - . • ■ Tho war has served to demonstrate to our enemies, the splendid solidarity of our great Empire, and their fundamental mistake in supposing that the alien peoples who have enjoyed, security and justice, under the British nag could bo induced to break their allegiance by a bribe 111 German .gold, and promises of a rosy future under tho German oagle.. Finally, Britain has demonstrated to the world, for all time, that her signature on paper will be backed, if necessary, by the naval and military might of-her Empire; and that the British flag is the. symbol of justice and security to those who seek its shelter, and a guarantee of prototion to the smaller-nations against the encroachments of powerful neighbours. ,

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19150804.2.69

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2531, 4 August 1915, Page 7

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,306

TWELVE MONTHS OF THE GREAT WAR Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2531, 4 August 1915, Page 7

TWELVE MONTHS OF THE GREAT WAR Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2531, 4 August 1915, Page 7

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