THE FIRST GERMAN BLOW

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 249, 9 July 1918, Page 7

THE FIRST GERMAN BLOW

BATTLE OF MARCH 21 , •A GRAPHIC STORY ; fin' tlio following narrative of Iho German attack of March 21, the London correspondent of the Sydney "Sun" presents one of tho most graphic panoramic pictures of tho battle wo have yot seen.'l A battle behind tho linos, in the. camp of the Supremo War Lord, was the prelude to tho great battle- that still, 1 hough in its twentieth day, may bo said tu luivo only begun. The German Mod-fi-iifo Party dreaded tho offensive, shuddering at tlio prospect of slaughter, and fearing that Germany would provoko a prolonged and stilling trade boycott, Tho must reliable information about the Kaiser is that he hesitated between the 'Moderates and ihe Militarists, leaning towards tho safe policy of defence and •compromise. But German !,oiierals do nut brook much argument. They won, as they have won every domestic battle in Germany sinco the wair began. They promised victory, an early peace, and great indemnities. Liideiidorif, the master politician-soldier, who has soulless 111 no eyes and a hard, small mouth, miller a featureless, thin fair moustache, gave the .Kaiser his choice between a massive military operation, stimulating the patriolism and lighting instinct of Iho German public, and a direnry period of military inactivity, followed by reverses ami stern defensive battles, with tho tide «t' domestic discontent rapidly rising. A Million for Sacrifice So Iho battle which will cost at least ji million men from death i.r wounds was touched. LudciKlnrlf, leaving now the mask of llindenburg and coming out into tho open as the real directing brain of the German Ainny, collected a striking I'orco of nearly ninety divisions. German writers describe how reserve troops stretch in hutments, billets, ami camps from Oambrai to (he Mine. Such organisation depends on movements moro farcin read ami intricate than civilian minds can brgin lb imagine. To malm it, possible I lie tin-man people, after nearly four vcars of eacrince and privation, starved lor coal, gave up. So per cent, o iU niihvav trwlling, ami livovidwl liidendorff wilh every railway truck, even- carriage, and locomotive that could b- squeezed' out of industry. Numoricallv, tho striking force was several limes larger than any that has. been gathered ,for anv previous single battlu. 1 <o not cavthat the Allies could not do likewise. But they had never been able to ag'-ee to collectl so' large, a force for no offensive, and they were always confronted with a deep German defence system of redoubts and Frenches liuiiieasurablv stronger than <W5"GmVan'philosophy .is .lmtcfnl, her methods are ugly as sin. But in .tough virtues of brain and body wo thy. of admiration. There is no doubt that Per soldiers fought excellently (luring Ibis battle, advancing most gallantly, making wonderful play villi their ma-chine-Wins.'and showing an .unexpected capacity for open warfare, 'ineir success was in the main due, of course, to numbers; thev had IBO.fIOO rifles against General dough's H7.000 in the south, and 168,000 against General Byng s .1(8,000 m the north; and behind those first armies of advance they had some huncirals of thousands in reserve. But, to an aimost tonal extent, success was due to a milttnrv capacity in ollicer and non-commis-sioiied officer for boring and iiitenng men into gaps, and improvising macinnc-gun )>arra"es for numberless local attacks. The attack had been thought out. to the Minutest detail; it was planned to go many miles. Tho first waves carried onlv bombs and weapons. But tho following parties had great packs, including several days' iron rations, overcoat, waterproof, socks, a pair ot boots, and pockets full of extra ammunition. Little hunches of .men lie spread for miles behind the present lines-men Huddled m death; and on each man's back stands this massive pack, each one symmetrical, ' orderly, neat, with its new hoots upon the dead man's neck. . Their war correspondents claim that Germany alone has been'nblc to keep the olfensive spirit alive during all these years of trench warfare. They say now that German units have had rcgulai periods of training in open warfare, thai German officers have never been allowed to forger I hat old King Frederick's. and Oieuscwilz's and Moltke's verdict on warfare was that there could be no victorj until I lie enemy's armies had been de stroved in open combat. I have seer much of- the olfensive spirit' of the Brit ish armies, and know the sturdinoss will which British generals have insisted upor offensive training, and the "will w kill.' Of all that, it will he rime enough t write when tho war is over. But w< must admit that the Gorman soldier, wh ran away lime and aga'in at Ypres las' year, has shown on the Picardy battle held Iho capacity as well as the will ti destroy. His musketry was poor, bu his marching showed great endurance and his work with machine-guns mad the most of his numbers. Fine Work by the French. It is now well known lhat the firs break occurred in the right wing of th Fifth-Army, between Kssigny anil Bcnnj where tho ground is low-lying, and th

iccidcnt of a heavy mist enabled Ihc lemians Hi set ton close lo ihc lines )Cl'oro they were .seen. '1 he Herman ;oneral here, von llutier, cousin _of L.mlendorlf, was (lie conquercr n.f liittii, vliero ho employed a Minilur "lean'rog" movement of divisions as that used mollis Eoutliern Iron). The bailie plan vns, indeed, based upon the iiigu model; irisoners snv that Kiga had been a fulllress rehearsal. The I'iflli -Army being :Ims forced out of its battle-zone. \on Itutier develoiied on the next day tho rcmeiidous force which sundered its ronr. lie broke through on tho line I'ocuillv-'Kcauvois-v'aux, and from Hint moment it became merely a question of ivhen the Allied reserves couid be got to the sector to stem the German tide General Favollo, who commanded (he French expedition to Italy, was ordered by the Versailles Council lo tale in ins eight divisions, four British and four French, which then comprised the \ crsaiiles reserve army. They were lltuig into it at Tergnier; and others ioliowed. "It was," says "The Times" eorrcspondent on tho French iiont. "as hurried as when firemen aie called out to an alari"in* Jive in the middle of the night. he blaze spread, and drove them back; but Ihey kept it under, in spite ot the tact thn't in many eases, because of the distance of their station', they were comnulled to tight it loot by fool wilnoul weapons.*' There were stretches where one regiment of three battalions had to hold a front of five miles. Three divisions had lo si and against thirty. Hie disaster to the Filth Army had been eomplele It is simple justice to the .trench to stiv that they cheeked the German advance. The lighting included some ol Ibo great est stands of the war. U" March 31) one batlalion in the line, with a few oddments from others, beat ol; nvo allacks from the Ninth German .Division, and reduced the number of efhciont men in some of ils companies lo twenty. Jn Ihe chateau of Grivesncs, the colonel in command, with =ibout DUO men in all, held off an attack of two rrgiinonls c.l the I'rnssian Guard, which advanced in deep waves, supported by dee,, columns moving up behind them; and then coun-ter-attacked, and pn.hed back the. enemy. When the line was re-established, about the seventh day of Hie battle, three French divisions were still lighting ino times their number in Hie front bne, with 15 more coming up behind. I lie enemy was changing his troops every -IS hours, restiii" them, but for the valiant. Irene." there os no respite. During those six davs, when clear gaps existed in Hie Allied line, the Huns rushed through in masses Fnyollc went; about amongst the men, often the first into a difficult position. Home of his staff were killed. Slimlaxlv an English general refused lo wear a helmet whilst going into I no. hghl. savin? that the red band of his car would show wliere he was if be were wanted, and might encourage the men. He was shot through the head. ■ How the Gaps Were Filled. The forces on tho spot, with what reserves could bo mustered, made a gallant and long effort to.hold a new lint along tho Souimc, through I'eronue, am in trout of Bapaiime. And it was the Gonnuus' success here that mado tbeii victory into a big-scale triumph. Byng'f Third Army was forced asunder at Bapaiime, despite very gallant counter-at-tacks, in which fleets ot tanks, in setc of io_ and thirty, steamed into the enemj ranks, spitting death. The Germane were in no mood to be stopped by tanks. They tell tales, in tho German newspapers, of how infantrymen scaled the sides, shooting the. crews with revolver* through the gnu-holes; how short-rang, guns were trained on to the monsters shattering them; how men set them oi fire; how others were bombed. The.grca 1 counter-attacking efforts were in vain tho numbers of troops were insufficient South of Banaume the Germans gol through as far as Coureelctte, which tin Canadians took after the Australians hac conquered Pozieres, and most, of the high ground about Mouquot Fann. Al most simultaneously, the Fifth Army'i lino was broken at Peronne, very large ly owing to this massive movemen - against Byiig. A glance at any of tin old Somnio maps will show lio'w. whei the Huns got through to Coureelctte they were upon Cough's left rear. Tin position w;ns impossible.. Inevitably, Hit condition of the' battlefront, with re treat.on fio wide an area, in face o overwhelming forces, became nearer, chaos than an orderly military proccs sion. Tho whole question becamo ai urgent one of getting tho reserves uj in time. Wellington said of the. battli of Waterloo-: "It was a, damned nea: thing." Nothing could have been close than the Germans were to an ahsolnti break through on that black Honda; and Tuesday, when for 21) miles Hie; . advanced against lil'tlo resistance. ' The Reserves Come Up. The Allied reserves met (hem on th Albcrt-Montdidier line, and though stil 1 far out-numbered, they held fast. Th 3 drivo had not readied German expectn i tions; their men had not required thei 3 second pair of boots; and their losse ; wore such, as' a German captured ol '. ficcr said, that ilioy would need Hi ). ground they had captured to bury al t their dead. It was, however, far mor than tho Allies had thought within Gei \ many's capacity. Genera! Cough wa removed from his command l>y order e tho War Cabinet, and agninst'Sir Doii(j las Dais's wishes, on Hie Tuesday. Th charge against him was one of fault t disposition of troops, and faulty handi 3 ling of them iu the early phase of th ', battle. Sir Douglas ordered bin, to tc e port at Etaplcs, and in a few days askd

hilt he )«> reappointed an army comlander, iind gave him the work of re-ft?jtl.i-i 11— (lu; Fifth -Army. Mr. Lloyd icurge, however, went to France, ami m he name of Ihe Cabinet insisted that leneral Gough should he wholly supereded, and .should relurn to Kngland. )oul>tlcss the man in the street says it vas hard luck (in Gough (hat ho should id mit-numhered liy two to one. Aleli ■onnt. tlreat Untiles remain to ho fought. .Icrinanv is "all out" for an early and •omplete victory. Jlcr people are mad ivith Iriiuiipl), ami expect tho British Kmpiru to lie shattered at their i'eet. lint I lliink if can bo Kiid that the Allies' forces arc now e:o disposed that Ihev will have ;i numerical superiority on'the battlefield of i'icardy, and, despite tho loss pi nearly a thousand held ami heavy guns, an artillery .superiority alsu.