THE DAY WE CELEBRATE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 252, 18 July 1919, Page 12

THE DAY WE CELEBRATE

END OF WORLD'S GREATEST WAR DEFEAT OF GIGANTIC CONSPIRACY AN EPITOME OF THE STRUGGLE To-morrow, in concert with our sister Dominions and the Mother Country, wo shall celebrate the defeat of the most gigantic and sinister conspiracy in history—an, attempt by Germany, assisted by the Austrc-llungarian Empire, Turkey, and Bulgaria, to establish by forco of arms a world domination undor tho aegis, of the Hoheuzollerns. For fifty years before the fateful days cf August, 1914, the German nation had 'neon schooled by its teachers, professors, press propagandists, elorgy, political leaders, army and navy chiefs, and the Kaiser himself to regard the Fatherland as the cradle of a world Empire. Long before the outbreak of war ihe ramifications of this conspiracy had penetrated into the economic,life of the Western Powers, nnd it is'safe'to say that had the Germans refrained from war this policy of peaceful penetration would ultimately havo achieved what the sword failed to do— the economic enslavement of the civilised world! Their initial mistake in a series of colossal blunders was the resort to arms: Then, almost too late, was the significance of the German jiolicy of peaceful penetration fully realised ,by the world. The mask was thrown oft, and the Western Powers confronted «. deadly menace, directed by an unscrupulous Power which, to-day, in tho hour of its defeat,"after over four years cf terrible war, stands convicted' of the basest treachery in international dip'.omaoy and the most appalling atrocities in the history of civilised warfare. Her battlefield record is black with dishonour, her diplomacy is discredited, her Emperor a furtive, refugee in Holland, and her Empire-an undisciplined rabble in the throes of civil disorders,. 'THE CffALLSNGE." To -a nation deliberately organised and prepared for armed aggression any pretext will serve for ihe jpnrposo of open? ine hostilities, An obscure anarchist named Principe assassinated the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and his wife -at"'Sarajevo. ■ What followed is familiar history. Austria presented to Serbia an ultimatum which afterwards riroveriVto- have been designed with tho deliberate intention of precipitating an international crisis. Germany, professing a" desire for peace, secretly blocked every attempt by Britain, France, and 'Russia to' ease the tension. Germany wanted'war for her own ends, and war she fprcgd'on the world. Thinking she had caught the other great nations unprepared; she had planned for a short,' sharp.'and decisive war with France and Russia... V.Her reliance on Britain's unpreparedness and her preoccupation with the Irish' crisis and 6erious Labour troubles, to', keep that nation out of the war revealed an amazing misconception of the temper of our race. Her idea that Belgium would calmly permit the Violati6n';of her neutrality in order that France might unexpectedly be taken on. her weakest flank was another ro.isconceDtion. Her whole conduct of the war was a. revelation of German diplomacy's inability to. appreciate the fact that other nations had different ideals and different standards of honour. Her tactless aggressiveness and general attitude of a bully continuously reacted to her detriment, and in the end alienated her former friends among the nations; BRITAIN'S CALL TO ARMS The intervention of Britain was at once the signal for a remarkable demonstration of patriotic fervour throughout the Empire, and a violent "outburst'of intense Anglophobia in • Germany. So obsessed did/ the Germans become with

their campaign of halo that they made themselves ridiculous, and afforded the world another illustration of tho fact that tho Teutons arcunablo to seo themselves as others see them. Their famous "Hvnin of Hate," instead of inspiring awe in the British trenches, was sung with gusto by the British Tommies within hearing 'of tho astonished Jiuns on tho other side of No-Man's Land. Tins fatal misunderstanding of the British temperament was actually, in the Jong, long end, their undoing. With tho British out of tho war tho Germans would probably havo terrorised Europe into 'submission bv sheer friglitfulness. But they could not terrorise a nation that refused with bewildering levity to bo terrorised even in the darkest days of the war.

Tho early days of the war were days of grave peril. The armies of tho Central Empires were trained to tho minute, well-equipped, and ovenvlieliiniigiy. superior ill numbers. Britain was caught unprepared except for tho Navy. Her Army was small but efficient, but efficiency without strength robbed it of offensive power. Nevertheless tlio Kaiser's boast that his army would simply walk over nnd .exterminate Britain's "con. temptiblo army" was not fulfilled. The retreat from Mons is an epic immortalised in tho annals of the race; the "Old Conteniptibles" have been placed in a niche of tile nation's memory in com. pany with the heroes of- Lucknow and Balaclava and other deeds that won the' Empire The Flanders iiank was held, and from that great achievement developed Germany's ultimate defeat. Tlio desperate resistance of the "Old Contemptibles" afforded the Russians on the Eastern Front an opportunity of striking deep into Prussian territory and creating a distraction in the German General Headquarters that gave the Allies time for a breathing-space. The diversion in the East ended in a disastrous defeat for the Russians at tho battle of Tannenberg by a German army organised under Von Hiudenburg, who was .called from obscurity for his intimate knowledge of the Masurian Lakes region, and who immediately after be. came Germany's popular idol, retaining his ascendancy in public favour right to the last, ( THE CHECK The German onset in the West received its first definite check at the Marne one month, after the war had stated, when von Kluck, acting on a plan of operations which was designed to cut the French army in two, but which proved to be sheer suicide, laid .his. flank open ' to an attack by a Frenohaniry of whose existence he was completely in the dark. It was tho end of the famous retreat from Mons. The Germans were thrown back in disorder, and after four days' hard' fighting the world was thrilled by the news of the Victory of tho Marne. The enemy was pressed steadily' back until he reached tho opposite side of the Aisne, and there he recovered, dug himself in, and stuck. Although neither side realised it at tho time, open warfare had ended and trench warfare had begun —a queer novelty that worried the field tacticians and upset preconceived ideas. It developed new nnd horrible weapons of warfare: deep entrenchmeuts tenanted by underground dwellers who took pot shots at their enemies across an intervening space that in places measured-but a, few yards across; strange missiles like plum puddings (minnenwerfers) that describee! leisurely parabolas from trench to trench, carrying death and destruction; grenade-throwing revived after decades of disuse; poison gas and flametTirowers, frightful devices introduced by tho Germans. This queer warfare lasted right on till July, 1916, when the British forces opened an offensive on the Somme with a terrific barrage of artil'iery, followed by an advance which resulted in the capture of 10,000 prisoners, fifteen villages, and raised, high, hopes of a. return to open warfare. ■ l i Von Kluek's disastrous move made it possible for the Allies to secure the safety of the French capital—very seriously threatened—from attack .from the centre and the east, and it now became necessary to provido for the Flanders flank. By a wonderful feat of transport the British Army was secretly withdrawn from the centre, and transferred to the Belgian coast front, and just in time, for the Germans, baulked in their first rush

on Paris, now turned their attention to mi attempt to break through lo Calais. In rapid succession the enemy occupied Mnlincs, Antwerp, Ghent, and Dixmmle, and then directed a violent attack on the British at Ypres, an imnortant rail and road junction which it was of supremo importance should bo held at all costs. And held it was. Tho battle began on November 12, and by December 20 the enemy's five week:;' struggle for the road to Calais (fad, spent itself, tho British Army had covered itself with glory, and (lie Channel ports were saved, thus ended the 1014 campaign on tho Western front. Tho German vision of u short, decisive war vanished, and botiv sides, deeply entrenched along a continuous bal.tlefj'ont that wound in a tortuous line from tho Belgian coast to the Swiss frontier, settled down for tho winter, while their respective wnr staffs busied themselves with preparations for the spring campaigns. Meanwhile Britain, tiho flower of her gallant littlo army sacrificed in the Mons retreat and the fighting in Flanders to stem the first onset of ths German host, was gathering her strength. From the farthest outposts of Empire tho nation's manhood was rallying to the call. The first Canadian Contingent was already in the field. In hundreds of camps throughout Britain's overseas dominions daily tho reveille willed from their unaccustomed beds men who had left their offices, their farms, their divers occupations to stake their lives in the tremendous issues that were being fought our. thousands of miles across tlio soas. Kit-

chener's New Army became a reality. But it was many a long day before the Empire was organised sufficiently to tako the offensive against its highly-organ-ised enemy. The 1914 campaigns in other theatres of the war, witnessed the capture of the Serbian' capital by the Austriansj and its recapture by the Serbs. The Russians, while sustaining reverses in East Prussia, being driven back on their centre as far as Warsaw, from which they ultimately defeated a German attack, inflicted heavy reverses on the Austrians in Galicia: General Botha, in the midst of his preoccupation with the preparations for the conquest of German iiouth-West Africa, ihad to turn his attention to a German-inspired rebellion under Maritz, and with characteristic thoroughness, completely crushed the rising in a very short space of time; Togoland was conquered by the British and French troops in West Africa; Tsingfau was taken by the Japanese; the New Zealanders occupied Samoa, and ths Australians dispossessed the Germans of their territories in. New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, and Bougainville. The German flag by the end of 1914 has disap r peared from ttfe Pacific. The salient features of tilie succeeding campaigns In the various theatres of the .wr.r, during which tho German peril becamo at times a very real menace to the world, are set' forth in the accompanying perspective diary of events. "The judgment of history will be that we kdpt faith.'"—Mr. Lloyd George, .

eu.lt was that, from the commencement of the war up to October of 1915 little or no difficulty was experienced in providing recruits for all arms of the service. Recruiting Dwindles.' . As tho war proceeded tho supply of recruits naturally dwindled, and, at'the end of 1915, it became necessary to supplement the efforts of the Defence officers by the voluntary assistance • of local bodies, patriotic societies, and others who were anxious to assist the Dominion in its hour of need. Voluntary recruiting offices were opened in all parts of tho Dominion, and. through (ho enthusiastic efforts of-, numerous voluntary helpers, .recruiting 'was stimulated for a time. The same system of registration was adhered to. The voluntary helpers, acted as "feeders" to local Defence offices in the majority of cases. In (he principal centres, however, whero large and influential committees were set up, they practically did all the work of recruiting except that of calling up the men for tho purpose of proceeding ' to camp. In. February, 1916,. the Recruiting Board, consisting of the Prime Minister, tho Minister of Finance, and \tho Minister of Defence, was appointed 'for ■ the purpose of co-ordinating the..efforts of the 4 local authorities throughout, the Dominion. This, again, gave an impetus \to recruiting, but that impetus was ■^short-lived—the people of the Dominion ■ realising that we were in for a long war.

length of .time. Consequently, and in preparation for the introduction of the Military Service Act, the Parliament of New Zealand passed the National ..Registration Act on October 1, 1915. This Act provided for the compilation of a National Eegister of men between the ages of 17 and GO years. It provided that men so registered might pe classified with reference to age, locality' of residence, .occupation or number and condition of dependants, etc. In addition, men .between the ages of 19 and 45 had' to furnish to the Government Statistician information as. to whether they had volunteered fcr military service beyond New Zealand as members of an Expeditionary Force in connection, with thewar;'whether they had been accepted or rejected; whether, if they had not : volunteered; they w.ere willing to become members of the Force; if they had not volunteered or were not prepared to volunteer, .whether they wero willing to serve in any other capacity in connection with the war, and,' in connection therewith, to state any circumstances or. reason that prevented ttiem from offering their services.

The Military Service Act, which provided for the compulsory military service of men of certain specific 'nges, was passed on August 1, 1916; "On recruiting being laken over from the Chief .of the General Staff, the branch commenced operation, \vith 'a'deficit, of close, on 2000 recruits. Ill' vie\v'of'tlie probable early introduction ■ of: the' compulsory clauses

. should not be proceeded against under section 35. When it was announced that section 35 of the Act would be put into operation, the .Minister of Defence arid uearlv every administrative officer of the Defence Department were flooded with ! immes. etc., of alleged' family shirkers. I llach uf these was investigated, and. out jof the thousands of communications .re- | ceived only a comparatively small num- | her were eventually dealt with. Those j in the best position to know expressed I the oninion that if this section of the I Act could produce 500 fit men for camp its inclusion in the Act would have been justified; as a matter of fact, 880 men . were sent into camp.

•November 23, 191 C, will doubtless-.be a iiotabln date in modern history, in (hat on that day was published a Kliv Zealand Gazette containing the nnmes of the first 4028 men ot military ago to bo compulsorily called up by ballot for service in defence of the Empire. The publication of the Gazette was awaited with breathless interest by all, arid with trepidation by some. . Some who had .been holding back, perhaps for the application of the compulsory principle, together with those who feared, and genuine volunteers, rushed the recruiting offices from the beuinninir of November, 191 G. Attestation papers, nominal rolls, and telecrams very nearly swamped the recruiting branch' at General HeadquJir rers. whose troubles at that date appeared almost overwhelming. ' •