THEIR LAST GREAT GAMBLE
, GERMANS' CAMPAIGN IN 1918 LUDENDORFF'S MEMOIRS By Telegraph—Press Association-Copyright London, August 22. Ludendorff's book is strikingly candid in tracing tko chain of causes that led up to the offensive in the spring of 1918, which Ludendorff describes as the last great 'gamble of tho war. Austria was obviously worn out and on the verga of revolution; Bulgaria was unwilling to continue lighting, and the moral of the German troops was going to pieccs. Bol» shevism was threatening to 6pread westwards, and only tho wild hope tlut tho Germans would somehow win kept the Quadruplo Alliance together. Ludendorff refens impatiently and contemptuously to the Bolshevik demands, and says ho believes that the Allies regarded tho attempts at negotiation, at BrestLitovsk as farcical and as only disclosing Germany's weakness. Tho Bolsheviks were not in the least interested in self-determination, and merely wanted more' power. Tho indecisiveness of tho offensive on March 21 is attributed by. Ludendorff to the failure of .tho 17th Army and tho heavy losses. Tho onslaught othorwiso was a brilliant teat. His second big disappointment was tlio failuro to capture Amiens, leaving thu onemy astrido tho Sommo. The decay of moral among tho German in tho later months is repeatedly nlentioned. Germany's black day in tlio histoiy of the war, ho says, was August'. 8, when the British, Australians, Canadians aud Trench made terrific attacks. Tho Germans between' the Sornme and tho Luce allowed themselves to bo completely overwhelmed, tho tanks surprising even divisional headquarters. '• '■ •'
"I was deeply confounded, and summoned tlie ' commanders then," com. meuts Ludcndorff, relapsing into sarcasm. •"I heafd of' deeds of brilliant gallantry and also of conduct-which I had not believed possible in the German army, including instances of whole detachments surrendering to tanks' or. to singlo troopers'."—"The Times." SECRET ARMY RESERVE VOLUNTEER ENLISTMENTS IN ' GEKMANY. - Berlin, August 22. Tho Sooialists declare that volunteers aro still being secretly enlisted in the army. The nowspaper "Frieheit" publishes a confidential document, showing that the Lightslag Corps is appealing to its disbanded membsrs to form a secret reserve. The paper points out that if this oxample is followed, with or without the Government's connivance, a very formidable army will be available at "a moments notice, despite the requirements of the l'eaco Treaty.—Amr N.Z. Cable Assn. REPATRIATING "MACKENSEN'S ARMY Berlin, August 23. The first detachment of von Jlacken. teen's army has arrived in Vienna., on routo to Germany. Fifty thousand more are following, including von Mackensen. —Aua.-N.Z. Cable Ajssn.
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Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 283, 26 August 1919, Page 5
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414THEIR LAST GREAT GAMBLE Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 283, 26 August 1919, Page 5
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