AFTER VERDUN, WHAT?

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1556, 27 May 1916, Page 4

AFTER VERDUN, WHAT?

Dr Fit diet t, in “Life” for June,, just issued, rightly describes tin* Verdun battle —or series of battles —as “an epic of the war.” All the military critics agree that the longcontinued assault on Verdun is the most important event since the Battle of tin* Marne, and it is extremely interesting to note the varying points from which the operations are viewed. Thus a leading Austrian critic sees in it nothing but a triumph for Germany. The French authorities count up (he enemy dead by hundreds of thousands, and the most conservative English observer estimates German casualties at a quarter of a million ; yet, by some queer line of reasoning, the Austrian writer calculates that, Germany saves 70,000 men. His logic seems to be that of the Western cowboy who wrecked the passenger train, but saved the child. Now, Dr Fitchett is a past-master in the art of collecting these widely differing accounts, sifting and gleaning the truth from each, and

presenting to his readers a complete review of (he operations, which loses nothing of its informative value through being told in his bright and picturesque style. Nowhere have we seen a better summary of the Verdun drive than in ‘‘Life” for June.

The other departments of “Life" are so carefully edited that no one, we arc sure, will grudge the extra twopence, that, on account of the 400 per cent, rise in the cost of paper, has been added to 1 hi* price. At ninepence, “Life” is still a cheap magazine, and remains the ideal magazine of t lk* busy man. If it cannot be obtained locally, a postal note for 4s (id sent to T. Shaw FitHunt. J7(i Swans!on Street, Melbourne. will ensure its regular delivery bv post for six months.