BERLIN S BLUNDER

Nelson Evening Mail, 21 September 1916, Page 1

BERLIN S BLUNDER

BRITAIN IN EARNEST. Up to mid-July there was hardly a man in Berlin who believed in a serious military effort by England. The, -public firmly thought that England, for political reasons, lias never intended to throw her full, military weight into the war. • They swallowed what they were told by every newspaper —namely, that France was j "bleeding to death," and that England ' was deliberately withholding her assistance. The '"reasons" for. this were advanced, seriously advanced, tihough they are not worth stating here. The present attitude of the German people, is exactly as if a new enemy had entered the field against them. This, again, may seem incredible, but, equally again., it is . a naked fact. i j Their most trusted .commentators hayo I talked for months about England's "paI per army." The events on the ■western front have now shown the German public that the paper army has materialised into a great' host of trained soldiers, who are driving their-own- best troops 'from positions they believed''to be impregnable. The result is a.manifestation of public dismay that ,i.v giving the Government the greatest concern. ... Tremendous efforts are hejug , made through publicity sources to change an atmosphere that is regarded as .'becoming very dangerous. In Berlin they arc talking'for the first time of the possibility pf their "iron'wall" in the'. west being broken. The danger for the Government that lurks in the spread? of this belief needs some little explanation. The vast majority of the German people long ago gave up any hope of conquesets, and, aa far at least as the middle and working classes are concerned, any desire for anything other than a speedy peace. They have "believed. for the last few months in the termination of the war this yearon the ground that the Allies would exert their maximum strength in an attempt to break the lines, that that attempt would fail, and Chat they would then foo prepared to necotiate a com-promise-peace. The possibility of the Allies' effort succeeding has never been contemplated—until the' British captured the second-line positions on the Somme.