The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1916. THE WESTERN FRONT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 32, 5 September 1916, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1916. THE WESTERN FRONT.

When the Allies commenced their; great offensive on the Western front 1 there were many who hoped for a spectacular over-running of the ene-r 1 my, and to those there has of course)' come a measure of disappointment.j But these people ought to realise what* lias really taken place and how crush-' ! ingly German defence has been over- 1 | thrown by the British and French. ( j The sweeping away of Germany’s sup-; posedly impregnable defences, clahor-’ ated with skill, and cunning and af I enormous cost, the work of many, j months blown to dust in a few hours j by French and British guns, gave the real assurance of victory to the arms jof the Allies. The great push on the' j Western front was begun exactly as | the leaders had decided, and at the time decided upon. 'lhe Paris journal Lo Matin recently put it that the system of the thrust has given way to that of the squash. This has been deliberately done. Discussing the ciplo which would bo adopted Le Ma-' tin said in the week following the commencement of the offensive; We shall make no attempt to rush mat-; tors, but hope to gain our ends by a patient and methodical application of a plan which, while entailing onor-J mous prodigality, economises vastly in men. Victory has become a mere question of weight of metal. Infantry 1 no longer leads the way; artillery‘ alone conquers the ground; infantry, simply serves to occupy and hold what' ( the guns have won. Progress by this i 1 means is necessarily slow, but it is j sure. The application of this system 1 not to this or that selected point, but ! incessantly along the entire front, foi j days and weeks, and even months if need be, will constitute a drubbing against which the strongest fortificaj lions in the world will finish by giving | W ay. If luck is with us, it may be j that some part of tho German will .break and give, enabling ns to imitate the magnificent onrush of the .Russians against the Austrians. I his ! must xiot be looked tor, [hough ,il it 1 happens it will be accidental, and not i intentional. The probabilities arc ! that t'ae enemy will fall hack, bit by * hit. a little at a lime. This we call i now re : ?v upon lor at last we are snie of „ur .ability to wear him down. This is how '.vo shall win the war.