HINDENBURG'S HAMMER STRIKES.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 October 1918, Page 6

HINDENBURG'S HAMMER STRIKES.

WHY THEY FAILED. On July 20, a couple of days after the Allies had opened their counter-of-fensive, the Manchester Guardian published an interesting criticism by its Military correspondent of the methods pursued by the Germans in their offensive The observations made are interesting not merely in their retrospective significance, but on account of the striking contrast between the German methods and those pursued by the Allies in the offensive which is now developing with so much promise. The Manchester Guardian correspondent remarks that the success alike of the single breakthrough and of the series of battles which found place in the German plans depended on speed. 'The break-through,' lie added, "has failed because the attack begins to lose momentum in four or five days, and in eight days disappears. The cumulative battle, as one might call it, has so far failed because of the time required to organise each fresh offensive. " Hindenburg is fierce when ho starts, but he requires a month's preparation in order to be rapid for a week. The theory of the plan has been explained by the Germans themselves. 'Look,' they say, 'we compelled Foch to send twenty divisions to save Amiens and eighteen to save Ypres, twelve to stop us on the Marne and ten to stop us on the Oise; where is his famous army reserve?' Where it might "be. at the end of a particular battle is one tiling, but where General Foch lias moved his divisions to by the time the Germans were ready for another round is a different matter altogether. Many a boxer has been counted out who would have won the figlit had he been given five minutes in the corner with his seconds and the sponge. We have seen the result this week. The campaign that was to render American aid too has twice involved a delay of a month, and in those two months alone half a million Americans have heen brought to France. The series of battles which' was to discover the Allied reserves 'pinned down' —a sacred German phrase—at every point except that where they were wanted finds General Foch using them ?nv an offensive of his own. In Germany they call Hindenburg's offensive lianj-mer-strokes,' and very reasonably. But the fact is that the mighty man spehds so long in taking breath, massaging liis muscles, and heaving up.his brawny arms that he is apt to findfprovided for,