Of Oregon, the chairman of the Senate Military Affairs Committee, whose recent criticism of the War Department's conduct of the war aroused public sentiment to demand a broader vision in our military plans and a more practical organization to carry them out VOLUME XXXV THE WORLD'S MARCH, 1918 NUMBER 5 Ο THE MARCH OF EVENTS N MONDAY, February 4, 1918, almost exactly a year from the date when Germany began active hostilities against us in her ruthless submarine warfare, came the announcement that our troops had taken over a sector of the Lorraine front. That marked the beginning of our active participation in the war on land. Our chief enemy, the active German army, consists altogether of about 230 divisions of between twelve and fifteen thousand men apiece, or from 2,760,000 to 3,450,000 men. At least a half million of these must be left on the Eastern front to help Austria watch Russia. At the most not more than 3,000,000 can face the West. Against these the British have about 2,000,000 first-class troops in France. The French have altogether about 2,700,000 men -probably at least 2,000,000 of the first class. Not counting our troops, which are as yet in negligible quantity in the line, the Allies outnumber the Germans at least 4 to 3, or perhaps somewhat less than this because of the Allied troops sent to Italy. But while the Allies have not a very large superiority of present numbers, they are better off in re serves. The British have men enough to force the fighting this year as they did last and to keep their ranks full with fresh men all the time. The French have not the reserves to be so continuously aggressive. The Germans also lack reserves. The continuous British offensive pushed them hard last year. They took many divisions from other parts of their line to bolster up their front opposite Ypres. They had drawn men from the Cambrai front with almost fatal results. Any German offensive must be a desperate move based upon a false idea of the French strength, or upon domestic necessities. On the other hand, we can expect the British to begin again in the spring their continued pressure, and the French from time to time to launch their sharp attacks, limited only by their lack of reserves. Is there victory in this programme? Perhaps, but it is by no means sure. Our margin of advantage is not enough. All eyes look anxiously to the American Army to increase that margin and make victory speedy and certain. When our first full million, with reserves behind it, begins its push along with the British and French, that ought to be the beginning of the end. When is that to be? Copyright, 1918, by Doubleday, Page & Co. All rights reserved Of California, one of the first members of the House of Representatives to understand the vast scale upon which our military preparations must be made if we are to fight Germany with success. Mr. Kahn was an early advocate of preparedness, was floor leader in the passage of the bill for the selective draft, and has stood for an aggressive prosecution of the war The former Congressman from Massachusetts, who for a long time before the war was one of the strongest Congressional advocates of military preparedness, and who put his theories into practice by resigning from Congress to become a colonel in the Reserve Corps. Later he submitted to a reduction in rank in order to hasten his going to France. He died recently of pneumonia at Camp Wheeler, Macon, Ga. |