MILITARY SKILL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 9309, 1 June 1918, Page 8

MILITARY SKILL.

V MYTH EXPLODED

(issued by War Office.)

T!;' favourite British pose of being "a ■■■-•.■ !!i>k?;o ass, altogether inferior to the iv in her follow," is pushed, to the ©xtrv!i:■:.'.. point in regard to military m;i*.vrh! The British have a quaint hu.™.'.'ity in respect to their military sk,i!. In a shamo-fa-ced kind of way tht'V mimic that their soldiers are br;.."v<- ; but for examples of military g(r;ii;, diev always refer to the "other V: '.!ii:i moment of a great German oli' rr-ivt., one may be perhaps daring en.',:y,b tv attempt to say something on th. o'iii-.r side; and to show that in tk i. -iimpaign since 1914, the German hi*:; •.""■; really surpassed in every point oi '-iii't.ury skill by the British. The d^^-'t-nrv is not always great, but \v."-.-'.>. the difference is greatest is just in ;.ijo>'f points of invention, of new tb-"v;.i-?-. ;iud, new ''Strategy, which show th-- i'-'f U'f brain. Hei't'iv it will seem ; In. n .1- truth is—and the facts will pj-'.vi; it•—L-iiar- i'rom 1914 to 1918 the i*.":'i-i.-:li military system has shown itself . 'jiioiior, to the German in resource &r.d :fu>,actiy. Perhaps it would be bettor x-»~ mis th« British-French military Bje't-rr.x, for the two leaders of the G: _'.)•■ j. Alliance Imvi! been so closely co-' ■ op-rating that it is difficult to separate ti.' ■ :;.<:lnovejnenb oi one from the other.

uo-^ider. one by one the main feafu-- >i tia>. great, batile now raging. 'i'h.- v.'url'ii.re in tin; air is its most dramivii' 'catiiie. jftveryihing of air tacti>. ;ti>'l .strategy that tho German is uiii'sj.l: io-tluy ho' copied from the UriU.>h ;J!id tlit>" i'r^auh. It was the Bri-

'■ „,.h wlm origimiUHi aeroplane attack xvril. i neon diary bulloi/s on captive bal-L-.^iS, aeroplane escorts of attacking Miiuiir.ry, uoroplane saihes at low alti-t^d'-i on enemy trenches, and the vari<K;- .;oMibinauons of observing machines u.'h ftyjiting machines. The only'origin* I idea, which the Germans can eii.ij:i h- the dropping of bombs on civiL,i.u:, in undefended, towns. In the iir.-;i'b}ini« 'of the Somme, when the ii-'..).lsh and French hroi disclosed tluur b:-:? t,;iciicd, the. C-rei-man was absoiuv;U' dnv«ii out of die air. He had t:-.-»"u> h'lii-a bo t«py all their methods; j,.-:..' in-, hus originated none of his own. ■'. .ioUht aritraiitio ieature o£ the v,-:vnin- «>i" to-day is 'the complicated ari wrribly eli'ective artillery curtain £ -.- This '.va^j evolved by the British- /■ >-v.;li .•omina.nd. It has been copied | iv ii:.<; Gt-i-mans, who have themselves , enr -rihiitcd nothing new to artillery 8-': ~n\>■<■, during the war. Yet another JLu-c-iing feacuro is the Tank, the armc .-r.-J i:ar on caterpillar wheels. This w"i.:i "••:. purely British invention, evolveJ di:cuiL' this war lor the needs, .of ; Lh.'..-; AaiT' It has been, if reports are cci.-ci, copied by the Germans.- But ii~ ;i!-t -jppearauee in the Held was on bc-oU.-.ahor 15,. 1916. A nation with. it,:-v •treat militury aptitude' ought to ' jr;-iv, "'! uiiks by March, 1918. -.. \-\'\\<-i\ the considered history of the v/i.r ecuios to be wraien it \w.ll prob- »:•>;.>■ b<- concluded -by impartial obßorva; ■■!\t.-it Germany's successes have boen d' ; , '-(.> iour causes: (i) Her immense ■p'--b.»;m:u-y prepai-atlon prior to the Gu'vlir'-nk of war; (2) her superior inarb:: iii'ijj; ox mau-power; (3) her free use t, ■-.orj-upuon in hostile and neutral co;nirri,H; (4) hor complete unscrupujj .>.!!.;ss with regard to the accepted ' u.,v/,' oj humanity. All four show a (,;:-,,,;!,)!■ unscrupuloiisiiess, but not a K-..-i>!M:ior ability in any military sense.

\. i nun\. h preliminary preparation w« "-p' cially valuable because she inU i . ij'wj make war and other nations h -i" avoid war. Germany's manI . > r u.o been generously placed at ti ,uc of tho military leaders bec\ (• i many has consistently enb. i,■ tpi toners of war and all tho l whether friendly 0. > , wn.-hin her reach. Manning 1, nil nes and her fields with fore ' m , „ naturally she has been able lo • <;-'"y a, eery great proportion of Ge » manhood in the fighting line. ii>f iupt;l.ous use of corruption a. I .".i«ige in hostile and neutral c ha-i helped Germany's milil i ' ji: Russia and in Italy. Her ( c -i 'i uroorupulousness has en- j a. .i c.< - v) kill prisoners, the wound- j i ''.Mir,, hospital nurses, in short, t ii.i in to annihilate .her enemies v. -I'l.i.'t ilfd by any of the conveni i •/illation. But it has probu . '.in J t-1 c-<i still inoro her diploxn i Ifi>it, and the final-balance _of it v i 1: ii adi'erso to her national in- ! L.iditjoas of the semi-miracu- ) ■> !, , iy oificieney of Germany had I ...i'.ioudly fostered by the Ger- [. .-, i has gained a hold not only i. ■ wil countries, but in the counL »« the Grand Alliance. It exists s 'i "n Gieafc IJritain. But it does vi ' examination in the light of i w jk afc the events of the war / , ,i i, of facts and it will be seen t. - \ ' , in unscrupulousness alone f/ i "iiny reigns supreme.