MOBILISING IN THE WEST

Evening Post, Volume XCIV, Issue 134, 4 December 1917, Page 6

MOBILISING IN THE WEST

"The enemy's leaders know that the ! New World is mobilising for battle and not for bluff," writes the correspondent of the New York World. They also know that, despite their assurances to their own public, it is unlikely that the submarine warfare can be developed to a point that will prevent such mobilisation. Viewed from this standpoint, all the chances favour an Allied victory even without the aid of an aggressive Russia; for the United States, if not prevented by sea, can mobilise in France forces that would far outweigh all the divisions capable of being released from the Russian and Rumanian fronts. It has to be remembered that at no stage of the war could the enemy have won a decision in the East. For the Allies such a thing was possible, as a sweeping Russian success might have placed Austria-Hungary or Germany—-or. both of-them—emt of action. But no enemy achievement against Russia, however encouraging to Mittel-Europa ideas, could ever have decided the fortunes of the campaign in France and Flanders; and/even to-day, with Russia so impotent, Germany can have no claim to victory unless she completely defeats the Anglo-French-American-Italian armies > between the North and the Adriatic Seaa. To say that; the promise of victory in this decisive theatre is on the Allies' rather than on the enemy's side is to put the position mildly.- Unless the submarine eclipses all records, or the American and Allied "will to conquer" weakens, the Central Powers must be defeated; hence Berlin's anxiety to eliminate not only Russia bnt Italy and France by a " whirlwind winter campaign," including both Boloism and big drives. United States war-plans, cables Washington, are based on " three more years of war," and if the outcome is to " rid the world of Kaiserism," even the sacrifices of a six years' war will not be deemed too high by tjje present generation, still less by those who are to comej