CURTAIN LIFTS

Evening Star, Issue 15778, 15 April 1915, Page 6

CURTAIN LIFTS

ON NEUVE CHAPELLE. TO-DAY’S FRANK, DESPATCH BY GENERAL FRENCH. DID SOME ONE BLUNDER? [By A, Spence.] Tho worst story—and there is a pretty bad one to-day—may r.s well bo rushed over lirst. Wo have bad Xenve C'hapcllo given to us as a. useful and hrilia-nt victory ever since (ho beginning of March, ihe complexion which Sir John French puts on it to-day will make thoughtful people pause before they accept another victory as true gcspcl Xearlv 13,000 men were cither kill'd or wounded. an d (as Sir •John French practically says) the combination which was aimed at was hardly attaint'd, even (hough the village of Xettvc C luijrjUe was taken. Moreover, Sir John trench hints very broadly that someone blundered sum-owhere, lie does not say much beyond mentioning that the severing of a. telephone wire helped to upset calculations. but he adds words to the effect tbut very pjirtic.uliir instructions, issued by Sir Douglas Tlaig, were not carried out. Of the importance of the telephone in directing a. co-ordinated and rapid attack

" Kyo-witness ” told us lately. 'J he scene at divisional headquarters, where the staff arc kept moving a succession of pins on t!ic map, .Minuto after minute, requires m explanation beyond this: It tell* the divisional and corps commanders when and where the minor and major reserves should ho fed in, and in an attack such as at Native Cbauollo ftv here time was the essence of the contract) every ivservo must

;=• art in on the tick of Hit- clock, as it • wore. It' an arterial telephone went amiss at Menve CliapelJe., that would lie serious, 1 though. it might he duo to nothing more t d'.'-concerting thin misfortune. lint Sir i John French goo.-; further. He hints at a. cn! liable someone, that some very explicit 1 directions by Sir Douglas Haig were not 1 can led into effort, and •lint the reserves . of the 4th Army Corps did not enter the i battle at the time when a fresh nis-h of 5 I ttn’ii was all-important. J his is a "rave statement, for it must he remembered that Sir John French is probably the last man , in 1 1.0 world who would publicly blame a. subordinate. His willingness to accept personal responsibility for ail mistakes by sub axiinates has been comm.’liter! on more ilia it oiere in t ho London 'Time?.' Some think that he is too cord that way. Since has sand so ewe I; as he lias said to-di-y :Ik l pro-mu pi ion is that- every v ’ ad is meant. Tin; rrzzi.E or melve , CTI.U’KI.LE. Xc-uvo (. hepelle has always been a. puzzle, .The value of the place per su amounts to next to nothing, and the reasonable construction to place on the previous accounts tm.l it was a dress rehearsal of the new artillery turtles as a soi”, of trial to battles which will follow when Miring dried the plains of Fin ders. It seems. !rmn Sir John French’s story, (hat Motive Chapcllo was no rehearsal inani fcsl ly ex peri in-, ms which disable io.bOj men a re 100 clear—but a serious offeusi ve. THE lUoVSOM OF MT'irVF. did T i'.LLF. Hr '.dies .’T’.’i.-■'•!is for that offensive, the (!•," ido.i regarding which he reached about the cud of February 1. The necessity of holding the enemy in upic.um to assist the J!ussiaus. ; 2. J i 1 e need of f.istcrill!;’ the offensive i i ?;nrit after a severe winter iu I lie l miches. The first cons hF-rat ion is an obvious one; the second may not be unite so clear. 1 have tri-ad to point out often (hat mil: bury opinion is (hal !renrhes arc only i •> : j Of res irtc-ii to wiieu every other measure ] is -car. <;,f tile fiiK-stlell. 'I !i”V lake the I “doc off ircon-s, ami 1 hereby render liiem ■ !-ss vaiuable for offensive ..pora-t i-ms iu the Inlure. The Ucr.ita lo ace. of cmir.-e. j iu the same box, ! Till-: FAC TS OF XEI’VK 1 CHAPFLLF. To give t he men their proper (icditing < leers re, ain tiia attach <>n ,N ■- uve i imi.f-he j was piiimual. (if lb- 1 massing of tin- ?50 j runs we heard wune time ago, and. as j we see to-day. tiie arrib.-ry e’t:ainiy did ; ‘he:r pari. hipleevr-ii;n,r on tea; He- in- j fault-y were hi.inch'd on t!„ village, am I, ! evid eil !y a (I v,-m ■ : n g wild area; da-h end ! for. if iiflc. got into t lie pk,.- •. Whs' f ,i ; lrc.‘.-ad ’vas on!’,’ wiei; iiisri; b'T.ai] t be first v we ni any reiuuai uss.-mli. Thi- I vioi-'Uie tim nisii. and the eon fusion j which nuts' ncces-e.riiy defeat tim b ■ - I , eemp.my oc b;-: t ahon !:■ ui. :eg to '.he w- > ■ bw, ! th.-’.e.v (lie bat tie nil • a series of melees '•..bet pro ha idy pi- nd i he .-ontrol of tin* ! bnondiers out of joint a: t ii ■ tini-c \\ is-n ’ that she.:” bad b-mi reremr’d the ' li-riii.su 1 countering m ve j whet hi r offensive or de ; bemnvei was sure in leic. U was ih-nm- | i”C” cbom i hat m.a.w I 1 ■ ■ ! m-s r i’d'm-: i o| i Int mil re serves (coin to have bos n • i "ling, but it. si ell’’ ; ten limy did ;i ’ | re.n’i the seme in time. d he llrdi-h ! ui to \ (ui (a 1 l, bh ape do (eria'idy. but a more extensive in-•vcmetit, v. hndi .a.-jm to have been designer], wtis ciiriiol, has a r vcr been rcsimio.-; HCiW TO JM’At) VfCTOeM Ft " Oi tlie LiukF-h nnmrmrs over the cafii aity I:si «•» have rd :■ linb” in the fast, and S;r John French finds it expedient to ir,vei- iliesc. to some ( : on, in ids di =]•»!,-lies. lie uicni-i.MS tu-a o< adiy eltect el i:!les arm inwinac guns in wori; of tins kind, and allud'cs to the into e’l a m” ■ at ailiiiery. J hat. of e-,ii)’fv. is (or ought, to be) nnd-ersl nod. There is, however. : a-noi her word which in ay ae-isi t he xen-mal | ioad”r to a liivnniioii of future i aides c n battles. Wheneier a situation arises. ! under which an army, or .vine' units of an i army is si-rionsiy e.u,,mill'd to the offm:- | f; i ve. a ml ns a i lerwa ids seen tea be una-bse I in nediuain that offensive, if can be taken as absolutely t met hut *omc-thii!g has gone " 'pu-p j hj ■ I ’ussnan operations ha v e been tuil of this feature: and, bv the v.a", i r , wnn’-d he imere-niug 1-0 know a|o, v.hm bee'- become of 11;mb'iibnrg's oljkmsive in 1 olatid, lie rim star! oait on liaat due. i is stall lie. ll \ ,ij s.ir. , inn moves n ■ longer. I something ),a> u.mneiied o‘ a nature dis- | arlvanlage<,,i.- p, hns pian:- j arinijis the j issue ;n the ('.’i.rpaf hnuis I hLIiMAMS AMD MADNESS. Two reports on the pi ate of 'ln- Herman tinny —or pm non o! it—deserve ad altem tjoti. It happens that Ilnwc rei-ris, tiicupgh i it (I j* pen- lent* "tiy t i in liar thin,;.. One is hy Troit,s.-:oi' (lump, the ibwarnm nerve specialist ; the otner bv ‘'J-ivc-uit-liess." Professor Coup)) speaks not so much of men driven mad by war—for that must happen in all the armies—out oi i}ialarming iw/aac-a; of madness, t-speciailv since tlie heavy attacks which were’ ordered in I Hc’Ctmber. 'JTiio wax the peuirai oi idle ter- ! rifle fighting on the. Y.-er. and ilm period i of the chief intensity oi llinrlenburg's operations in Poland, " Jcyc-w iinesS " re- i lers to " a marked change in the demeanor 1 of the Merman troop.-, cleat took phe e soon ■ after Ciu’istmas." The amazing stories of the Christmas truce in Flanders aie s;ill toe reco.i: to lie foigotleu. 'idiey were mi scry a-tont.-ihigg that the Lmujc.’,’! ' Times, ’ jmijh.slied the 1 first batch of olimers' letters relating to it with an cxplanatcry noie setting ierth that I the source fiom which that news came j could be relied on. What stories they ! were I On the. front held by the Scots Mu aids, (derman soldiers eaiitv into the British trenches and played aim mi iiit- j concertina, including the Brili*h Aaiionaij

Anthem. British soldiers who went to the German trenches were feasted on roasted pheasant. Between the trenches some British and some Kaxons cleared the dead and dying to improvise a field for a football match. After reacting the accounts there could only be one question ; Were all these soldiers quite sane? Or, if they were quite sane, or partly sane, could it lie that they were tiring, or that the blood lust had gone? Professor Goupp's word in the ‘ Medium Wnchcnschrift ’ (of Munich) carries the matter a step onward. but may bo left at present. “Eye-witness.” however, furnishes a point on which comparison can bo made with one previous war at least. He does not speak of insanity, but of something like weariness and a growing conviction of defeat. Such a feeling in an army is more dangerous than either insanity or mutiny. It indicates a stage at which soldiers will otiey every order and yet succeed m doing nothing at all. An army, a commander, or a nation may' sustain any punishment and continue to come up for more until a certain point is reached. That is the point at which it feels that it is beaten. AN ANALOG)'; 1864-1915.

Consider how Grant., in breaking Lee’s army in 1864- (following methods not very different from tin; methods of the present war), almost broke the hack of his own. At that time the Northern States ol America, had recruited to nearly 1,C00,000 men, scattered in separate commands over the theatre of war. Grant directing nil. The. war was entering on it? fourth year, and Grant had got it into his head that the time for fripTllfulness had c ome ; that the quickest way to end the long-drawn struggle was to get the ''killing” done. All United States armies were humehc.! simultaneously for the final butchery—on May 4, 1864, Grant could have- accompanied any of the armies, hut elected to go with Meade's army—then known as the *' Army of the Potomac.” It crossed the* Rapida-u Diver cm the da-te given, it 18.000 strong. Tim opponent to be, e.-Ffonntererl was Lee’s "Army of Northern Viig’.nia. and the parallel which follows is striking, for Lee’s army was almost a. counterpart of the present British Army in temper, courage, discipline, skilful direction, and. alas ! in smallness. Grant advanced on. it in tree German style, fighting heavily at- the Wilderness, at Spot t sylvan ia. and at Gold Harbor. In one month he lost- 54.000 out, of the 118,000 —about one man in two. The figures, dates, and battles may not be interesting, hut the analogy is, for men are men, and whether they are. ordinary men or supermen, they can only endure a certain strain, and no more. BREAKING STRAIN ON MEN. Grant's army never disobeyed, any more than (he German army is likely to disobey. They simply reached a stage which made it- difficult to go; any more out of 1 hem, or. in fact, to gel .anything at. all, tint!! Gran; (hanged ins plans. They fought remarkable well at the Wilderness. ana afterwards (for nearly a fortnight; at Spol.tsylvama. Pair SpoiUylvania shook them. At some points there was as much as oft of blood and rain in the trendies. The thickness of the infantry tiro on one dav was sutlieient to bring down a tree 2ft in diameter by the coniinned damage of the ijnliets. No one had talked of Grant’s me’hods then or talked of mutiny, hut (white they were in a. certain state of mind and nerved Grant committed tJn-m to tim battle- of Gold Harbor. It progressed a, certain distance. and 1 hen came orders from headquarters fur another desperate onfall mi in e. 1 lie- orders were frames I, transmitted to the hri.gad;rrs without comment, and reeeivd without comment. When the hour for a.s-anlr came few endra.vonoi to do an vt In eg. (some of Hu-i ollh el's'.; limited ” ( ome on. boy and some of the men am-e. moved a step or I net or tried '.la: same again. He had I nock'd Piai. army to the breaking strain, i I mutiny. ! | MIGHT MEN BREAK NOW ? I i It, would not do (o apply these eond'Lra ! | t ions to the German many as sone-i him; | j force ~f German primary _ cdimaTioii. j begotten of IS7O. and. abov- HI. the Ger- I man citizen's d« ep regard ioi: h;s conn;rv. | 'We laugh at ■' .Deuiscidani nher alies'." | j-ahaps on mcount of a some-', hat in-mg i ol -iinph- love (.-|L ocnh'V. - 1 ik'd may nmie a liiu-- v, hen the n.mn will ; to go forward. not bent in-; "f an a; livesinrii <<f mutiny, 1.-nt hc-an-e • I'eal inability to do anv more, f itt the Garpat hie. g line the stio-scs of jighiiog in Hm smew are j-ii-iured in ore- eabie. ami Hi-' II tin can wi I - ; 1 t iat. “ Ky.--witness" ) is no ilonl.’: talking tuna when he says: that ’ dm i.laaiia.-is mr. ■ on,any evp,"-i 1 ' n:i-a.mmss ” over trie want ol" vi-- \ iva, in i iK-tr mil- s and diusl si ill i o he ,-hot by Austrians s.-em to do a a inr l '--, a );'sssw;;| have o' i'll rorli'd will; I; v. ;ii las' j v bie.-r up any arm;- , ■ THE Bn.LKT NGT E VER VTHTNG. "' Eye- wii ness mentions nn attempt inade .o persuade LHo i;i■ 1 1 civilians Heir the iL'il i -I| were 110 - only out to smash G, rmany. End imd limy v-.u-re equally bent of | roo-igand-i tv n-; of tin.-- kind ma-t ism.- been carried out by boaii-isy- a - |win! on which vee have yet- to near, i!-.i!. . judging by n r-'cnl. report in tm- ‘ Gai--' tlm poinl that t here La F n ;-rh bin add- , an til o thy. An ■ ■xir.iei ; j To come right ih-v.ii ts, th - t ruth, ; of G-il.-ii -a •’•’ Wii-s nhelm-ai! i? 'ymm-rl.” : raid Hie dving Ma-m'Tudor. “ the name - ■ GHajs- ’ wd! he b-smi '; ili- ■ll on it,” ; Tim objort. of the ' Hand-ur-t-T Erenid.-:,- i -:-or! No doubt Hm <■:•::!!■ -;i on Hie V.- ' ■i; 1 i,i), -m jn e-o m--r s - m, but it woiial oidv paiHaliv dooi i-i bv Hm- buliet. ami the" she!l, ' ' ' the e’rexgm in khaki. ; Whet her they did o’ not do--? m-t ser-m if I! iiddersn-di! mnn 11 ■ -tsir hj a d o"ind i for n-"w out lit s—m iil ions of Hi-". There; is a hreaking-strain limit mi the a-divi- ; the French dud gel in early. Then pln-wi orders for 1.f1U0.000 pairs -a; hem's ’.van ■ the Northampton firm? some v"d-;s hmmwe • tlm British War Office thought of that i matter at a!!. j TO A GOBRESPOMLENT. j A.O.M.”—There has bin mention that’ Admiral Ligenoh! ha.s hern 'uoer-’ed-d as enmmirider of the German High, s-’-t- Hirer. Ini; nor in the raid”. ft n---os on Hie testimony of pom'- of ilm Aireri’a’i r-aners.