THE TWO BELGIUMS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume IV, Issue 203, 12 August 1914, Page 2

THE TWO BELGIUMS.

SILENCE CONCERNING THE

SOUTH.

GERMAN STRATEGIC RAILWAYS.

(•‘Evening Post”)

For the purpose of considering the present sphere of active operations, it is convenient to divide Belgium into two halves —that lying north and west of the Meuse river, and the other part lying south and east. These Uwo parts may be called North Belgium (including the capital. Brussels, and the great seaport of Antwerp and South Belgium. The river Meuse, with its two main fortresses, Liege and Namur, and with the natural advantages it provides, is a splendid defence for North Belgium. The Liege Naminline is strongly held by the Belgians, and, if we are to believe the Brussels telegrams, the Germans, attack ing from the sou th, have been unable to pierce it. They have there fore endeavoured to get round it by an encircling movement to the northeast of Liege, the object of which is to ford the Meuse at an unprotected spot and get behind (or north of) the Liege-Namur line, from which point Brussels and Antwerp might be struck at. But they cannot make that encircling movement without crossing the Limburg province of Holland, and this they have done, although their solemn protestation of respect for Holland’s neutrality is still fresh on their lips. To outflank France they invaded Belgium ; and now, to outflank Belgium, they have invaded Holland. Consequently Hol land has declared war against Germany (yesterday’s cables stated that Holland still preserved a rigorous neutrality), and every lover of freedom will pray that the Dutch may fall on the German flank and shoot as straight as the Belgians have done. BRITISH-BELGIAN OFFENSIVE TACTICS. So far as the facts are known, that summarises the position of North Belgium. But concerning events :< South Belgium and Luxembourg (th< adjoining neutral. State), little has been cabled. A purely defensive attitude by the Belgians along the Meuse (Liege-Namur) would not prevent German armies from passing over South Belgium, along a front of 70 miles if necessary, to attack France. So long as a Belgian army of 150,000—t0 be reinforced presently. perhaps by 160,000 British —holds North Belgium, the German turning movement into France would always be liable to flank attack. Still, it could go on, provided the German troops now confronting Liege could prevent the Belgians and British from taking the offensive. Every day that this offensive is delayed helps the German attack on France. FEINTS AND MASSED BLOWS.

In the absence of news, it is not to be presumed that either the Germans ot the French have been idle in South Belgium. France may have some hesitation in detaching any large body of men from the defence of the true Franco-Germ an frontier, for Germany, after all, may feint on the Belgium side only to strike with concentrated force at the Verdun Toul or Eninal Belfort lines. French generals will endeavour, by means of aerial scouts and reconnaisanees. to follow the movements of German troops along the frontier, and, by parallel action, to mass troops at any given point where an attack in force is threatened. In this game the aeroplanes should prove invaluable scouts, and if they are the sue cess that is expected, the net result ought to be in favour of the defence. For the main hope of the German attack is to strike with heavy force at some point where the French lines are weak, and if the French know what is coming they will reinforce ejjcli threatened section in anticipation. NEW RAILWAY LINK MADE THIS YEAR. A question of vital importance is : What transjiort facilities will. the Germans find in South Belgium ' The answer to this question involves a remarkable exposure of the relentless policy of war preparation that re-united Germany has pursued throughout her whole history. The construction of miles of railway sidings along the German Belgian frontier —which have no peace traffic and which were obviously intended for the detraining of soldiers —has already been mentioned. If anyone will glance at the map of the Ger-man-Belgian frontier south east of Liege, he will see two towns looking at each other across the liorderMalmedy (in Germany) and Stavelot (in South Belgium). Both will he shown as railwav towns, but . unless the atlas is very up to date, no trans border connecting railway will be marked between them. \ et such a railway exists. It was officially opened in January of this year, ami its purpose is purely strategic. Malmedv and Stavelot. though divided hv the German Belgian frontier, are both peopled by Walloons, who ha) e a common religion (Roman C atholic) and commn interests, but traffic between them is inconsiderable. No private firm would ever have bothered to unite them by railway ; and the short connecting line owes its exist ence purely to German military designs. STRIKING ROUTES SOUTH OF THE MEUSE. A weak Belgian .Government, yielding to German pressure, so far compromised Belgium’s safety as to agree to the connecting link as f-ir as the Belgian section is concerned ; and the result is that the opening of

the present year witnessed the completion of a line that givJs tho German forces in Cologne and other parts of the Rhine Valley direct railway connection through South Belgium (independently of the Meuae) with the Irench border at Montmedv. This route is a long way south ql‘ the Meuse, and does not traverse: Luxembourg. / What use is being made of tfee Malmedy Stavolot - Montmedy railway through South Belgium, and of tho Luxembourg connections, is not cabled. Probably the country is in German hands, and the cavalry dash, on Longwy is only a premonitory symptom of pending major opdtal tions by German troops brought for.l ward by rail. 'W In one respect the Germans seetn to be ahead of their plans. The German railway that runs, parallel with the Belgian bonier, from Aix-la-Chapelle to St With has in the last few years been duplicated and thoroughly equipped. Throe or four connecting lines link it with an outer parallel railway from Bonn to Tro ves,mwhieh latter has in large part been quadrupled, though the prospect of a remunerative peace traffic is nil. But the Malmedy-Stavelot connection, opened in January laft, is a light line and single-railed. Moreover, it passes through the range of hills separating Germany and Belgium, and has two tunnels on it. As the Belgians, according to report, blow un tunnels and bridges along the Meuse, they may have taken similar precautions at Stavelot. If not, they arc paying deany for the omission, and within .a few days France may be paying still more heavily. All honour is due to the Belgians for their heroic defence of the Meuse. With British military aid they could take the offensive and turn the position of the German armies advancing through South Belgium. British military aid is dependent on British naval command of the North Sea. Therefore, the smashing of the German fleet at this stage would exercise on the whole war an influence that would probably be. in the long nm, decisive, because it would establish a blockade of Germany, and would enable the full weight"of Britain’s military arm to be felt on the Continent.