DECISIVE MOMENTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 10064, 31 August 1918, Page 11

DECISIVE MOMENTS

DEFEAT TURNED TO VICTORY SOME HISTORIC BATTLE EXAMPLES. The greatness and tho success of a leader of troops depend perhaps less en his ability to prepare plans of battle than bis resource in dealing with t'ie unexpected incidents which arise in tbo execution of plans made before the commencement of the fight. -The decisive moment is that when unanticipated emergency arises. YPRES. An unexpected incident in the first battle of ipres in the present war ! e« to one of the most dramatic and deeifiive movements in that epic and in tho war as a whole. During those dreadful days of October, 1914, the German hordes were pressing in overwhelming strength against pjir thin, under-gunned, khaki line, and at. last, in the Gheluvelt region they had to all intents and purposes broken through. •An dnicor, whose name was not discovered for some months, was 6eized with an inspiration, and at his behest part of a battalion of tho Woreesters were launched to a countor-attack. This was carried out with such gallantry and success that its effect was felt all along the line, and the British commanders at General Headquarters, almost resigned to making the best of a vory bad job, were as delighted as surprised when the reports coming in went to show that the. army was saved and was regaining ground. As our field-marshal put it, "The charge of the Woreesters saved.the day." But an even moro dramatic and decisive moment had preceded this great battle. It will be remembered by all who have studied the events of the war that wheri: Sir John French took his army from tho. Ajsne. in the autumn of 1914 tho Second Corps, under Sir H. Smith-ffiorrien, was heavily engaged northward as far as La- Bassee, while the First Corps, under Sir Douglas Haig, was coming up across the roar.. SmithDorrien's forces were vastly outnumbered, and all the nion were fighting without rest. The British.. Coromander-in-Ohief had suddenly to make one of those' decisions on which the fate of campaigns rests. 'Should :ho use the First Corps to .strengthen the overtaxed Second,, or should, he etretoh it out to form a thin line further, to tho left to meet:any ; flanking.movement by the enemy? ,It was a monient fraught with almost rparalysing responsibility. ■ What if the Second Corps could not hold? But the British general never ■_ lacked courage. On this occasion it was like his generalship—superb. lengthened the line, ©vents proved prescience. The First' Coups, stopped the Germans in their effort, to reach., the Channel ports via Ypres. If Sir Douglas Haig's Army Corps had not bpon. there, the wholo course of t.he-war would-have been altered, and" with.' tho ' enemy on the French coast all sorts of dreadful things might have-happened. .".''.'," THE MARNE. • Let lis so back still further in. this great war—back to the battle of the Matne. ' General Fooh. whose .'brilliant work- under Castelnau beyond the fronr tier in the first two or three weeks of the campaign , had. boon., noted by.the eigle-eyed Joffre. commanded the army opposed to tho German centre in that great -series l of' encounters known -as tho Battle of the Marno. Converging German armies struok heavily. ■ "M.y left Wing is broken; my "right - wing is broken; 1 am still; hammerinc away at the centre." ho wired to Joffre, • and at the critical moment, --defying;- military convention, and acting according 'to the diobates- of his own -genius, he stuck brilliantly at one of -tho -Gorman flanks, smashing it and bringing about a situation from which the Germans could extricate . themselves "~ with comparative safety onlv hy acknowledging defeat and huri'.vinar back to the. line of the Aisne. Tho decisivo moment .-it Valjny set the fata of iEurope. France' was- in, the- throes of tho Revolution or was emerging thoref r«m=-and wa&-invaded -by-Germans and Austrians, who imagined that tho raw levies of the new republic. would not be' able to withstand their trained troops. But the seasoning of French veterans and a consistently improving discipline enabled the troops uiuier Kellermann- the. oldov firmlv- to withstand tho famous "cannonade of- Valmy," «nd when the invaders marched to the subseauent infantry, attack ■ they wero astounded that the Oallio army obeyed tho orders of their leaders nnd'did not break jup in revolutionary confusion: This was the decisivo moment. The Austrians and Brunswickerß ! tired with marching over stickv ground, came to a standstill before getting to grips with the French. Thev came, thev saw and they retreated. On neither side was the loss considerable, but Valniv is looked upon iustlv -as one of- tho decisive battles of history. The French, hitherto without hope that their annv could be cohesive and fiuht. came at. once to the conclusion that all militanv glorv was possible for them. Thev wero inspired to intense effort in pv-paring for tho campaigns thev saw, must come. mid. under Napoleon.in the followine years, they performed deeds which have been tho' study of historians over since. Had it not been for tho almost inexplicable volte faco and slow solemn retreat of tho attacking column at Valmv. the course of events in Eurono might have been nnythincr but of tho nature thev were. KBLLEfRMANN'S CHARGE. A charge by a small body, of cavalry was one of .the most dramatic events in all the campaigns waged.by... Nnpoloon. It mado ilto-moment .decisive—and. von th? Corsican one of his grestest victories. We refer .to Kellormann's feat at Marengo, on Juno 4th, 1800. In tho campaign which led to the battle Napoleon had been-caught ;at a disadvantage. Tho Austrians, under Melas, had, consciously or by accident, rather bowildered their brilliant opponent, who had lost sight of them and weakened his army by sending out strong detachments in various directions to find tho enemy. Thus, when tho Austrian, Army advanced into the great plain- of Marengo, and came upon the main French Army,.they were vastly superior to tho latter in mon and guns. The French, as usual, fought with great skill and dauntless valour, but as the day wore on they wero beaten back at all points,... and a great Austrian victory seemed- so assured that- Melas loft his' chief of staff to organise- the pursuit. The deputy, Zach,-. formed his troops ii.to « deep column for that purpose. But moanwhile . one-of tho frantio messages recalling Napoleon's detachments had reached Dosaix, who, in reply to the request, "Return, in the name of'God," 1 brought back a division at top speed. It was not a strong unit, but it arrived in the niok of timo, and it attacked tho great Austrian column with spirit. Tho attack, however was almost spent in force when Koliormann, with only 400 cavalry, joined in. The French infantry wero beinc hurled back, and what was left of the.nrtillery bad fired almost the I very last .round of nmmunition available when tho cavalry leader and his men | dashed out on what seemed a forlorn hope. ■ Racing ahead at great speed -Clio I horsemen wheeled in dun time, and crashed into tho flank of tho Austrian I column, and-cut through -.it again- nnd again. Not content with this, ihey hurled themselves on the enemy cavalry, and brought them into confusion. r lhe wholo effect was electric. It Inspireo the French troops like magic, ,-while en tho other hand, the" Austrians, taken by surprise, gave way to panic.■: Thus, .what had keen a defeat w.ib turned into

one'of the most remarkable French victories on record. : : SEDAN.. A last cxaiuplo, from a. modern war. Had a right: decision been taken nt Sedan, tho victory gained by th'o Germans might well' have been vastly less complete. Moltke had made his aluns ibr surrounding the French, but Ihere was still a hazardous way out, and when, during tho battle, Jlarshal Mac Manon was wounded, and the command was assumed by' Ducrot, tho latter determined to retreat and save two-thirds .of bis army. It had to bo done quickly. Ho had actually given his orders when Wirapen sent Word that he had been appointed Commander-in-Chief by the it'Yench War Minister. And 'YYiinpffen dtupidly ignored all tho realities of tho Situation. In that decisive moment, when ho might havo agreed with "Ducrot, ne took tho wrong line. And the French Awny was doomed.