THE GAME OF WAR.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 187, 12 September 1914, Page 9

THE GAME OF WAR.

MONS AND ITS TRAGEDY. GERMAN STRATEGISTS OUTWIT JOFFRE. Specially\ritten for THE SUN.' "Mods and its Tragedy" is not too severe a heading-—it might easily have been a catastrophe if the "Tommies" had not been so essentially British. Field-Marshal General French (to give him his full title) does not say so in his* report, but, going back a fortnight or so, and piecing things together, the fireside campaigner must come to the conclusion that Comman-der-in-Chief Joffre took too much for granted. Also General Michel, in command of Namur, played the waiting game too long, and was shot "sitting" —to use a sporting figure. Joffre —' that is, the French general ,'staff—was sadly to blame, as the writer insisted j from the beginning, and as an attempt i is made to show below.

Liege was to all intents and purposes reduced, when Namur came under siege gun fire. The British Expedi : tionary Force, as General French recounts, on August 22, received his orders to take up a position in "Belgium on a line extending from Conde through Mons and Biuche —a line practically parallel with the Sambre River, and which, if continued, would bisect, Namur. A French force overlooked the Sambre River, while six or seven army corps watched the German centre in front of Belgian Luxemburg. Well, tnen _jt appears that the French got in touch with Namur; obviously relief was intended.

The success of the Allies' forward movement depended on the strength of the German right wing. In this Joffrc took too much for granted. The huge army that had been thrown through Luxemburg had disappeared —at least a great part of it had vanished. Where? The French centre sat tight, never dreaming but what the full force of the opposing centre was where the original German plans fixed it. But one fine day, when the German Intelligence Staff had made sure of its ground, German army-.corps were surreptitiously transported from Luxemburg, thrown across the Meuse between Nan'uir and Liege, or flung across the river to the north of Liege, the reduction of the northern forts making the latter passage possible. Joffre's plan of attack did not bargain for this tremendous addition to the German right wing, but one day we heard of countless German soldiers tramping through past Brussels —some heading direct west: the enveloping movement; others south-west, converging on Charleroi. CHANGE OF TACTICS.

The reader had best recall the dispositions o£ && Allien according to th«

hints given/ Joffre concentrated on the centre, leaving only an attenuated left wing to face the enemy in Belgium. If the German strategists had not changed their plan suddenly and decided to invade NorthtEast France through 'Belgium proper, making provision .accordingly, then there had been no Mons, and no bitter retreat from the originaJ line. The German troops rushed fron Luxemburg round to Brussels,, enable; the enemy to achieve what they did., and, incidentally, to check temporarily the Allies' scheme of campaign.

It is going back: over old ground t< say that Michel, blundered at Namur and that when Namur succumbed am the invaders beat back the French from the Sambre, the British line Conde-Mons-Bincfie, was exposed to tlu full force of the strougly reinforced enemy.

BRITISH RIGHT IN THE AIR. Then the trouble started. Tlu French, too strong where strength eouk be spare I —in the centre —and too weak where the early culminating attack wadelivered; were hurled back to Givet leaving the British right in the air. Three German army corps, soui'Miing over 100,000 men, converged on the comparative handful of Britishers with thrust after thrust. A fourth army corps was working round N.W. of Mons, with an obvious purpose. The danger of envelopment and complete annihilation was imminent. The French were still/retiring before the heavy pressure .of an overwhelming force. Lieut.-Gen-eral Smith-Dorrien, faced with two army corps and Hanked by a third, des-

pcrately fought his way back to a new position. That he did so gallantly was the salvation of General French and his divisions had been crumpled u|), then the Britishers would have been cut to pieces. ..- 3ALLANT SMITH-DOSRIJBN.

No relief being , forthcoming, the 'Tommies, "outnumbered in men and ,uus by about four to one, defied all he efforts of four corps of first-line German soldiers to break them or their .'ront, According to General French, o tremendous was the enemy's artilery fire, so hotly did they press attack ifter attack* that Sntith-Dorrien c'ould' not possibly do what he was directed to .1.0 —to break off the action and retire. Sunday, August 23, to Wedneslay, August 6, the enemy were held at >ay, the Britishers receiving and inlicting terrible punishment. Eventually, retirement was made in sound ilignmcnt, the battered British artillerists cqvering the retreat in conjunction with the cavalry. This exploit, this heroic retreat, will iive for ever in the minds and hearts >£ those who fall in under the shadow of the one Flag. The first German thrust had gained some success, but at what a cost! "Fortunately," comments General French, '' the enemy had suffered too heavily to pursue us energetically, and the retreat continued till

August 28." It was a close thing at Mons. Joffre's mistake was an expensive matter for the British troops, but it gave the "Tommies" an opportunity to show the

vaunted German machine-made article that British steel and British valour, have not depreciated a whit. The Teutons received a bitter lesson in gaining a temporary advantage. Then- con. tinuation school has been in working order ever since. SADNESS IN UNTER DEN LINDEN.

Since the last week in August much has happened. The reinforced German right army, after it had rested a while and recuperated, rolled down within sight of Paris. At the latest reports, it was being rolled back before a tide of defensive men who have become offensive at the psychological moment. It is being chased and harried even as it harried and chased the <' Tommies \ '—* "chased" is hardly the word—the reports yesterday announcing retirement along the line. The readers in this part of the globe can have no conception of the slaughter that has resulted, particularly. since the really great contest began east of Paris. Anyway, Germany (it is announced via New York) is in the deepest mourning. Every day the black lists grow appallingly long. There are no wild roygterers shouting the "Ode to the Sword" in Unter den Linden to-day. The elderly citizen is not now aroused ere cockcrow by the taxis full of belated revellers speeding under the morning star and making dawn hideous. Those days and nights are gone. The entrancing Tiergarten with its wonderful rose-bowers is no longer thronged, "TALKING ABOUT SABRES.''

It is only a matter of a couple of months since an English journalist, writing from Berlin; talked, on paper, in this strange fashion:—"l have'laboriously built up a picture of the brusque and formal German rattling his sabre. . . . And, talking about sabres: It seems impossible we should have any quarrel with the kindly, intelligent, art-loving folk, whose civilisain so many obvious respects superior to our own." And so on. Well, well!

Yesterday's cables contained the usual percentage of polite fiction. Witness the story of a private in the Gordon Highlanders. It is one of the most egregiously absurd "stories" that has yet been perpetrated. Doubters should re-read the narrative closely. THE OVERNIGHT NEWS,/

Beyond the fact, that the German right was still falling back, the news from the Marne zone of war up till yesterday evening was nil. The over-night cables confirm the conclusion arrived at above with respect to the Mons exploit. A message from Rome announces the invasion of Silesia by the victorious Third Russian Army. That the Russians have penetrated South-Eastern Germauy is made evident by the High Commissfrmer '3 statement that the fall of Breslau is imminent. If the Kaiser's luggage was labelled "Berlin to Paris," as alleged, he will soon need new directions on his "grips" and hat-boxes. For Cracow, it is said, lias been evacuated, Poland is clear of Germans and. Austrians, and Breslau is threatened. If all be true, this is great and good news. Meanwhile the enemy is vanishing from North-Western Prance, and Bel-gium—may-be drawn by the huge magnet in the east that is made of countless Russian bayoneta# C.A.M.