The Timaru Herald. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1914. THE WAR.

Timaru Herald, Volume CI, Issue 15445, 7 September 1914, Page 6

The Timaru Herald. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1914. THE WAR.

The messages which describe a new movement of the German forces to the south and east of Paris are vague, individually, and cause more confusion when-they are read together, but it seems safe to draw one conclusion from them. The Kaiser's forces will not, in their present mood, attempt either to invest .or bombard Paris, the city which was to have been entered upon Wednesday last, while the Allies' armies of nearly a million men are still unbroken in the field. So far the object of the Allies has been to avoid decisive battle, while attempting to'wear down their opponents by defensive tactics which must have cost the Germans far more heavy losses than_the French and British had occasion to endure. Time fights for the Allies and against the Germans._ The former have strong reinforcements to hope for from the policy of delay; moreover, they are not fighting this war by themselves, but in cooperation with the Russians. They have only to delay, exhaust diminish the forces of the enemy in France, and the Russians, assisted by the British Fleet's blockade, will do the rest in Germany. That is not a happy outlook for the Germans. Rapidity was the first necessity of their French campaign, and now, instead of reducing Paris by one blow, they have to. reduce armies stronger than Paris which will not come to effectual blows. If a series of enveloping movements which just fail to envelop, costly skirmishes with an enemy who counts his risks, and weary marches which withdraw the Germans always further from their base, have to be continued over half of France, the process will be bad for France, but it will be fatal for the Germans. If they were successful in every skirmish the loss of time and forces would be fatal. When the Romans fought with Hannibal, "one man saved the Roman fortunes by delay.'"' That is the Allies' task at present, and they have much more cause to trust in " Fabian tactics" than had the Roman general. If' the Germans can force them to °-ive battle iu an unfavourable position, away from the lines of forts which have been skirted and avoided very carefully by the invaders, they may be able to go back to their original plan, and attack Paris. It will be the business of the Allies to prevent them gaining- that advantage. Our news is meagre and conflicting, and it is still possible that the Germans, if ihey find outflanking movements hard to consummate, will' attempt the daring task of attacking Paris, with the French and British armies still unbroken in the field. The plan attributed to the Germans by an earlier message, of concentrating the fire of one hundred siege guns upon six Parisian forts with the object of reducing them, and pouring 20,000 cavalry and 100,000 infantry through tlie breach, may have been only briefly delayed." Eveu if a breach is made, Germany will require far more than 120,000 meu. one must suppose, for the effective storming of a city whose defenders are not likely to number less than 170,000. The defenders of even a small town, figlitiug among buildings, must always have *a great advantage over any assaulting force. "Whether or not the forts can be reduced depends on whether the German guns, which have done good service hitherto, can overcome the Paris fortress guns, said to be of the heaviest kind, wiih a range of twenty miles. Paris is not defended only by one ring of forts but by throe lings, and 1 lie Allies' outer army, fighting as one body under cover of the forts or divided into lijivrying scdiojo?, would great l.v

complicate tlie task of tlie assailants. "A city," said Napoleon, "with SO,OOO inhabitants, barricaded streets, and artillery placed at the gates, cannot be taken by tlie collar." Napoleon had no Krupp guns, but witli tlieir aid it would be impossible to take Paris "by tlie collar." Tlie Germans may, of course, ignore Paris altogether, and lay their plans for a return to Prussia as soon as they can subdue the French and British armies in the field. But it would not be safe to leave even a large remnant of those armies, and very soon now the armies will be largely reinforced. The Indian troops by now must be very near France, and Lord Kitchener has already 260,000 more British recruits "ready for general service." The agreement that has been formed between Britain, France, and Russia that no peace shall be made by any of them separately, and that no one of them shall demand terms of peace without the previous agreement of the others, shows that the Allies are determined to continue this war to the bitter end.