WHY LOOS FAILED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12175, 26 November 1917, Page 4

WHY LOOS FAILED.

LORD FRENCH ON THE SHELti

SHORTAGE.

In an interview with Lord French which " Le Journal'' (Paris) publishes, the British Field-Marshal, after re-tell-ing the story of tho Battle of the Marne. attributes the stagnation which iollowed tho victory to his lack of men and material.

" When later at Loos I held the Germans 1 was obliged, for want of a few divisions which had been sent elsewhere, to abandon the hope of reaching Lille. During 1014 and 1915 I tried time after time to obtain from the War Offico the guns and munitions without which it was impossible to succeed. '' I remember one day Lord Kitchener, after examining with his experts my proposals, said to me, 'lt would need eight years to manufacture what you ask for.' Happily we found Mr Lloyd George, who achieved that task, which will be to his eternal honour.''

Lord French says that Joffre and he had but one idea, and that was to save Paris, and to avoid also any engagement which might have a doubtful issue, and which might have transformed it. into an irreparable disaster. Lord French recalled the change in direction which von Kluck made when, instead of descending upon the French and British direct, he. left Paris on his right, and the entry into the battleline of the Sixth French Army, which, with the British Army, threatened Kluck from the flank and forced him to p, hasty retreat.. Lord French was astonished that the German general did not continue his advance and did not attempt to break a passage. Kluck did nothing, and the easterly movement of the French and British largely contributed to the success of the great battle cf September 6, for planning which all tho honour was due to Joffre. The British Army, Lord French continued, especially deserves praise for the rapidity with which it moved forward, making the Germans retreat thirty-four miles in four days. "They were brave men whom I commanded there, hut, unfortunately, they were only a handful." Tho Field-Marshal spoke in warm terms of the services of Sir Douglas Haig and General Allenby.