5. MILITARY OPERATIONS ON Tait WESTERN FRONT. 1. General Strategy and Numbers.— Viewed as a whole the World War ended as it began, in an attempt to take Paris. That was in accordance with the Ger man war plan, made many years before and taken out of the general staff's pigeon-holes in 1914. The plan failed to work as expected and four years of bitter fighting followed. Early in 1918 Russia had been worn down to sunender and Germany threw herself on her exhausted enemies of the western front to overwhelm them. She herself was tired almost to the point of collapse, but she had made a magnificent fight, won many local victories, and her spirits were high. Another thrust and victory! She made it as she made the first, pushing again down to the Mame. She failed as she first failed, in nearly the same place, and in the same kind of a blow on the right flank of the great German salient. Her second defeat was inflicted by the same man; for it was Foch who gave the decisive blow at the first battle of the Marne, and it was he who won the victory of 1918. Between the first and second battles of the Marne were fought many fierce battles in the West, and they had their places in the final victory. The losses entailed on the Germans broke their recuperat ing power and made it impossible to withstand the Entente Allies and the United States in 1918. The history of the operations on the western front is the history of these two great battles and of the four years of thrust and counter thrust that came in between.
In the beginning Germany was better pre pared for war than any of her opponents. Her system of military tranung was believed to be as nearly perfect as human skill could make it The general staff was excellent, the large num ber of minor officers were well trained and spirited, the private soldiers were obedient and attached to their officers for the most part. The whole army had confidence in itself and was inspired by traditions of German military glory. For many years the whole nation had lived for the day that was now on them. Hardly a soldier in the army but lmew that there were to be strong thrusts at France first arid then at Russia, and they all believed that the war would be won quickly. Besides these considerations
the army was abundantly furnished with mu nitions and supplies. C..lose students of mili tary science had observed that the machine gun was a wonderful new instrument of defense and the army was well supplied with it. They also !mew that Belgium and France were count ing on the protection of their barrier fortresses, and for taldng the forts they had developed great howitzers, they and their allies the Aus trians, which fired from a safe distance would destroy any fort in Europe. They had accumu lated, also, a vast supply of high explosive shells. They had developed tractors for moving heavy guns which hitherto had been thought immov able. They had prepared a vast number of motor trucks for moving troops quidcly on the excellent roads of Belgium and France. In aviation they had miscalculated. The Zeppelin was to prove a failure against the airplane, but their opponents had not come thoroughly to appreciate the military value of airplanes. The Germans were the best prepared of the bellig erents, and they had chosen the time and place for opening the war.
The French army was well trained and there was an excellent general staff. The spirit of the rank and file was as good as the spirit of the Germans. If one had confidence in victory, the other had the memory of 1870 to wipe out. The Frenchnian fought for his country's existence. If the German won, the fate of France was sealed. In munitions the French were at a &advantage with the Ger mans. They were well supplied with an excel lent light field gun, the celebrated 75 mm., and had a sufficient quantity; but they were lacking in heavy guns and in high explosive& The British, whose interest in defense had centred chiefly in their navy, had a small army well equiPped in the manner that was considered proper before the war between China and Japan. Like the French they-were poorly supplied with machine guns and high explosives. So far as equipment was concerned, the German and Aus tnan armies at the beginning of the war had an advantage over the armies of their opponents.