Greatest battle opens

First stage of decisive contest

Allies initial success

To venture to draw conclusions from the insufficient and uncertain data available continues to be an unsafe procedure but it has to be admitted that there is a growing feeling that if the allies are still on the defensive a great opportunity is slipping by and on this side of the English Channel there are many who, while admittedly ignorant of what is really going on declare that had the conduct of the campaign been in British hands a smashing and decisive blow would ere this have been struck at the enemy.

These same critics however betray an inclination to believe that the Germans alone are masters of strategy and that the French Commander in Chief is trusting to luck for a convenient chance to turn up.

This is not the right attitude to assume.

It may be taken for granted that long before this war commenced a plan of campaign, of a more or less elastic nature, was drawn up and that an essential prt of it was to conduct operations in a manner which had not entered into the calculation of the Potsdam professionals.

Circumstances may have played their part in producing that long continued falling back movement but a careful survey of the situation induces the thought that these same circumstances have conspired to assist in the carrying out of the general plan.

The Germans have been drawn on and on and all the time the difficulty of keeping control of their communications has increased, while their losses in men killed or placed home have been terrible.

On the other hand it has been proved to be possible for the allies to continuously make good and losses in men and materials and indeed to largely augment their forces.

Several times recently it has been apparent that the enemy has had to make a hurried change of plans and it has discovered that the defenders have an enormous reeve to draw upon. As we hinted in the past three days, it would appear that the allies have found their plans approaching completion and fruition, the penultimate stage probably being reached at the end of last week.

The press bureau message was to the effect that General Joffre’s plans are being steadily carried out and that the allied forces are now acting on the offensive. The time has not yet come to throw up our hats but there are good grounds for taking a hopeful view of the situation.

There will soon be something more tangible to talk about, some desperate fighting which at its conclusion may have entailed the most important phase of this Great War.