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Show GERMANY'S LAST STROKE. Germany is fighting fast and furiously furious-ly to win the war within the next six months. The genera staff realizes that all hope will be gone if the United Slntcs is permitted to place even a small part of its potential strength in the field. When ruthless submarine warfare was resumed high personages in Germany admitted that the U-boat was the country's coun-try's last hope and that if it failed Germany would lose the war. Unrestricted Unre-stricted naval warfare was invoked despite de-spite the danger that the United States would be involved in the conflict. Von Tirpitz. and You Hindenburg agreed that the strength of the United States could nut be of any avail on the battlefields battle-fields of t'urnpe if the U-boat did its work as planned. By the middle, of the summer it was patent that the submarines had failed to achiuvo more than a small part of what had been projected, but meantime something had happened to give Germany Ger-many new hope. The Russian revolution, revolu-tion, which at first seemed likely to ruin Germany '3 chances, had turned out to be advantageous to Germany aud as the months weut by the disorganization of Kusbia became more complete. The general staff in Berlin saw that fortune agaiu had placed within their grasp a means of attaining victory. German agents continued to stir up anarchy an-archy in Kussia and make it possible lor the general staff to withdraw troops from the east and throw them into the liililing in the west. Since midsummer Kussia has been impotent and the Germans Ger-mans have called back from the east their host formations of regulars and reserves. Only the laudsturniers and a few good regiments have been left' in a long, thin line from the Gulf of Riga to the borders of Rumania. How many troops Germany has sent from the east to the west the allies do not seem to know. Some of their ex perts have contended that only a tew hundred thousand have been withdrawn from the Kussian front, but why they should think so is not clear. Just before General Byng began his offensive, messages came out of Holland that vast movements of German troops into Belgium were taking place. Presumably Pre-sumably these troops were to participate partici-pate in the Flanders battle, but General liyng struck first. Yon Hindenburg was taken by surprise, but quickly rallied ral-lied his wits and threw his reinforcements reinforce-ments into the C'ambrai sector. He probably had planned a great offensive ' against Haig, but was compelled to light on the defensive against Byng. Finally he brought up such forces into Ihe t'ambrai region that he smashed Bang's line and forced a slight, retirement. retire-ment. Although Byng's generalship lias not been brilliant since the tanks cut their way through the barbed wire, it is likely that bis offensive prevented a German offensive somewhere along the line in I'lamlers or France. Meantime the German general staff continued to pour its troops into the Troutino for an offensive against the l.nniun left. Hundreds of guns from the Tlussinu front went with them and three days au'o the Teutons hogan a drive v liich so far has met with success. suc-cess. Tt is possible that the Germans have withdrawn 1 ,nnii,orifi men and thou-sands thou-sands of gun from the Kussian front and with such rei n foi cetnen ts they should be aide to conduct at least two big offensives at a time The crushing of Italy would not end the war. but it would have a political and moral effect more potent than the military decision. It would tend to discourage the Trench and would take tit" heart out of the other ailies. Xcv. ortiielcss, if they houid temaiu in after that event they would win, for Germany Ger-many must attain victory before next August or lose the war. After that the might of America will he in the field. Von Himlenimrg hopes lor u decision tot only in Hale but in l'tanee. He is forcing th i'ii.'ht now and doubt-ickc doubt-ickc veil try to keep the i ni t ia t i ve during dur-ing the winter fiid spring. If lie can sin new triumphs, ihe Ru -ia us, he t.r'ie::, will grow more and nioic in I civo l.a k to Germany and Austria the Iprbnnrrs taken from them during three : years and a half. With the additional million he can put into the western battle lines if all goes well he can hope to gain such a decision as will nullify ail American effort 3. Groat Britain's battle line, as usual, is far-flung. Although the experts have been practically unanimous in their opinion that the war would be settled in trance, the British have scattered scat-tered their forces. But there is, perhaps, per-haps, stil time to remedy this situation. situa-tion. The campaigns in Asia and at Saloniki can be held down to the lowest low-est possible limits consistent with safety safe-ty and all available troops can be placed in France and Italy. Tt would not be surprising if Great Britain could send l,0i'i0,noo more men to France within the next year. By next August! we should be able, the U-boat held in check, to put 1,000,000 men 'into France and Italy. The armies of the allies would then total about IO.OOii.ooO in France and Raly alone, allotting 3,000,000 to the British, 3,000,000 to France, 3,000,000 to Italy and 1.000,000 to the United States. At present Great Britain has 3,000,000 in France and Italy; France has 3,000,000 under arms aud will be able just about to make good her losses, whereas Italy can put 3,000,000 njpo in the field next year if her allies furnish her with the arms and ammunition. Opposed to this force tho Teutonic combine can place on all fronts about an equal number. But after AugTist, HHS, the tide will turn ever against the Teutons. By 1SU9 we can have ;,000,000 in France and Italy, perhaps more, and Great Britain's reserves will still be going forward, while France's unmbers will be about stationary. The Teutonic losses will then be so gigantic that their armies, denied reserves, will begin to decrease with great rapidity. But meantime the internal situation in Germany will be growing worse all the time. Food they may have enough of, but of raw materials they cannot obtain sufficient quantities even with Russia out of the war, granting that Russia is still anarchic, as it almost surely will be. |