Show Huns Wage Assault to Help Peace Plans Plan Is Belief of Critics By International News Service LONDON Dec Dee 1 One I.-One One hundred I thousand sho shock k tro troops ps every one ono of them with a song of hate in his heart flung themselves against General Byng's army in a huge triple attack before Cambrai at dawn yester yester- day All day long raged the fiercest battle yet fought in this war between and Brito Britons s s. s Not until today was the he result m mI m do a known Both sides waited twenty-four twenty hours for a decision Political considerations overshadowed overshadowed overshadowed owed the immediate military strategy motives the German massed j I assault it is believed They were First to British prestige at atthe atthe atthe the Paris conference second to help along the peace drive designed j to make Russia and Italy and ultimately ulti- ulti j I all belligerents to quit the I war third to back up the victory speeches of Chancellor von Herding Hertling and Foreign Minister von in the reichstag at the same time putting that body into a pliable mood to vote a huge new war credit From a military standpoint the Germans Germans Germans Ger Ger- mans by their counter drive aimed 1 To I-To To restore their lines and save Cambrai 2 To 2 To force a continuance of the main British effort here in order to relieve the Flanders front 3 To 3 To restore German morale seriously seriously seriously seri seri- impaired by Byng's recent suc suc- The attack was launched after the pet fashion of the military school school pincer pincer tactics By tackling the British at the two flanks not flanks not the flanks of the advance base line of the salient but where the two sides join with the original British line the line the German commander tried for a bold boldI converging movement behind the British British British Brit Brit- ish third army and thus to cut it off I and recapture thereby the entire ground lost to Byng a gain between I five and six miles deep on a front of some eleven miles In this main object the Germans failed They failed because Byng beat them at their own vaunted game iron game iron discipline For Bing Byng is one of the school of British generals that makes discipline the alpha and the omega of all its teachings He has been known for years as one of those who insist on parade in the morning parade in the afternoon parade in the evening That sort of training saved his army yesterday Grasping at a flash the trap the enemy was getting gelting ready to spring he gave the command to his main advanced forces Draw back They did not like it a bit His En En- Welsh Scottish Welsh combination was wasas wasas wasas as full of impetuous fighting fervor as ever and felt like hitting back on the instant and yield not an inch But their commanders commander's doctrine had long become a religion with them and back they drew fighting all the time Later when they heard what was going on onI in the two flank sectors they thanked their stars for Bingo Byng It was I an exemplary fighting retirement in point of order and destruction of guns and materials that might have fallen into the enemy's hands Sir Douglas Haig made only this reference to the Cambrai battle In his day report On the Cambrai battlefront the Germans Germans Germans Ger Ger- mans during the night made no effort to renew their principal attacks Front dispatches however told of renewed bitter fighting ensuing in successive successive suc sue British counter attacks Meanwhile l the German heavy guns begun a strong bombardment in the valley to the north indicating perhaps a blow there aimed at preventing preventing preventing pre pre- venting the British from drawing reinforcements re reinforcements reinforcements re- re from Crom that front The tanks again took an important part in yesterdays yesterday's battle particularly when the British came back They had been swept out of ot Lateau wo wood d La Vacquerie Gonnelieu Villers Vipers Guts Gus lan Ian and Gouzeaucourt but later took all but and Villers Vipers When the saw Germans Byng had parried parried parried par par- ried their main blows and that there was no chance of trapping a whole army they scattered their attacks along the two sides of the salient The French at Verdun maintained their lines against a violent German attack on the right bank of ot the Meuse 1 |