Show MACKE ij TO DIRECt W ih 1 r. r SMASH r Hindenburg Swa vi and Summon U S Enemy J By Henry G. G f i International News Ser 1 respondent I LONDON May 4 ue German press is attempting to hearten the German German Ger Ger- man people with encouraging statements statements state state- ments concerning the imminent ap- ap of Field Marshal von Mackensen Mackensen Mack Mack- ensen on the western front commandIng Commanding commanding command- command Ing a new mobile army of from fifty to sixty divisions to men men all all fresh The British war office stamps these statements as being considerably overdrawn overdrawn over over- drawn on the ground that the enemy has not got unused troops of sufficiently high caliber to engage inthe in inthe inthe the fierce fighting in northern France Prance It Is not denied that the enemy might concentrate a huge hug reserve force for Defensive purposes when the tho present present pres pres- ent offensive has been definitely smashed and the and the armies engaged cut cutto to pieces b but t it is not believed that tile We Germans can rake together from other fronts and the interior such an imposing aggregation of first class troops as practically all units used on either side since March l 21 are shock troops RESERVES DRAINED Von reserve depots have been steadily drained for six weeks filling up the gaps of the at attacking attacking attacking at- at tacking units and enormous numbers of sturdy men are required for organization organization purposes in the terrain that was overrun If hr Von g is forced to resort re resort resort re- re sort to Von Mackensen's l services to carry on the offensive it is apparent how badly the German staffs staff's plans plans' miscarried as it is well well- known that I serious differences exist between the tho couple I Von Mackensen 1 has always ahva's been I known as a wizard of artillery He lie I commanded th the hea heavy vy batteries of i centimeter 42 guns which battered the I Belgian fortresses if Liege and Namur and the French fortress of I after alter Von Kluck's Klucka gunners had failed I In tm 1915 Von Mackensen directed the 1 artillery preparation for breaching the Russian lines on the and stormed the key peal peal- position position tion to Warsaw later It was Von who directed the campaign against via Set blasting the defenders out of mountainous positions that were l believed i impregnable by sustained gunfire His next appearance was late in 1916 in Rumania when despite the lagging tactics of General V von Falkenhayn Falkenhayn Falkenhayn Falken- Falken hayn Mackensen l overran Moldavia and seized Bucharest NEVER ON WESTERN FRONT But except for the operations In the first few months of the war the ordnance ordnance ord era nance genius never a appeared on the western front although Von Falkenhayn Falkenhayn Falkenhayn Falken- Falken hayn then chief of staff urged that he bo ho called upon for the Verdun op op- op- op The crown princes prince's bitter to Von Mackensen l prevented the artillery artillery artillery ar tillery wizard from being resorted to Von Hindenburg was virtually in control of the ensuing Somme battle though Falkenhayn had not yet been removed as chief of staff so Mackensen Macken Macken- sen was not called there However it itis itis itis is always offensive operations in which the aged field marshal has excelled excelled- not in defensive It is believed Mackensen Mackensen Mack Mack- ensen personally organized the Aus- Aus tro-German tro offensive against Italy last fall ali but was prevented from continuIng continuing continuing ing the operations by the enmity of Hindenburg and the crown prince |