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Show ALLIES' RETREAT GOOD STRATEGY By COLONEL REPINGTOX. Military expert of the London Times London. Sept 1. The great object of the allied armies in the campaign in northern France Is to attract the largest possible number of troops ot Germany and to retain them as long as possible in this theater of war in order t ofacilitate Russia's attack. This object was forced upon us directly di-rectly It became clear that it was Germany's aim to deal Franco a knockout blow and when it was made clear that, owing to the numbers which Germany had massed lu the western theater of war. annihilating victories for one side were difficult to obtain o were faced with a war of attrition, at-trition, combat du sure, on a very gigantic scale, and we have to carry out this strategy to the bitter end. since every battle we fight and every step wo draw Germany further from home makes her difficulties more appalling ap-palling and the success of our cause more assured, provided always that our allied armies are not actually defeated de-feated in the west We must not go back one step unless un-less we are compollded to do so, nor allow the Germans to win a yard ot French territory without pa lug a heavy bill. We must not allow our-1 selves to become encircled or shut, up in anv fortress Delay 16 Valuable. The longer the French territory rc-1 rc-1 mains in our possession tho greater I are the resources which we can draw from It to support the war and the smaller the zone which will be subjected sub-jected to Prussian exactions If military successes, the fortunes of war, the exhaustion of German or the pressure of the Russians on the east place us In a better position, then w can resume the offensive We have every hope of success in this Strategy The French army remains practically intact There have been no great surrenders surren-ders like Sedan and Metz. There must be 4,000,000 Frenchmen in arms, including the garrisons and depots, and an army fighting at home is practically prac-tically unconquerable So long as prudence pru-dence rules in the higher leading places. Perils for Germany Germany must allot large detachments detach-ments to besieged fortresses anil pro-I pro-I tect her line of communication, and ' she remains subject to the grinding misery caused by the destruction ot I her foreign and oversea trade and the consequent paralysis of her commerce at home. She will go on. of course, because she can do nothing else, but the thousands thou-sands of families who have been blocking the roads and are pouring into Berlin from the east are only the beginning of a movement which will grow In intensity with every onrush on-rush of Russian hosts However terrible for our French allies it Is to fight another eampalgn in France, conditions are different from 1814, because then all Europe was against France and now the situation sit-uation is reversed. Moreover, the French territory lends Itself to prolonged defense Step by step, if the worst comes to the worst, the French can retire toward Loire. In playing for time France has many advantages and if we make good : use of our resources, of our naval i shield and or our geographical posl i tion. we can take a much more proiu- i;ent and important share in the war, than hitherto has fallen to our lot |