WAR OF THE NATIONS 



6157 



WAR OF THE NATIONS 



the north and the German crown prince, Fred- 

 erick William, in the south. There were numer- 

 ous subordinate commands under them. The 

 English commander during the first year was 

 Lord French; he was superseded in 1915 by 

 Field Marshal Haig. Marshal Joffre of France 

 in the third year gave way in the field to Gen- 

 eral Neville, who in turn was succeeded by 

 General Petain, then by Marshal Foch, who was 

 easily the greatest strategist of the war. When, 

 in 1917, the United States became a factor on the 

 m front General Pershing commanded 

 the American divisions. 



The Eastern Front. Second in interest and 

 first in lenpth was the line which grew rapidly 

 in extent along the eastern boundaries of the 

 central empires, where Teutonic and Russian 

 hosts faced each other. From Riga, on the Bal- 

 tic Sea, to the shores of the Black Sea, a dis- 

 tance of 1,125 miles, it stretched not continu- 

 ously, it is true, but there were few unoccupied 

 portions. For Russia Grand Duke Nicholas 

 commanded for a year and a half; he dis- 

 pleased the czar, who was his cousin, and the 

 latter assumed nominal command. In the 

 north Von Hindenburg brought to Germap 

 arms their most hopeful victories; so popular 

 diil he become that he was raised to the station 

 of chief of the general staff. Farther south Von 

 Ludendorff and Von Mackensen gommanded. 



Other Fronts. With the entry of Italy into 

 the war another front, the most difficult that 

 the world ever saw, was established, from Swit- 

 zerland along the Italian frontier almost to 

 Trieste. Its length was 320 miles. 



Eventually the strategy of war compelled a 

 line to be drawn through the Southern Balkan 

 region by the entente allies, to protect their 



interests in Greece and to oppose a threatened 

 descent upon the district by the central pow- 

 ers. This line was 300 miles in length ; only the 

 main strategic points were garrisoned, but an 

 army of half a million men was required there. 



There was 

 thus on the 

 Continent o f 

 Europe the 

 equivalent of 

 one battle line 

 almost 2,200 

 miles in 



Neutral line 



Battle line 



Blockade 



MEDITERRANEAfiT&A 



IN THE EARLY PERIOD 



The map shows the limit of greatest gains of 

 the central powers, late in 1914, and the Iron ring 

 which closed around Germany and ita allies. 



length. What this means is made clearer by 

 comparison with a line stretched from Chicago 

 to San Francisco, which would be only a hun- 

 dred miles longer. 



Other operations, such as the Dardanelles 

 campaign and those in Turkey in Asia, were on 

 a scale which in any former war would 1; 

 made them major campaigns. Here they v 

 subordinate to the more gigantic phases on the 

 eastern and western fronts, yet tin y \\ore a 

 vital part of the strategy of the war. 



Land Operations to the End of 1915 



In the West. The account on page 6155 car- 

 ried the opening operations in 1914 in the west 

 to the retirement of the Germans in a four 

 days' retreat to the banks of the Aisne. ". 

 ended September 11. A deadlock then ensued, 

 not to be seriously broken in that particular 

 sector for over two years. The winter of 1914- 

 1915 was utilized by the French and British to 

 assemble manufacturing plants to supply muni- 

 tions of war, in wlurh they were woefully I 

 ing. Within a year each country was producing 

 more guns and shells every week than was pos- 

 sible in three months in 1914, and only 

 that lapse of time were they able to meet the 

 foe on anything like an equal basis. 



All through that winter artillery thundered 

 from the North Sea to Switzerland. Early m 

 January the French took the offensive in Al- 

 sace and captured Stcinbach. They also at- 

 tacked successfully near Soissons, but subse- 

 quently lost all they had gained by it 

 British attacked farther north and fell but lit- 

 tle short of rout inn tin- Hermans. Their gains 



in tlu> <l;n ctioii of I. ill.-; they took N< 

 Chapcllc, and 



German crown prince niado many P>: 

 in tlio direction of Verdun, on a straight road 

 Imping to isolate that city and its 

 fortress, but the French resisted successfully 

 Verdun's fate was yet to be dec 



