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HALF WAY OUT LOSS ONEFIFTH With the Germans now more than half way out of the Marne salient into which they marched so proudly two months ago it becomes possible to reckon up the gains and losses caused by their drive The Allies report 30000 prisoners taken This would mean total casualties of 150000 ac ¬ cording to the normal proportion of killed and wounded This figure is likely to be under rather than over the actual losses because in such a con ¬ fused flight the army retreating is always at a disadvantage compared with the pursuers and has to sacrifice more men menLudenilorf Ludenilorf is credibly reported to have had 780 000 men on this front so that he has lost already nearly onefifth of his effectives and will hardly escape with less than a loss of onequarter of his force or even more This is a serious blow to the entire German army probably onetwentieth of which is put out of action for the remainder of the war by this adventure from the Aisne to the Marne MarneBut But the loss in morale is more important still The troops defeated were no ordinary levy of fresli youths They were the Kaisers favorite soldiers the Prussian Guards and picked shock troops s nt here for the express purpose of breaking through the French line in a drive which they suddenly found turned into an offensive against themselves themselvesThen Then there is the effect of such a defeat at home where the German people have so often been deluded with promises of victory The high com ¬ mand will find it hard to explain once more that this crushing defeat was merely a strategic retire ¬ ment The more intelligent will soe that Gemanys cause is doomed Indeed it is not too much to say that General Fochs victory brings the end of the war appreciably nearer both on military and moral grounds possibly within one year instead of two or three New York Herald
