the advantage at the close of
this important period depends entirely upon what were the political
aims of the adversaries. The Teutonic allies' contention has ever
been, rightly or wrongly, that they are not waging a war for
territorial aggrandizement, but purely one in self-defense. From this
point of view they can be well satisfied with the results they have so
far attained.

An American View

By the Military Expert of The New York Times

FIRST PHASE

Opening the Way to France Through Belgium

By Aug. 4, 1914, war had been declared by all the nations now engaged
except Turkey and Italy. Subsequent events have proved that of them
all the Teutonic allies were the only nations actually prepared and
that as between Austria and Germany the preparation of the latter was
much more complete. It was the Germans, therefore, who, with the
entire campaign carefully mapped out in advance, took the initiative.
Germany, too, at the very outset saw the one clear path to victory.

One or the other of her Continental enemies must not only be defeated,
but crushed and eliminated from the conflict before the other could
mobilize against her. One of them, Russia, would probably take the
longer time to effect her mobilization. Russia had started, it is
true, before war was declared. But interior railroads in Russia are
few. Russia, too, is proverbially slow, if for no other reason than by
virtue of her ponderous numbers. France, on the other hand, is checked
and counter-checked by good strategic railroads, and, having no such
vast territory over which her troops would have to be moved, would be
able to mobilize in a much shorter time than her ally. England, for a
few weeks at least, could be disregarded. Deceived as to the extent of
Russian unpreparedness and believing that Russia's slowness would
prevent an active offense for some weeks, Germany selected France as
her first objective, and took immediate steps to hurl twenty-four army
corps across the French border at various points, aiming at Paris.

These twenty-four corps were divided into three armies--the Army of
the Meuse, based on Cologne; the Army of the Moselle, based on Metz
and Coblenz, and the Army of the Rhine, based on Strassburg. All of
these three armies were naturally to converge on Paris. The route of
the Army of the Meuse would pass through Liege, Namur, and Maubeuge,
and would therefore have to cross a part of Belgium; the Army of the
Moselle would take a ro