During the German retreat, which we have dealt with in
our first leading article, the Germans suffered, as they always do in action, very heavily, and also lost a good many prisoners and guns and a quantity of war material, including ammuni- tion, which at one place they threw into a river in large quantities. Thanks, however, to the courage of their soldiers, which is very great, and to their wonderful discipline, their losses were not nearly as large as might have been expected from troops placed in so difficult a position. They had also very wisely selected and prepared a strong position behind them on which to fall back, and it is that position which they now occupy and which as we write the Allies are attacking in force, though subject themselves, of course, to the counter- attacks of the Germans. It is perhaps as well to remind our readers that the only efficient way of defending a position is to attack the attackers. An army on the defensive is indeed in a desperate position if it has to wait to be assaulted.
