General von Moltke, late Chief of the German Great General
Staff, died suddenly last Sunday when attending a memorial service to Field-Marshal von der Goltz. He was sixty-eight years old. He was a nephew of the famous Moltke who won Bismarck's wars. He succeeded Count Schlieffen as Chief of the Staff in 1906, and it cannot be said that he was equal in ability to his predecessor. As for a comparison with his great uncle, he was only nominis umbra. It is probable that he took over everything—organization, military plans, and all—from Count Schlieffen. The latter is known to have adopted, if he did not invent, the plan for rushing through Belgium and strangling France before Russia had mobilized. Moltke died realizing the total failure of that plan. He was spared the humiliation which will visit his successor of realieing the failure of all subsequent plans.
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