Excerpt from Stead's Review of Reviews: October-November, 1915

Now, whilst this effort may be the be ginning of an organised attempt to pierce the German lines, up to the pre sent it can only be chronicled as the most formidable of all the nibbles the French Generalissimo has yet made. It demon strates two things First, that after ade quate preparation, directly superiority in artillery at any given point is estab lished, any defences can be smashed to smithereens, and be then occupied. Second, that an effort of this nature cannot be at once followed up. The ground won has to be put into a state to resist enemy attack, and after that guns must be got into position, ranges found, and all neparations made for a further push orward into the foe's lines. If the French, by continuous effort, do succeed in battering a way through the German defences at Souchez, and at Rheims, on a wide enough front, there does certainly ap pear to be a possibility of the Germans having to abandon their wedge-shaped salient thrust forward to Paris with Soissons as its apex. If, however, when only weakly held by the foe, but one line of hostile trenches is the reward of three days' tremendous bombard ment, how long will it take to pierce the serried lines of defences behind brought up to their full strength by troops and guns hurriedly sent from the eastern front? Whilst this tremendous effort of the anglo-french forces is im mensely gratifying it has not made me alter my Opinion in the least. I still consider that there is a deadlock in the west, a state of stalemate which for tunatel the Germans can overcome no more t an the Allies. Given immense resources of guns and shells and cannon fodder in the shape of men, we might break through, but the cost would be too awful to contemplate in men, in equip ment, and in cash, so awful, in fact, that I do not believe our generals dare face it yet.

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