True, it would require time to put the
American fighting machine into shape to take the field, but once its
energies had been turned to making war, even Germany knew that America
would put her best foot foremost.
The latest British successes had been in the vicinity of Vimy Ridge,
which position, believed by the Germans to be impregnable, had been
carried by Canadian troops in a single attack. German counter-assaults
in this sector had failed to dislodge them, and there they remained
secure.
The Canadians had launched this attack in April soon after the United
States had declared war on Germany. Now, in November, their lines
still held despite the pounding of big German guns and infantry and
cavalry assaults.
As the Germans continued to push forward in Italy, threatening the city
of Venice -- called the most beautiful in the world -- General Sir
Douglas Haig, the British commander-in-chief, prepared himself for a
blow in Flanders, and also for a drive at Cambrai, one of the most
important German military centers.
Preparations for this attack were made quietly, and without knowledge
of the enemy; so, when the attack came, the Germans were taken
absolutely by surprise, and only escaped annihilation by the masterful
direction of Field Marshal von Hindenburg, who hurried from the Italian
front in time to stem the tide.
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