|
The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from War and the Future by H. G. Wells: safe for the transport of an advance. But on the other hand a
surprise capture of some single mountain crest and the hoisting
of one gun into position there may block the retreat of guns and
material from a great series of positions. Mountain surfaces are
extraordinarily various and subtle. You may understand Picardy
on a map, but mountain warfare is three-dimensional. A struggle
may go on for weeks or months consisting of apparently separate
and incidental skirmishes, and then suddenly a whole valley
organisation may crumble away in retreat or disaster. Italy is
gnawing into the Trentino day by day, and particularly around by
her right wing. At no time I shall be surprised to see a sudden
|
