The second phase may be regarded as having opened March 28 with the
entry of General von Below's right wing into action east of Arras, and
as culminating with the battle of Armentières, involving the army of
General von Quest and the left wing of General von Arnim's army at
Ypres, while a subsidiary operation by General von Boehm's army
threatened the French between the Oise and St. Gobain Forest.
This northern battle began in a much smaller way than the original
offensive, with about twenty divisions on a twenty-mile front, and it
may have been its initial success that determined its prompt extension.
While it may fairly be said to have constituted a confession of failure
in the earlier adventure, its development not only creates a new danger,
but strengthens the German position athwart the Somme. The situation,
therefore, must be looked at straightforwardly and spoken of without
mincing words.
In the middle of March the German armies consisted of 4,000,000 men at
the front, 1,300,000 on the lines of communication and in the interior,
and others who can be added to the present effectiveness.
From the village of Hangard to Abbéville is about forty miles; from
Merville to Calais is the same distance; to Boulogne a little more; from
the Ypres front to Dunkirk is about thirty miles; to Nieuport a little
less. These are the limits of the allied power of manoeuvre for the
defense of the Channel.