WAR MEMOIRS OF DAVID LLOYD GEORGE 1917

SUMMARY AND RESULTS OF 1917 CAMPAIGN 567
their armies would have been at her mercy and 1918 would
have witnessed the greatest military and naval triumph in
the history of the Teuton.
Time was on the side of the Allies. This year was Germany's
last chance to win, for America would be in next
year. Germany, therefore, had this year either to defeat the
Allied Armies or destroy the means of transporting war material,
food and reinforcements, whether from America or
the British Empire.
Each of the belligerents endeavoured to handle against
their opponents the grim weapon of famine. If the war went
right on through 1918, stark hunger would drive the population
and armies of one or other of the two rival groups into
surrender. Which of them would starve first?
Those were the problems of 1917. How did it all work
out? There were victories on both sides and also defeats and
disappointments. There can be no doubt that by December
31st the balance of advantage was decisively on the
Allied side. In a war of this kind, where fighting was by
no means the only factor in decisive victory, organisation
behind the lines ultimately determined the event. But even
so far as actual blows were concerned, the history of 1917
is one of our winning the War on sea in spite of the Board
of Admiralty, whilst our Generals were doing their best
to lose the War on land in spite of the Government. The
sea campaign went in our favour decisively — and that
determined the final issue of the struggle. The land campaign
went definitely against us — and that jeopardised the
advantage gained by the efforts of our fine seamen and our
great organisers and also enormously increased the cost in
life and treasure of our final triumph.
The fighting on land in 1917 went heavily in favour of
the Central Powers. It is impossible for any impartial observer
of the events of 1917 to come to any other conclusion.