FRANCE: The War in Morocco

Fortune apparently has begun to frown on the rebel chieftain Abd-el-Krim. A fortnight ago TIME, Aug. 24) the Spaniards and the French drove back his western front. Last week the French drove back his southern front. All through the Taza sector the Riffs were driven back and the French in three days claimed the recovery of all the territory Abd-el-Krim had taken in three months.

The French success was less a battle than a maneuver. There are in the neighborhood of 100,000 French troops now in Morocco, of which 20,000 or 25,000 took part in the action. Their overweening numbers made resistance futile. Consequently they had few losses. Two flanking movements starting from opposite ends of a 45-kilometer front induced the Riffians to flee, leaving the Tsoul tribe alone to oppose the French. The Tsouls went over to the Riffs when the French retreated in July. Last week with the situation reversed they “turned faithful” again and came in asking mercy to the French strongholds. The Branes, another stronger tribe to the east, held out but were reported weakening.

At this juncture Marshal Petain returned to the scene to plan the French strategy in conjunction with Marshal Lyauty. The French problem now seems to be rather a race with time than a battle with the Riffs. After Sept. 15 they can no longer count on good weather. It is improbable that they can gain a decisive victory before the winter rain sets in, and then they must wait until April for fair days. This week’s successes place them in a strong position for organizing themselves to hold their present territory over the winter. The Morocco-Algerian railway is now well behind the front and not subject to raids as it has been in the past few weeks with the Riff lines only six miles away at some points.

It was announced last week that the Mannesmann brothers (German industrial magnates in the Ruhr) had sold their Moroccan properties. The Mannesmanns, Reinhard and Max, now men in their late 60’s, eminent industrial metallurgists, many years ago bought up many valuable properties from Moroccan sheiks. These properties were involved in the famous Agadir incident which brought the erstwhile Kaiser down to Morocco with diplomatic complications several decades ago. During the war the Mannesmann properties in French Morocco were confiscated. Now they have sold their property in the Spanish zone.

In some quarters it is believed that their withdrawal from Morocco will ease the situation and make French and Spanish success easier. It was even hinted that the Mannesmanns had been in some way connected with the mysterious support of Abd-el-Krim with money and arms. Indian and Egyptian Moslems are supposed to have contributed and there was one report that a submarine of unknown nationality delivered 28,000,000 pesetas to Abd-el-Krim.

French and Spanish peace commissioners sent to Melilla . were ordered to abandon their mission since it was evident that Abdel Krim would not make peace on any terms which they regarded as reasonable.

The political situation in France depends in no small degree on the result of the Moroccan operations. The French socialists declared in a meeting that they would support the Painleve Government only in measures they favored. If the campaign should not go well, the Government faces a crisis.