特蕾莎·梅 | 朗读劳合·乔治的一战回忆录

An extract from the war memoirs of Prime Minister David Lloyd George, 1918

时任英国首相大卫·劳合·乔治1918年《战争回忆录》节选

The fact of the matter was that the British Army itself did not realise the extent and effect of the triumph they had won that day.

而实际情况是，其实英国陆军当时并未意识到他们那场胜利，竟会带来如此广泛而深远的影响。

They were thinking in the terms of past offensives when a gain of a few kilometres in an attack was as much as they could hope to accomplish, and experience had taught them the dangers of advancing too far, because the Germans invariably rallied brought up their reserves and counterattacked with verve and skill.

当时的他们，只想着如何发动全面攻势,只要能够突破德军防线，向前推进几公里,便是他们渴望实现的目标了,根据以往经验，若是向前推进太远，自己也会陷入危险境地,因为德军定会团结齐心，同仇敌忾,动员后备军力，以无畏的勇气和绝佳的战斗技巧，打响反击。

They had not yet understood that they were confronted to-day with an enemy who had lost much of his dash and combative strength.

当时的英军并不知道，他们那天面对的敌人，早已精疲力竭、气数已尽，丧失了大部分冲击力和战斗力。

The reports of the battle received by the Cabinet from the front showed how little even the victors understood the immense effect of the triumph they had won.

内阁从前线收回的战斗报告也显示出打完胜仗的英军，几乎完全不知道他们取得的这场胜利，最终会奠定一战的胜负。

The actual ground captured was not extensive. The effect of the victory was moral and not territorial. It revealed to friend and foe alike the break down of the German power of resistance.

实际收复的领土，其实并不广阔。这场胜利的意义，在乎精神层面而非领土层面。这场胜利，向敌我双方揭示出德军抵抗力量的彻底崩盘瓦解。

More finally even than by the French counter-offensive of July 18th, were the Germans driven by the British stroke of August 8th, to realise that all hope of victory had passed. After the July defeat whilst they came to the conclusion that their offensive had finally failed, they still hoped to reorganise their army effectively for an impenetrable defence. After the Amiens battle even this seemed impossible.

这场战役对德军的打击，甚至远超7月18日的法军大反攻，8月8日的亚眠之战，德军完全为英军所牵制，那时德军才意识到，胜利希望已经一去不复返。7月，德军吃了败仗，他们却分析得出结论，尽管此次进攻最终失败，但德军仍能有效重组军队，重塑难以逾越的防线。只有在亚眠彻底溃败后，德军才明白再无任何希望。

Ludendorff admits:"The 8th August demonstrated the collapse of our fighting strength and in the light of our recruiting situation, it took from me any hope of discovering some strategic measure which would reestablish the position in our favour…An end must be put to the war."

鲁登道夫曾亲口承认：“8月8日这一天，确定了我们战斗力衰亡的命运，考虑到我们打算亡羊补牢的征兵窘境，这场失败，夺走了我们重新制定战略的所有希望，自此，再无可能重新确立我们的优势地位…我们不得不停熄战火。”