In Syria

The cost of maintaining a mandate was counted by the French in Syria when, for the fourth successive August, El Atrash Pasha, so-called Sultan of the Jebel Druzy area to the south of Damascus, bordering on the Arab State of Transjordania, attacked French native troops, inflicting upon them a severe defeat.

It appeared that El Atrash, a feared and fearless chieftain, recently asked General Sarrail, High Commissioner of the Syrian Mandate, to remove an obnoxious tax collector. Not only did General Sarrail not remove the offending tax man, but he also declined to receive the delegation which El Atrash sent to him. Thereupon the latter swore that he would return with his trusty warriors.

It was charged in Paris that the General, forewarned, had not forearmed, with the consequence that when El Atrash began to carry out his threat the French were driven from the Jebel Druzy--but not for long. With the aid of airplanes, troops regained possession of the district, driving El Atrash's followers over the border into Transjordania, whence the British drove them back into Syria.

The situation was alleged to be serious, however. The French losses were estimated at 200 killed, 600 wounded. Many airplanes, tanks, cannon, machine guns and munitions were captured and the rebels were being joined by other tribes whose object was the union of Syria, formerly sponsored (until the French in 1920 kicked him out) by King Feisal of Iraq. On the other hand, the French had been compelled to divert reinforcements destined for Morocco back to Syria to await further developments.

The news of the insurrection was received with considerable alarm in Paris. The Catholic press, allegedly because General Sarrail is a Freemason and a Radical, bitterly attacked him for his administration of the Syrian mandate, charging that the defeat of French troops was solely due to his negligence and mismanagement. Sarrail's friends were quick to point out that the Catholics were actuated in their bitterness by purely sectarian motives; for they had nothing but praise for Marshal Lyautey in Morocco, although, so said these critics, he was far from blameless in causing the Moroccan War.

Maurice Paul Emmanuel Sarrail was born at Carcassonne 69 years ago. In 1877 he was appointed from St. Cyr, French West Point, a sous-lieutenant. In the Army his career was by no means brilliant. He was promoted by regular stages until 1914, when he was made a divisional general.

His greatest success in the World War was in 1914 before Verdun. Ordered to fall back, he refused. His refusal allowed Marshal Joffre to stage a counterattack on the right flank of Sarrail's command and the engagement ended in the saving of Verdun. Had not Sarrail disobeyed orders, the course of the War might have been very different.

A row with Joffre some time afterwards led to his dismissal. He was reappointed by the War Office to command the French Army in Salonica, eventually becoming the Allied Commander-in-Chief. After a not very successful campaign, he was recalled at the end of 1917; and in the following April was placed in the reserve, having reached the age limit. There he stayed until 1924 when, in succession to General Weygand, he was made French High Commissioner in Syria.