New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-14
Foch at the Somme.

The latest and in sense the most com
plete of the recent French successes at
the Somme is a splendid example OF 'he
fashion in which the French have learned
IN coordinate their movement of troops 10
their artillery preparation. For inc
second time in a relatively brief perlod
ttev have made an advance Of over mile
ON a considerable front, and this advance
has enabled them to take possession OF one
Of the most important highways on their
present front. nj.
Neither the Germans nor the brlVish
have been able to achieve this same CO.
ordination. No such advances marked the
later phases of Verdun, although the Ter
mans frankly borrowed at Nerdun the
methods which were first applied by Foch
in his operations, little known to the
world in Artois in May and June of 1919.
Had the British been able at that time to
support Foch. the campaign in France IN
the disastrous summer of last year would
have been very different. But the British
were not able; they made a gallant at
tempt at Festubert, suffered colossal
losses and had to give 1t up until the 1aii
venture at Loos. which was equally unsuc-
cessful.
In the Artois fighting in 1915 Foch
slowly and surely drew net around one
after another of the villages near the
famous hill Of Notre Dame de Lorette.
As he is now "pocketing" Combles and
Peronne, he "pocketed" Carency, Aolaln
and Souchez. But at that time he Lacked
the heavy artillery which is only now be-
ginning to appear in the necessary guam
titv: lacking the artillery, his operation
was expensive in lives and had, ultimately,
TO be given up, but not before 1t had de-
monstrated the efficacy of his method, and
at that time General Foch told The Trlb-
mes Paris correspondent that with artll-
lery and ammunition he could gain quite
as he is now gaining.
Going back eleven weeks to the moment
when the first attack was made In the
Somme sector, we see that it was the
French who made the original gain. With
in a few days they had pushed point
nearly six miles east and reached the hills
facing Peronne across the Somme. This
wedge was the foundation on which the
whole Somme operation was erected. In
this period the British were unable to
make any large initial gain. The ground
they had to cross was more difficult. the
Germans were expecting British rather
than French operations, but this does not
wholly explain the disproportionate gains
of the two armies.
Having made their first great gain, the
French were compelled to wait for the
British, who were occupied in the next
weeks with the capture of whole series of
villages, of which Mametz was the first
and Pozieres and Longueval the last.
When the British had got on and were at
last at Longueval, High Wood and Del
vile Wood, although they were still I'M
able to take Thiepval, the French began
again, pushing rather slowly out toward
Clery and Maurepas. They had still to
wait for the British, but finally undertook
a sweeping drive which carried Clery and
lie Forest and brought them within mile
of the neutrality-suspicious. road, which
is vital detail in German communica-
tons.
Once more they waited upon the British,
who were held up for a long time by the
little villages of Guillemont and Ginchy,
the first Of which they took nearly two
weeks ago, the second only very recently.
But the fall of Ginchy enabled the French
70 step out again and make their latest
and most considerable gain. By this gain
they have drawn a semicircle about
Combles and are rapidly doing the same
with Peronne, which must become wholly
untenable if the French make another
considerable push.
But again it would seem that the
French must wait upon the British. When
and if the latter push out from Ginchy and
bring their front north Of Combles in line
with the French front to the south, then
Combles will be pocketed and will fall like
a ripe cherry. But if one is to measure
the probability Of British progress here
by what has occurred before, it will be a
considerable time before Sir Douglas Hag
will be able TO get in line with Foch again.
Meantime on the south the French have
similarly drawn a semicircle about Chaul-
mes and cut the Chaulnes-Roye railroad,
also a vital detail in German communca-
tions. They have widened their original
wedge, thrust out toward Peronne, by TAX
ing a number Of villages TO the south.
Thus the whole French forward move,
which on the map resembled a long mar
row spearhead ten weeks ago, is now 4
solid block, from which two points, one
north and one south Of Peronne, extend
into German lines.
The rapid success Of the French in later
days suggests that the new trenches and
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