The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1917-07-07
AMERICAN
TROOPS ON
WEST FRONT
s'SammieS' Given Post of
Honor Between British
and French
WILL HIT THE LINE HARD
By PERRY ARNOLD

NEW IOPh-1l, d. ItpOllcu lIOHl
Washington, Major General Pershing' S
expeditionary army is to be given a
place between the French and British
armies in the western theater of war,
they will have one of the most import
ant sections of the whole western
front under their care.
No one knows exactly the present
junction point of the French and Brit
ish armies, but it is somewhere around
st. Quentin and LaFere. The most
Southerly point mentioned in British
official statements as having been
fought over by Field Marshal Haig's
forces is Fayet, about one mile north
of st. Quentin.
Savy, not more than two miles fur
Their south around st. Quentin, has fire.
quently been mentioned in the French
War Office statements. 1t was cap
tured by French troops early in April,
and presumably is occupied by them
now.
st. Quentin Key-POint
st. Quentin is an important key
point in the uaiCambrai-LaFer
line of the German defense on the
western front The British and French
offensive of March and April brought
the allied forces to within a mile of
the city. 1t was at the time of the Of
fensive, apparently one of the main OBJ
French and British followed up Hind
enburg's famous strategic retreat"
Then, when the city was within actual
sight of the allied troops, a weakness
in the German defense developed else
where along the Franco-British front
caused a change in plans, and the
drive on ST. Quentin was temporarily
held up pending blows struck at the
weaker spots.
On Fighting Line
AS far as official statements for the
past three months have shown, the al
lied line in this particular sector now
runs something like this:
From Gonnelieu, to Villers Guis-
lain to Epehy, to Ronssoy, Hargicourt,
LIE Verguier, Pontru, Mails
semy, Fresnoy lie Petit, Fayet, Selenoy,
Savy, Chauny, Coucy lie Chateau,
All these towns are held
by the French and British troops.
Where Sammies May Fight
Supposing that this is the section
picked for the American expedition
ary army, it seems reasonable to pre-
sumo there will soon be another drive
At the basic city of st. Quentin car
RED out by the Americans.
ST. Quentin and the city of LaFere,
he latter located approximately II
niles to the south, are the foundations
IN which Hindenburg built his IA
nous line The German front in
his particular section swings in a
great arc from ST. Quentin to La
Tere, below Laon and then sharply
Upward again along the front where
he French have recently won their
wonderful success in the Aisne drive,
o Rheims.
From this description, it will be
seen that penetration of the German
ines anywhere along this arc not |
,nly would menace the German grip |
IN all of Flanders and Belgium to |
he north, but likewise would give OPP |
,ortunity for a tremendous thanking |
movement on the German lines to the |
outf1.
'Tis Bloody Ground
For this reason some of the fierc-
st fighting of the war has made the
It. Quentin sector bloody ground on
he western front. Directly ahead of
he city lies some of the most terribly
avished ground of all that which the
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