Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-11-08
BY FRANK H.. SIMONDS.
AUTHOR OF 1.-THE GREAT WAR"
Copyright 1917-The Tribune Associa.

during the week between March 90 and
~ nave followed the course that was to
be expected and was outlined in my
article of last week. The swift progress,
of the allied advance ended by the 24th.
from that day to the present there have
been SLOW almost inpcrceptiDle
gains. but every indication points to the
fact tina the allies hove approximately
reached the Hindenburg line.
AS it stands today the new front runs
diagonally southwest from the eastern
suburbs of Arlas at Reaurains to the
western outskirts of st. Quentin at
Savy, curves slightly around st. QUEEN
tin and reaches the Disc river at Moy.
thence in a right angle south and
southwest along he banks Of the Disc.
overlooking La l'ere to Chaulnes, and
thence southeasterly again to the VIC
unity of Scissors. Save for II loop
around the forest of st. Gobain. be-
tween La Fcre and Scissors, the line
has now been completely Strengthened.
all the old s%alients have been removed
and II slight retirement on the part of
the Germans between La tere and
scissors would make the front straight
from Arras to scissors.
AT the outset it is necessary 10 dis
c.iss what has already been achieved
by the German retirement. First of all.
the front has been shortened by some
40 miles, which would mean a saving
of not less thar $50. 900 troops for the
Germans and at least twice as many
for the allies, who hold their lines
much more strongly. In the second
place, all the preparations made by the
allies for "a spring drive on the front be-
tween Arras and SCISSORS have been
rendered useless. There is now between
the front on which the preparations for
attack We're made and the new front Il
devastated area, varying from five to
% miles in depth. which is destitute of
roads and railroads and has been
turned into a blackened waste. 1t will
be hardly less than two months, and it
may be three, before allied preparations
can be made for a new attack on this
front, If allied strategy determines to
attack here.
Tho Immediate German Gain.
We see e at once the immediate
gain for the Germans in their retreat.
1t Is necessary to recognize it's mean
Ing, both negatively and positively. The
Germans have declined to fight another
battle on the ground they defended last
summer. They have conceded the allied
success of the battle of the Somme by
r%etreating from the positions occupied
at the close of the battle. and they have
thoroughly confirmed the British claim
that had the weather remained favor
able last year for another month, the
results of the battle Of the Somme
might have been very great. il no act
ually decisive.
The German retreat was a retreat
forced by allied cannon and allied Oper-
ations. quite as much as was the re-
treat from the Marine. 1T clearly cStab-
fishes the battle Of the SOmme as an all
lied victory. 1t plainly demonstrates the
enormous progress made by the British
In the art of trench war and OF British
artillery in mastering German defense.
Turning now to the other side, We
perceive that the have made
a remarkably successful retreat. They
hav escaped from trenches which they
have held for over two years, retir-
ing over. a wide front, withdrawing nj
army that can hardly have been
smaller than half II million, with thor
%Oughness which will long command
the admiration of the world, IL it is
not followed by any subsequent dis
aster, and there is at present no sug-
gestion of this. The Germans have
declined to battle n they have retired,
but they have made a retreat which
gives the lie to any charge Of a break
down in their morale.
We 10 not yet know whether they
a elected to stand on the Arras-
Cambrai-Street Q~uentin-La Fere-
l4aon- Scissors line or not. We do not
know whether this Is the famous Hin
denburg line so much discussed Of late.
Sir Douglas Haig told me when l was
ut British headquarters that the Ger
mans had prepared a strong defensive
Tine going between the cities just mem
toned. Substantially the Germans are
now on that line. although 1t may be
that it is materially east of the Brit
ish front at the mOment-say, five or
40 miles. 1t may be several weeks be-
fore We a say definitely that the
Germans are in the line they mean to
defend this summer. 1t Is more than
likely that we shall see a subsequent
STRENGTHENING of the line between Cam
brai and Lille. which win cut on an
ugly salient Of which Arras Is the apex.
British Official reports In recent days
suggest such an operation, but It
should be remembered that this would
only be one more detail in the whole
STRENGTHENING Of the line n would
rive the Germans q strong. easily de.
Tended position. extending from the
FORTS Of Lille along the hills behind La
sssnAseee. behind the marshes above
and the heights north Of st.
Q0eNkin. along the high ground be-
tween the Some and the Disc. behind
from q point north, OF La Tere
tosx.the high land. and forests Of ST.
GObAins and thence on the heights be-
tore .aon to the Craonnc Plateau. 1t
q wei to recognize that such q line
TO dent or break az that line which
held up the British and the French
from July OF last year to February Of
The Larger Strategy.
Turning now to the larger question
OF German strategy; we have to con-
slider several possibilities. First OF all.
sltsawGs frequently suggested In German
biftcial statements that the German re-
StreatSfa leading the allies into q trap.
Conreivably this is 90. but Il u exceed