Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-09-14
Pershing May Dr;ve Or to Rhine

tire war. The ST. Mihicl salient. when
49, existed for nearly four years and
marked the farthest advance OF tho
Germans In their efforts 10 'subdue
Vertiun md thus open the direct way
% Paris, has been wiped out In It's en-
tirety. This military feat was accom-
Dlished speedily--in thirty-s six hours TO
be exact. OF little less importance
than the main fact Is that perhaps
5000 Germans were taken prisoners,
several other thousands were killed or
wounded, and immense quantities OF
munitions were captured or destroyed.
All reports indicate the American cas-
. ualties were comparatively light. AS
tho chief business Of the war is killing
or capturing OF the enemy and the con-
serving Of our own man power. the re-
suits Of the new American offensive
are to date, most gratifying.
This was the first distinctive Ameri-
can operation OF . major character
We westesn front. Gener.
al Pershing r. In personal command,
and such French units as co-operated
were under his command and subject
to his orders. The pianS for the Of
fensive were laid by General Pershins
and his stan, and Marshal Foch alone.
az supreme commander OF the allied
forces. had the sole right of approval
or disapproval. IL is believed the for.
ward movement of the Americans from
St Mihjel is preliminary to the expect
ed drive toward the Rhine. II has
been a matter Of uncertainty>as to just
when Pershing would strike. Some
$500 aDtyb tn1 hnf
undertaking would be launched this
fall or whether weather conditions
more favorable for an extensive cam
paign weuld be awaited with the conf
ing OF spring. Undoubtedly >Foch has
decided to order the forward move
ment now as part of his general OF :
fensive in Picardy and IN Flanders
and plans to give the Huns pc, rest
during the winter months to corhe.
As the st. Mihiel salient existed IT
was Of little strat egic value to the enc
my and no great menace to the alhes
as long as Verdun stood adamant Pre-
liminary to general advance on the
line running eastward from NerdUn 10
the Swiss border, and which has been
taken over in. its entirety by General
Pershings forces it's elimination be-
came necessary. The salient stood i'll
the way Of general forward move
nent toward the Rhine, altho the AM
erican forces farther east, in -Alsace.
are within eighteen miles of that i'm
portant waterway. 1t is believed Cen
eral Pershing will now strike at Metz.
an important strongly fortified city u
few miles beyond the German border.
As the Metz fortress has been modern
j ed to resist attacks by heavy guns.
1t is likely Pershing will make no
frontal attack with infantry. but will
follow the tactics so successfully pur-
sued by the British and French In
the north and invest the city from
three Sides accomplishing its fall by
marking movements.
Reference to the accompanying map
show; that the St. Mihiel salient was
in the form OF right angle, begin
ming at Verdun. then running about
twenty miles south to st. Mihiel, then
turning eastward for about twenty live
miles to a point near the German Dor
der. The boundaries of this twenty
five mile stretch are the Mouse and the
Moselle rivers. Metz is situated on
tine Sfoseiie. which flows northward
and slightly eastward to its junction
with the Rhine at Coblenz. The cQun-
try is billy and rather difficult for mi
litary operations, and had been heavily
protected by German guns Therefore
the speedy victory of General Pershing
and his Yankees are a remarkable ad-
dition to war history.
1t is highly improbable that Pershins
used more than 100000 of his forces
In this preliminary offensive. The ef-
fective combat forces of America in
FRANCE at the present time is believed
to be 100000 men. This 100000 VIII
be increased as the offensive assumes
larger proportions. 1t is not believed
that Pershng plans to bring all his
combat forces into the fighting at the
present time unless the German re-
tpeat. along the entire western front de-
yelops into rout and q general with
drawal Of the lines, from the North
sea to Rheims, to the Meuse or the
Rhine. 1t is argued, however. that
Pershing may shift his attack to the
eastward, where the lines already are
i'm German territory, and start real
invasion Of kaiserland that will estab-
lish his lines well within enemy ter
ritory. This invasion, once accomp-
lislled, would do more to break the
morale Of the German people and SOL
diers thap any development in battle
conditions farther to the north, where
the fighting is. and of necessity must
be for some time to come. on French
and Belgian soil.
The timing of the American often
sive is considered most opportune. as
the German commanders are finding
pressing need in the north for the lar
ger part OF their reserves in their ef-
forts to retard IL not defeat the adj
vance OF the French and British ar
mics under Petain and Haig. 1t Is as
stunned that Won Hindenburg must send
heavy reinforcements to the American
sector IL ne 10 to assure German terri
tory from invasion, condition which
has been the boast Of the kaiser and
his political spokesman in efforts put
forth recently to bolster up the morale
OF the German people. 1t is not be-
lieved that these achievements can be
spared from Picardy and Flanders
without endangering further the Ger
man mold ON Cambria and 81 .G.eyt!n
and the st. Gobain plateau-three po-
sitions necessary to the maintenance
of the so-called Hipdenburg line, poTf
ton Of which has already been lost.
Metz has been the storehouse OF the
permanent Hun reserves and 1t Is be-
Iieved that many Of these have been
drawn upon and sent to the north.
y y