Arizona republican., 1918-10-03
Withdrawal Tremendous Task

Announcement from Paris that 1000 prisoners were taken by the French yesterday in operations between the Vesle and the Aisne rivers is signifi- cant of the difficulty of getting troops back safely out of an abandoned fight ing line. There has been no hint Of a French attack on large scale on this front and the Berlin statements have characterized the movement as a withdrawal. Only a narrow front was involved, yet 1000 men left as rear guards, were captured.
 To withdraw the whole 25O-p1ilc front where the allied and American forces are charging forward day after day, will be a stupendous task. With constantly increasing superiority of numbers and gun power, resting with Marshal Foch, observers here belle yed the retreat will be difficult beyond words. There is no possibility. it was stated, of forecasting what may happen.
 Coast Evacuation to Be Forced There are several places on the front where the situation appears par ticularly critical. Officers said the evacuation of the Belgian coast prob ably will be forced on the enemy in an effort to avert an even more seri- 1 ous reverse in the Lille sector. The British wing of the drive in Belgium IS hammering at the vital supply | lines of the Lille salient on one side while the steady advance of other British forces northeastward from the | positions south of Douai. is aimed at the only other route of escape from the rapidly forming pocket Already the large enemy forces holding the depths of this pocket face the neces- slty of passing along the British front on the Lys if the best lines of with drawal are followed.
 Some officers here think the Ger mans figure that surrender of the Bel. gian coast line will draw the French and Belgian armies in that direction thus easing the strain against tn, Lille triangle of towns long enough to permit them to carry out a with drawal.
 Critical Condition Near Reims
 To the south, another critical situa ton is developing. It seems certain to officers here that the German lead CTS planned to withdraw slowly iron the most advanced ground they holt about Reims. gradually straightenin, and shortening their lines as the,
 went and with the movement screened by a machine gun, rear guard battle
 The British smash north of St. Quen
 tin however has opened the way t.
 the valley of the Disc and the invest
 ment of Laon from the north. Tn
 fall of La Fere, already encircled ol
 three sides by the French, and tn
 swift development of an attacking lin
 along the flank of the withdrawa
 seems imminent.
 Already the Germans have given u
 the high ground just northwest O
 Reims that has been their center o
 resistance on that front. The Frenc
 now face them for some distanc along the Reims -Laon road with opel
 ground at the Germans back. Incl
 dentally, another pocket is developin
 just east of Reims that the enem
 cannot disregard and extension of tn
 withdrawal to this sector appears , logical process.
 Flank by Sea Possible It will cause little surprise here if wholly new assault developed withi , the next day or two, with the Frenc , striking directly northward fror
 Reims and the lines east of that plac to a junction with the advancin ; French army west of the Argonn, |. The open ground through which tn } German retirement must carry ther , looks attractive to many observers a ; the scene of possible open warfar | with the odds all on Marshal Foch tside.