The sun., 1918-09-15
ENEMY PINNED
FAST BY FOCH
Marshal Deprives Germans of
Superior Mobility They So
Long Enjoyed.
TOO MUCH RISK IN SHIFTS
British Military Writers See
His Resolution to Beat Foe
to Standstill.
TOO MUCH RISK IN SHIFTS
Special Cd6te Despatch to Tue SuS
C0pyyidkf 1913. all rfohfs rfs<rrsd

LONDON, Sept. l4-Apart from the
immediate results OF the cutting of Of
the St. Mihiel SALIENT British military
commentators see in the American often
sive another demonstration OF Marshal
Foch's determination to fight the enemy
TO a standstll.
These writer's use the word stand
still' in the sense that the German high
command can no longer shift its crack
troops and reserves generally from
point to point to meet intermittent
dangers. Allied generalship, it is felt,
has pinned them down to fight where
they now stand. depriving them of the
great advantage of superior mobility
which they enjoyed so long.
AS It is a matter Of common knowl-
edge that more than two-thirds of the
German strength on the western front
Is distributed between Rheims and the
English Channel. the significance Of the
operations in force undertaken by Foch
east OF Rheims is apparent The Ger
mans dare not weaken other parts or
their front to reinforce the threatened
sectors.
Compu1siOn to React.
The apparent strategic effect OF the
American attack consists of the COM
pusion to which it subjects the enemy
to react with all his available strength,
because the menace to Metz with the
great system of railroad communications
which radiate from there Is too serious.
too pressing to permit Ludendorfr to fol-
low any other course.
The same conditions confront the Ger
mans southwest Of Cambria. where they
must oppose the British pressure at all
costs or else evacuate Cambria, which
would lmperil their line southwark. An
other sensitive point Is the region La
Faux, where unless the Germans hold
on at whatever cost their grip upon the
entire st. Gobain massif becomes inse-
cure. thereby imperilling Laon, which
is the hinge of the German positions
northward to st. Quentin and eastward
toward Rheims
Another phase of the reasons for the
attack on the st. Mihiel salient is that
II is part of the policy OF providing Sc
cure positions from which the decisive
campaign which Foch plans may be
launched. The systematic carrying out
of this policy involves the elimination OF
every position from which the enemy
| himself can threaten an offensive action
and the acquisition of those positions
which will assist the allied offensive
when Foch decides that the moment for
1t has arrived.
Logical Development.
Tho logical development of this policy
would suggest that Marshal Foch intends
. to pry the Germans out Of ST. Gobain
and the heights dominating Rheims for
| their continued presence there remains
n menace to the Allies which might be
| serious II they were to feel again capa-
BILE of taking the offensive,
The immediate results of the blottlng
out of the st. Mihiel salient includes the
shortening OF the allied line by twenty
miles and the decreasing of the distance
to Metz to less than twelve miles. which
Is within long distance big gun range
! CONTAINS, an important German railroad
! junction, Is also now within range OF
the heavy guns, and Briey, centre OF
great iron fields. is now only a little
/ more than twenty miles away.
One hundred and fifty square miles
OF French territory have been delivered
the greatest area that has been wor
back In a single days operation.