The Little River news. (Ashdown, Little River County, Ark.) 1897-current, 1918-09-07
rnuI.IYNEoEKsE AL Dis
POSAL OF MARSHAL FOCH
More Than 100000 Americans EN-
barked Up to August 31-Big
Blow Coming thine
Seems OppOrtune.

Washington, Sept Announce
ment today by General March, chief
of staff, that more than 100000
American troops had been embarked
for all fronts up to August 81, fur
nishel a new measure OF the forces
Marshal Foch has at his Disposal with
which to follow up the victories al
ready won on the Western front.
Included in the American shipments
are men sent to Italy and Siberia.
The .rrival of Major General Graves,
American commander, at Vladivostok,
with nearly 1,400 men of the forces
dispatched direct from the United
States was announced today by Cen
eral March. The total number of men
sent elsewhere than to France, how
ever, is less than 10000, leaving more
than 100000 American troops avail
able in the great battle.
The size of the American force be-
comes increasingly important as the
scope of the new British assault at the
very center of the German line on the
Douai- Cambria front becomes appar
ent. Army officials here believe the
breakdown of the German defense
lines on this front may prove the en-
tering Wedge for sweeping allied sue
cesses, because the fact that Genera.
Pershing's army has not yet been
largely employed is proof that Mar
shall Foch has ample reserves.
German Resistance Overcome.
In his midweek conference with
newspaper correspondents, General
March reviewed briefly the battle sit
uaticn of the last three or four days.
He noted particularly ,shat the Brit
ish in the most impressive phase Of
the battle east Of Arras lave smashed
their way scross the Hinde2burg line
OF: In eight-mi!e front, with Cam
brai as their objective. The chief
en- my resistance along the whole 60
mile battle 'front.' from the Scarpe to
the Disc, he said, has been encounter
ed and overcome by the British and
t:.e salient advance of the French
five or six miles on a 25-.nile front in
81 single day, was due largely to e with
drawal forced upon the enemy in the
North.
General March said, as indicating
the rapidity with which the battle
front is shifting under tAe steady
drive of the allied armies, that the
British have pressed ahead "A miles
since they launched their attack on
August 81.
Even as General March talked, word
came that the Germans had been huri-
ed still further back along the Douai-
Cambria line end Indicating the Brit
ISL early today stood within five
miles of the Cambria pivot to this
German defense position. Later re-
ports, both from Flanders and on the
Vesle, far to the south, indicated that
now retirements were in progress in
both places
May Be Preparing Knockout.
In all the dispatches from abroad
officers noted here sigain today yelled
indication that some new and i'm
portant phase o. the battle is to be
expects shortly There was an air
Of expectancy among both unofficial
and semiofiicisl commentators which
produced the impression that Marshal
Foch is preparing a new blow. # this
is true, it is believed here that the
employment of General Pershing's
army may well be included in the
plans, the object being to hit with
full force of the American and allied
armies, now that the German disor-
g nization appears to be spreading
and his line Wavering.
Reports tonight indicated to many
observers thet the enemy now is with
drawing aloeg his whole front from
Flanders to Rheims. If 1t develops
that the Germans have been forced
by the rupture of their center to at
tempt such wholesale retreat, it is
argued that Marshal Foch might well
believe that the moment 10 attempt
decisive stroke bad come, since the
confusion resulting from such re-
tiremert to the rear necessarily would
tirement to the rear necessarily would