Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-07-31
Both Sides Continue Terrific
Fighting With But One
View. General March Er-
plains in Semi Weekly In
terDieW to Correspondents
GERMAN RETREAT HAS
REACHED IN MILES
Hope of Allies Bagging Large
Number of Prisoners DiSSi-
pdted by Flattening of the
Salient; Form Sir NeW Di-
UisionS For Training
BY Associated Press

Washington, July 31.-The sole OBJ
in the Solssons- Rheims salient now
is to kill as many men as possible,
General March, chief of staff. said
to-day at his semi eekly confer
.ence with newspaper correspondents.
Whatever objective either side had
at the beginning, the general said,
has been submerged by develop
ments in the fighting.
General March pointed out that the
salient has been greatly hattened,
thus virtually dissipating any hopes
of the allies bagging large numbers
of the enemy. The German with
drawal since last Sunday. he added.
had reduced the length of the line
another ten miles to 81 miles. The
maximum German retreat in the
center. is II miles.
Rainbow In Battle
Arrival of the 42nd (Rainbow) di-
vision and its participation in the
fighting east of Fere- -en-Tardenois,
was announced. The third regular
division also was identified as in ac-
tion at sergy and Cierges. where the
crack German guard divisions have
been defeated in recent fighting by
American troops.
General March announced the
formation in the United States of six
more divisions, numbered from Is to
20 and to be located at Camps Logan.
Texas; Kearney. Cal: Beauregard,
La; Travis, Texas; Dodge. Ia. and
Sewer, s. C. AS in the case of the
six divisions announced last week.
these will be built around two regu
lar infantry regiments in each case.
Cavalry Mnde Artillery
General March announced also the
conversion of fifteen national army
cavalry regiments, numbered from
31O to S15 into field artillery. These
will comprise part of the artillery
units for the new divisions.
General March had nothing to re-
veal as to the extent of the casualties
sustained by the American forces in
the recent fighting. He said, how
ever. that General Pershing had been
ordered to cable the casualties as
received and that these would be
given out here at once. He added
that there would be no distribution
of casualties over long period here
after.
The chief of staff said that in car
rying out the new policy of "one
army the war department intends
to put the letters "U. S." heretofore
reserved for the regulars on the
collar of every man serving in the
military forces of the United Staes.
The sub-designations of IN -"
for National Guard, or IN. Az for
National Army, will be abandoned
In the same connection, General
March announced that the twelve
major generals and the thirty-six
brigadiers necessary for the new
divisions will be selected from all
elements of the service.
This statment was taken to mean
that both National Guard and Ma
tional Army officers hereafter will
pc eligible fer promotion to the
ranE of eoueral cI'cers even in
regular army divisions.
a. response To Il question, Gen
eral March said that where division
commander was selected to a tenn
rorary corps commander the CON-
nanc of his division passed to the
senior brigadier.