New-York tribune., 1918-11-08
Waterloo and Sedan
By Frank III. Simonds

WITHDRAWALS WHICH 1OllOW Cn0
collapse of organized systems of de-
fences. In the past four years the
German has organized series of these
defencess beginning with the Hin
denburg line. This first position was
broken in the fighting between Sep
tember 26 and October IL. The German
fell back, then, to the line Of the Scheldt
and its coordinating details, stretching
behind the Ose, the Serre and the Aisne
to the high ground north of Verdun, be-
tween the Aisne and the Meuse.
To-day he is drawing back to his final
line of defences between Metz and
Mezieres. North Of Mezieres and west Of
his last fine behind the Meuse through
Namur and Liege to the Dutch frontier
he has still several intermediate posi-
tions. But if he loses the Mezieres-
Sedan-Metz line, then the invasion of
Germany will begin without delay.
The present retreat probably means
that the German is going to retire until
he gets behind the Dendre River, which
rises not far from Mons, in Belgium.
This stream is canalized most Of the way
to its confluence with the Scheldt, near
Termonde, and will constitute material
obstacle to Allied advance. Between
Mons and Maubeuge the German has
erected a line of defences, not COM
parable with the old systems, but suffi-
clent to delay pursuit. Between Mau-
beuge and Mezieres he has a system
which borrows the old forts of the
French frontier defence, including those
of Hirson and Mezieres.
But these defences can now be onlv
way stations; the German retreat can
only temporarily halt west of the Ant
werp-Namur Mezieres line, and it NAV
make only short stay anywhere west
of the Meuse, because the ever-growing
American pressure south of Mezieres
threatens the whole German front in
Belgium
Meantime the French phase Of the
World War is over. The Germans are
being pushed right over the frontier all
the way from the Meuse westward, and
we are getting back to the situation of
the opening act of the struggle, when
Belgium, alone, took on the German at
tack in the terrible first days of August,
1914.
If you look at any map Of Belgium
you will see that number of rivers flow
north and south. These supply the de-
fence positions Of the Germans north of
the Sambre, and they are the Scheldt,
now turned; the Dendre, to which the
Germans are retiring; the Senne, which
flows through Brussels and is connected
with the Sambre by canal starting at
Charleroi; the Dyle, which passes
through Louvan, and finally the Geete.
which flows almost across the face Of
Liege, but turns west to join the
Scheldt, through various channels.
AS the Allies are moving eastward
they will encounter the German making
stand behind each of these lines, and
if there is a Belgian campaign we NAV
expect to have battles bearing the names
OF all these rivers. South of the Sambre
the Meuse, which for a long distance
flows north and south before it bends at
Namur, serves as the extension Of all
these northern lines. AS long as the
Germans hold the Meuse, between
Namur and Mezieres, they can in turn
defend the several rivers. But their
main stand would naturally be behind
the Dyle, on the line Of Antwerp-Namur-
Mezleres. When this line gives way they
will have to retire behind the Meuse
throughout its Belgian course, and most
of Belgium will hn 1iharo+oJ
A relatively long campaign may then
be necessary to clear Belgium from the
north But between Namur and Metz
the German must hold the line Namur-
Mezieres Sedan Montmedy Thionvllle.
and our own American troops are al
ready within three or four miles Of this
"last ditch" position. 1t is an immense
ly strong position, resting on two consid-
cradle rivers, the Meuse and the Chiers
buttressed by the first hills of the Ar
dennes; it has been powerfully organ
lied and should be able to hold out at
least for many weeks.
But, despite the river obstacles north
of the Sambre, the German situation IN
Belgium is critical in the extreme. A
real disaster may come at any moment
because as the British push down the
Sambre Valley toward Namur they
threaten the communications and line of
retreat of all the German armies fighting
to the north. Not until these get safely
behind the Meuse, if they do, can there
be any respite
Meantime the British are we'll on the
road to Waterloo; our American troops
are already on the battlefield of Sedan:
Beaumont, which they took two days ago,
WAS the scana o4 4Ln .a>4. r,