New-York tribune., 1918-07-30

Y n NIl4L dCSclcI dCAOu VI LuC RctCC VI 1CL-
man retirement in the last three
days is the best evidence of the
fact that Ludendorff has at last solved
the second Of the great problems set for
him by Fochs successful counter often
sive more than ten days ago.
Ludendorff's first problem was to avoid
ure of the huge German forces in the
Marine salient. He mastered this by
summoning a reserve army under Gen
eral Eben and placing it on the hills in
a circle north and east of Soissons At
the same time he reinforced his divisions
before Rheims and massed heavy artil-
lery both at the Rheims corner and at
the Scissors corner. Having done this,
he was assured that the neck Of the bot
tie in which Boehms army was involved
would not be blocked--and retirement
of his troops would be possible.
His second problem was to remove
from the Marne salient that vast con-
centration of guns, munitions and sup
plies which he had collected for the pur-
poses of his offensive stroke So bad
are the communications north and south
in the old Marine salient that it was nee
essary to make this concentration in
order to maintain the army to be used in
the new blow
For a week after he had insured the
safety of the flanks of Boehm's army
Ludendorff was engaged in moving his
supplies and munitions out of the Marne
salient. While he was doing this it was
necessary to hold back French, Ameri-
can and British troops. AS conse-
queace the Germans defended the thicklv
wooded line north Of the Marne and
south of the Ourcq for more than week,
contesting the various villages and carry
ing on very vigorous rear guard action.
In this period the advance of the Allies
was very slow, and it was not until last
Sunday that the Germans were fully
clear Of the north bank Of the Marne
above Dormans.
But on Sunday and Monday the off
cial and unofficial reports indicated that
the Germans had begun to withdraw
rapidly and we had an ever-increasing
list OF villages as the daily indication
of Allied progress By Sunday night
the Germans were across the Ourcq, and
Fere- Tardenois, the centre of commu-
nications for that portion of the salient
south of the Ourcq, was in French hands.
Of the four compartments which con-
stitute the Marine salient that south Of
the Marne was cleared within forty
eight hours after Foch attacked. The
much larger compartment between the
Marne and Ourcq was not entirely evacu
ated until last Monday. There remain
two more compartments, that between
the Ourcq and the Vesle and that be-
tween the Vesle and the Aisne.
We have now to consider the question
as to whether the German means to
evacuate all Of the territory between the
Ourcq River and the Vesle. He can still
hold a long curving range of high ground
which is the divide between the valley
of the Vesle and the Ourcq If he makes
a stand on this high ground he can main
tain valuable bridgeheads south of the
Vesle and make use Of the railroad in
the Vesle Valley. as a means of lateral
communication. But since this railroad
Is commanded by the Allies about Sois-
sons and in Rheims it's value must be
relatively small, because there is no ade-
quate rearward rail communication with
the main systems of German-controlled
railroads in France.
The general assumption of military
observers at this time is that the Ger
man will In any case continue his retire.