Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-10

Specisl Cable 10 Evening Public Ledger
Copyright. 1919, bv Nee YORK. Times Co.
with the French Armies. oct. 10
Events have marched 30 rapidly In the
eleven weeks that have passed since
the Allies recovered the initiative in
the west that u may he useful to re-
view very briefly tn- stages OF their
victorious marcn up to the important
point now reached
with at the outset only slight dif-
ference Of means the German direction
has been markedly and increasingly In
ferior. Not forgetting the talents OF
the galaxy OF army commanders. not
forgetting the Belgians and their
chivalric king. the aid OF lac Italian
and other minor forces, this sudden and
sweeping change must be attributed to
the united command under Marshal
Foch and his trumvirate OF lieutenants,
Haig. Petsin and Pershing To me II
seems that their achievements already
overshadow the most brilliant pages OF
the grievous annals Of warfare.
The central highway Of invasion and
retreat in northern France always has
been the valleys OF the Samore and
the Oise. So it has again been. and
will be in this war. The Disc near
y
corner Of the front pointing to Paris.
and ii was on either side Of the Disc
that the last two German offensives left
large pockets. one toward Amiens. the
other across the Marne. The cutting
off OF these pockets in order 10 recover
a favorable front along the Disc. with
certain important railways. was EVIL
IDENTIFY indicated as the first Allied OBJ
iective. II was rapidly timed by the
two offensives of July ls and August
g. of which the first brought us to the
Vesle and the Aisne, near Soissons. and
the second to the line Albert-'haulnes-
Eibtcourt.
Tide Turn. TO Allies
The front having been leveled. II was
now our turn to make offensive pockets
The general idea Of the second phase
Of the Allied riposte--of course | give
only my own interpretatlon-was ia
maintain the initiative and to extend the
area Of attack, bringing into play as
rapidly as possible the numerical
strength OF America. and. while every
where hsrsssinE the enemy. to gain ad-
vantageous positions for the inevita ble
assault on the Hndenburg line In this
phase three acts are distinguishahle.
The first was conducted by General
Mangiu at the center of the front IN
France. south Of the pise, and was
shrewdly calculated to have radical ei'
feet on either hand. ON August IS Man
gin struck out from Aigle forest, anc
within a few days he had reached tn,
Ailette and the plateau above scissors
The second act followed on August 81
when General Byng. north of the Somme
carried the Third British Army east
ward toward Bapaume. supported th'
next day by Rawlinson's left. .
Thirdly. on August rs, came Genera
Hornes thrust along the Arras-Cambra
road. which attained the famous DrO
court-Queant switch. This swift multi
plication Of blows was worth somethn.
unprecedented. Ludendorff in sold ers
parlance. refused his center Humbert
| Debeney and Rawlinson, thus aided OF
| their wings. hurried to Nesle. and tn
| Noyon drama continued to sNpend Il
| the intenser rhythm Of victorious energy
The third great phase which ma,
! perhaps he regarded as closing Tuesda )
| Witnessed large breaches in the Hinden
| burg system. two important enlarge
ments Of the battle. the definite libera
| tion Of Npres. Arras, ST. Quentin Rheim
and Nerdun. and the destruction of tn
military power Of Germany's two lesse
| allies. Bulgaria and Turkey. The las
German reserves are being exhausted
The same Allied armies continue al
most incredibly to sustain the brun
OF the frightful struggle. but the Amer
leans ate entering the line in a cease
| lessly increasing force. This phase Is
new battle of the wings
! on August 80 Mangin's army crosse
| faNt md
| threatening the enemy's central strong
hold from the Disc and Coucy lie cha tea
| to Laffaux and Fort Conde on the Aisn,
| On September , Generals Horne an
E.yng again attacked between Arras an
the Somme. and the same night the ca
| nadians carried the Queant position.
| This time Ludendorff had to with
draw not only his center but the force
hazardously remaining beyond the Vesl
and on the Flanders hills. The armie
Of Rawlinson, Debeney and Humber
| advanced to the outworks Of the Hinder
burg line, in the sectors Of Cambrsi an
St. Quentin. General Pershing's tur
| had come
| The second act OF the third phase
the American French offensive of Ser
! tember ~. by which the ST. Mihi'
salient was suppressed and bas
acquired for ultimate action In Lorrain
After this debut of the First America
Army the eneny's last faint hope wa
shattered. The third act came on Sci
tember 20 General Gouraud. from III
| center of the Champagne front TO IN
Argoune. and General Pershing thenC
to the Meuse. attacked the Germa
armies of these parts.
The fourth act came on September =
when the Belgian. British and Frenc
forces commanded by King Alber
broke out from the User and ypre
threatening the enemy's tenure Of ives
ern Belgium, and necessitsting the ~
treat Of Won Quast's line on the l.
Bassee canal. Meanwhile the Britis