Trench and camp. ([Admiral, Md.) 1917-1919, 1918-07-18
WASHINGTON OFFICIALS
VIEW CRISIS AS PAST
Battle Now Half Over and Huns
Frustrated, War Depart
ment Thinks.

By the Associated Press
While the official reports from Gems.
Pershing and Bliss were too belated
to permit formal conclusions to be
drawn yesterday by military authori-
ties here as to the situation along the
front where the German offensive was
still beating against the American.
French. and Italian defenders, it was
clear that they read press advices as
indicating that the crisis was past
and the enemy's plans frustrated.
Secretary Baker would not express
an opinion yesterday as to what was
TO be expected in France. Gen. March,
chief of STAFF, was equally reticent
and deferred a midweek conference
with newspaper correspondents on the
ground that his official advices would
not permit him to go very far toward
making clear to his hearers just what
is Transporting at the front
Confined to the Facts.
Apparently both Gems. Pershing and
Bliss are observing great caution in
formulating their reports. They have
studiously avoided overoptimistic
statements from the first, and it is
understood that their reports. which
have not been made public, have been
confined strictly to the facts of the
lished beyond question in every case
War Department officials follow the
same practice. Among officers gen.
orally, however. it was obvious that
the battle was regarded as more than
half won.
AS press accounts and the brief Off
cial communicates from Paris and
Berlin have so far disclosed the stu
alton, the great thrust. starting over
a sweep of more than sixty miles, has
hQpn narrowed dawn in three daVC nf
fighting to only one active sector,
where the enemy still was moving
sluggishly at last accounts. Sharp
counter assaults by Franco American.
forces in this sector indicated. it was
thought that still further restriction
of the active line was to be expected
Only Local Action Now.
In effect, officers said, agreeing with
the views expressed both in France
and London. yesterday that the great
offensive already has degeneratcd
into purely local action on a front
OF less than twenty miles. This sec
tor lies between the point just east of
the original American positions on
the Marine in the Jungalonne sector
to the wooded region west of Rheims.
1t is possible that the activity on the
German left, in these woods. will re-
suit in a Ranking operation at Rheims
itself. but officers here were not in
clIned to think so. To most observers
the center of interest was the Twelve
mile stretch on the south bank of the
Marine which the enemy holds and his
thrust down the river valley toward
Epernay.
Even here, however. the Germans
have been able to force their way
only some four miles beyond the river
line at the point of deepest penetra-
ton, and their crossings. upon which
the maintenance of the forward lines
and the continuance of the push down
the valley depends, were reported to
be under direct artillery fire. At best
their progress is painfully slow. il
was pointed out. in an action where
some twenty picked divisions of
troops, fresh from a month OF rest
and special training, are known def
nitely TO have been engaged. and
many of them badly shattered.
Hopeful of Counter Stroke.
4 side from the possibility that later
advices would show that the German
machine had haen Oa4fnu tnf0