Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1918-06-20
TOTAL
MILLION BY .
July, Claim
General March Announces That
Only Ship Facilities Now
Limit Transportation
of U. S. Forces.
SAYS MEN BADLY NEEDED
Line Extended sc Miles BY Four
Hun Drives-Channel Ports
First Objective, Staff
Head Asserts.
SAYS MEN BADLY NEEDED
ey United Pre...

oy OUIt0O FT0SSs
Washington, ID. c.. June 17.-Over-
seas troop shipment has passed the
100000 mark according to an official
announcement today.
Making his initial weekly talk to the
war department correspondents. Chief
of Staff March revealed this cheering
figure today. He also declared hi
all four offensive drives by the Ger
mans have been stopped"
That more than 1000. 900 Americans
will have been sent to france by July
l. was the statement Of Senator Kirby,
Arkansas. following the weekly meet
Ing today between the Senate military
committee and the war council.
The committee also was told by
General March hat American forces
are being put into the front lines in
greater numbers every week and the
mileage held by American units. in
dependently OF the French and British
Is being gradually extended.
Line Stretched Sc Miles.
The German advances. General
March declared. have stretched the
allied line an extra Sc miles. Because
Of this the Importance Of getting
Americans over Is p~reeminent. We
have now passed the 100000 mark I'm
troop shipment overseas. The 500, 900
troops include combatants. medical
service. service in the rear--all the
units which go to make up an army
Any announcement from the war de-
partment will Include all kinds recess
sary for the army"
The number OF troops being sent
across now. he added. is limited only
by capacity of the boats to carry them,
and I'VE intend to keep The up"
He declined to predict when the ala
lied-American forces would have q
numerical superiority. This question
he suggested, involved q consideration
at the outset, I'M how nan potential
divisions might be stripped from tho
eastern front.
Germany's Detectives.
Reviewing the military situation
from March 81 onward, March de-
clared that the activity now is toward
Paris" but that the channel ports
obvious objectives of the boche.
The four drives, starting March 81,
April 9, May "a, and June .. are ali
parts of q common scheme Of an Of
fensive." he said. y
You see a succession of attacks,
the first being 80 miles in Picardy. the
next 13 miles In Flanders, the third
38 miles to the Marine, and the present
five and one-ha1f and six miles.
One of the many striking features
of this whole advance is the extent Of
the front which the allies have had to
GOV as a result OF the German pro-
gress. The total stretching of the line
from Rheims to the sea Is So miles.
In order to hold that extra line the al
lies had to have more troops than at
the start.
All Drive. Stopped.
III these two drives there were two
obvious detectives, the first. was to
reach the channel ports. thus compell-
ing the English, in shipping troops, to
go further to sea, making the journey
longer and more dangerous.
The second was Paris, which. be-
cause of the sentimental attachment
Of the French for 1t. a of strategic
Importance.
All these drives have been stopped
The last advance is more a straight
ening out Of the German line than q
military movement with n definite OBJ
jective such as Paris. Along this line
wa a re-entrant angle from which
could be made dangerous attacks on
the Disc TANKS. For this reason it
was most advantageous for Germany
to get the line Strengthened out.
According to the last information
we had, the Germans were still attack
ing west OF scissors, ~endeavoring to
s~traighten u along the general front.
Limited Only BY Ships.
In such a case where there is q
longer line and such strong attacks,
the Importance of getting Americans
over is pre-eminent.
The matter of the numbers OF enemy
troops on the west front is a question
that must be considered with reference
to the divisions which have been known
to be there all along and also with re-
ference to the potential divisions
which might be brought from the east
front.
1T is impossible to predict today
when a mastering superiority will be
in the hands of. the allies. But the
number Of troops we are sending across
now is limited only by the capacity OF
the boat to carry them and we intend
to keep them up
While pointing out that the drive
now heads toward Paris the general
pointed out that capture OF the channel
ports would ave a more immediate
and important effect on the whole war
situation than would the fall OF Paris.
Incidentally. he suggested that the
Germans had thus far failed to reach
the maximum boundary they attained
in 1914.
He thought he could not say at this
moment that the battle is to turn ia
the channel ports.
Asked as to the Russian situation he
replied that 1t was at present q po-
litical matter.
Better Than For Months.
The military situation on the west
ern front is better today than for
months U to the rapid increase in the
number Of United States troops, mem
bers of the Senate military affairs
committee were told
Americans are now reaching the
front in sufficient numbers to counter
balance the wastagc In the allied
armies while the GernaaIse have no such
force from which to replace their
losses.
At the same time Americans brigad-
ed with the British and French ara
gradually being Withdrawn To mold tho
Americn front n neN An.eTicai
units are being put into ne hinder
garten," as some officers Gail ihcgbrsgr
aiding arrangement,