The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-08-24

Viewed only from the standpoint Of actual
territory regained the week has been one of I'M
interrupted success for the Entente, but when an
attempt s made to study the tactical opportuni-
ties opened by General Foch's alternating blows,
It is difficult to restrain enthusiasm.
The accompanying map shows in a rather, in-
adequate way, the plan Of attack Of the Allied
commander
While the great hattie has been raging inter-
nittently all along the front shown on this map,
the fighting has been concentrated in the district
north OF the somne and in the district from
Lassigny to the lower edge Of the map.
In the former OF these the British have been
doing the fighting and the French have been
carrying the burden in the latter.
The French Advance.
The French advance will be considered fret,
because it appears to have the greatest possi-
bilities ,... -I~E
One week ago the line Of battle dropped al
most directly south from Roye, joining the old
line at about where it crossed the Disc at RIDE
court. During the week the French have driven
steadily forward, but the progress has been much
more rapid on the right than on the left. They
took Lissigny, but were held in front OF Noyon,
perhaps because they had other plans than to
take this city by frontal attack They pushed
along the southern bank Of the Disc river, until
they reached the Ailette, and cleared the entire
Of the Disc and Ailette Of all but dead Ger
mans and prisoners. Then Friday afternoon
they crossed the Cise river and the Disc canal at
the junction with the Ailette. They have cut the
Noyon- Chauny railroad, and are advancing to
the northward, eight miles east of Noyon and
about half way between Noyon and Chauny.
- Germans Cut OFF.
It is not difficult to guess what will happen to
the troops around Noyon and LassisnY. They
must retreat or be cut off, II the advance con-
tinues. Both Of these towns were defended in
force, and the number Of German troops endau-
gered by this move must be large They are
under fire from the Allied artillery, and must
make their escape under the most favorable con-
ditions. 1t is a repetition OF the move which re-
suited in the capture Of Montdidier. 49,.
But important as this situation u.s. it is only
part OF the possibilities opening up to the Allies,
The French are now within 10 miles OF Ham on
the somme river. The somme, by its sharp
bend to the. southwark Of Peronne, makes a
water barrier difficult to cross under fire. II the
French can push forward to Ham, they will close
the gap and have great quadrangle with the
corners at Peronne, Bray, Lassfgny and Noyon,
in which the Germans will be SURROUNDED on two
sides and half by the Allies and on the remain
ing side and a half by the Somrne river. This
quadrangle will all be under terrific artillery
fire, and the only safety will lie in retreat
across the somne. 1t may easily prove a terribly
costly retreat for the Germans
Another Possibility
Still another possibility Of great promise is
presented, to the southeast. An advance to La
Fere but 10 miles away, would outflank the
Chemin- Des DANES, the high ridge behind which
it has been generally believed the Germans along
the Vesle would take shelter. The Americans
are pressing hard against the front along the
fnn aR%a
the Marine salient The heights north of sois-
sons are the key to this position. The Germans
have been defending these heights bitterly, but
the French even now have outflanked them, and
may force q retrement from these heights. But
the Aisne no longer presents safe lipe, for 1t
is also outfIanked, and the same condition would
apply to the Chemin- Des-D Danes itself, If La
Fere should be reached.
To sum up the situation, in the south half Of
the battlefield, there is every prospect that the
Germans viii have to begin an immediate re-
treat to positions back Of the Somrne bend, and
perhaps to the old ETindenburg line with the pos
sibiltty that this line ITSELF at least so far as it
includes the chemin- Des- DANES, viii be made
untenable.
-. Situation in North.
In the north, the British have been meeting
with sitter resistance The Germans were
holding positions they had fortified before the
Somme battle OF 1916, and they contested every
yard Of ground, The capture OF Albert on
Thursday, however, appears to have dislodged
them, and the British are pushing forward dog
gedly, hopping UP" machine gun nests, and 9
fighting from house to house through villages.
They are fighting on front Of more than so
miles, all told and are preventing the Germans
from sending any reinforcements to their hard
pressed armies in the south half Of the sector
In fact, all available reserves are being rushed
in to hold Bapaume If possible. The British adj
vance assures q German retreat in the north If
the French force a retirement in the south, and
there is very good ground for hoping that within
the next two or three weeks, the Germans will
be back Of the Hndenburg line all the way from
Arras to La Fere. and all the gains made in the
four months of the German offensive will have
been completely wiped out.
Meanwhile the losses sustained by the Ger
mans must be terrific They are retiring under
the heaviest pressure, with tanks, cavalry, air.
planes and artillery making a shanbles Of their
lines of communication and the roads BY which
their troops and artillery retreat
The retreat prevents the Germans using their
heavy artillery, for it is being hurried TO the rear
in places of safety and the captures Of the light
field guns running into the hundreds, must be
depicting even the German stores, The Germans,
therefore, are fighting largely with machine guns
and these are easy prey for the tanks, where the
latter are able to operate,
Aside from some conflicting reports from ST.
IBERIA, where the Czeeho- slovaks are credited
with both a victory and a defeat, there has been
little activity other war fronts during the
week