The sun., 1918-09-30


pending, have begun already O. retreat
on a large scale. They are headed for
tine Aiietie. AND the whole iiae as feI,
east as rheims must Inevitably be
aeyact.d 50 80 = 4 : ,f-l,j =
In this district Gen. ,Msngin's troops
captured Filain, Chawgnen, 9stel and
st. Berthe. The capture. Of bFd' Fort
Malmaison yesterday was followed by
a further advance to-day and appar-
emily the whole of the famous Chemin
des Danes soon will be in French
hands, compelling probably the evacu-
alton by the Germans OF their strong
est positions in that part Of France,
Laon and ST. Gobain massifs Already
tho French are on the banks OF the
Aiiette at the western end Of the road.
Further Advance In; ArRonne.
The advance between the Ailette and
the Aisne was about N miles on both
sides of the Chemin des Danes. North
of this point, in the st. Quentin dis
trict, the French captured Urvillers
and Cerisy, south of the city, and
crossed the St. Quentin La Fere road,
taking 500 prisoners.
tricts the French and American forces
pressed forward to-day, doing their
share in the great pinching movement.
The Germans are rushing in their re-
serves to the last man, but they have
not been enough to stay the advance
Of the Allies. Gen. Gouraud's troops
have advanced to the northern fringe
Of the Argonne forest and are headed
A. l,, n N q a.
hold in this region
They captured to-day Bouconvilie'
Mont Cuvilet and Sechault, and ad-
vanced about a mile and half toward
Challerange. Further west they TOOK
Ardeuil, Mont Auxelles and Vieux and
reached Azure On the left they en-
tered Ste. Mariea-Py
In their sector the Americans also
are moving forward, capturing Brie-
ufIes and Romagne and advancing
northward along the Meuse valley
May Re Expelled From France.
British military commentators, white
not committing themselves absolutely 10
the belief that the present attacks CON
stitute Marshal Foch's pivotal decisive
move, intimate that the present fighting
may develop into that eliminating
stroke OF Foch's strategy. the OBJECT OF
which is nothing less than the expulsion
Of the Germans from France, drivins
them back to their own frontiers II not
beyond them.
As the battle progresses the general
outline Of Marshal Foch's strategy be-
comes clearer. 1t is twofold. II not
fourfold. There Is the great enveioping
movement on the western side OF the
battle front in. France. of which the
British forces between Cambria and st.
Quentin on the north and Gen.
Gouraud's army in%the Champagne on
the east form the extremities or points
Of the pincers- =.
The purpose Of this pair OF pincers is
to squeeze the army groups OF the
Crown Prince. and Gen. Won Boehm out
Of their positions on the front Of St
Quentin, La Fere, Laon and northwest
OF Rheims and force then back in dis
order to the Belsisn-Iuxemburg-L
raine frontier. 49,
outer Pair of Pineers- Also.
But there IL an outer and wider pair
Of pincers with-a much -sreater spread
Of Jaws. of which the points are the
new British and Belgian armies in the
north, which came into action yesterday.
and in the east Gen. Pershing's First
Army between the Argonne forest and
the Mouse, while a second American
army facing Metz covers the flank OF
the First Army's advance.
II the British can repeat their feat
Of Soma weeks ago and again break
through the Drocourt-Queant switchline
and at the same time can continue their
extremely successful penetration of the
German positions between Douaf and
Cambria as far as Valenciennes. then
Gen Won Boehn and the Crown Prince
will find their main line of retreat by
the Disc Valley and the Soissons-Mau-
beuge road has been cut by the Allies
and they will be compelled to fall back
on the Hirson- Mazieres secondary line
close to the Belgian frontier and i'm
mediately in front of the great Ardennes
forest.
This difficult stretch OF rocky wood.
land, which has no good railroad com
munications and very few ordinary
roads of any military value. would
serve to split any German retreat int
two parts which would lose communi
cation with each other by reason OF tht
Ardennes obstacles.
lines to Rhine Menaced.
q Other lines o. commune arioI
possessed by trc tfOWn trlnce'S army
which lead through Montmedy ant
Longuyon functions TO Luxemburg
Thionville and Metz are being threat
sned by tho American victory In tn,
Woevre district, east and north Of st
Afihiel, which now seriously menaces al
the southern communications of the
Crown Princes armies with the middl,
Rhine region.
The simultaneous operation of the TIVE
great pincers will reveal the great pos
sfbilities of Marshal Foch's strategy
Immense army groups like those of tn
Crown Prince and Gen. Won Bochn re
Iuire very large space in which t,
manosuvre, not only In an advance blu
even more in retreat. In order to avoi,
huge losses or man power and material
but the closing OF Foch's outer pincer
10 threatening the vital communica ton
OF the enemy and would effectually pre-
vent any orderly retirement. Will
should the inner pincers close success
fully upon the Hindenburg system o
offences on the western part OF tn
battis front in France such retrea
would be much more than retirement
Il would be disaster for the Germans
Must Accept Battle.
To establish the German army and II
material in France has been the wor
Of years It could not be withdraw
quickly in "A beaten and demoraiixe
condition without tremendous losses
Even a planned retreat would be dsas
trous with the Allies pressing all alon
the line.
The result OF Marshal Foch's strateg
has been TO pin down the Germans t