Norwich bulletin., 1918-09-18
FACrs AND COMMENT

Allies Offensive Virtually at a Standstill,p and to explain once more how difficult the Germans had made the task Of pursuit by utterly de- stroying the evacuated territory. The Huns were consoling their home pop ulation with the fiction of another strategic retreat, congratulating them selves meanwhile on having made a fairly successful getaway and the Allies were getting resigned to ano
 ther long period of preparation, when suddenly Foch struck again in new spot with new weapon. The new spot was St. Mthiel way down be-
 yond Verdun, the new weapon was the First American Army. The St. Mihiel salient was sharp angle jut- ting out full twelve miles from the main battle line in a soutwesterly direction until it's tip rested on he Mouse river twenty miles above that is south of, Verdun. In the tip of the salient lay the village of St Mihiel from which the Germans had forced their way across the Mouse and estab- lished bTidgehead on the west bank The position had been seized in Sept ember, 1914, and had been retained ever since with view to encircle Verdun from the south should the op- perfume moment arrive. AS long as the Germans held St Mihiel the rail- way connecting the Actresses of Ner- dun, Foul and Nancy was lost to the French and the entire eastern iron tier was just that much more difficult to defend.
 It was in this vicinity that the Americans first clashed with the Ger mans, for just about a year ago it was announced in Germany that American prisoners had been taken along the Rhine Marne canal. A few months later came the raid on the American trenches at Seichprey, ten miles east of St. Mihiel, when the Germans l first experienced the fighting spirit of their newest opponents in hand to- | hand combat. Then followed the quiet months and though deeds of valor were ping done in Flanders and l Champagne, the American force re- mained apparently inactive, but did
 not cease to grow. Finally when it had become real army with it's own artillery, cavalry and air forces, and after the temper of it's material had been tried and not found wanting at l Chateau Thiery and the Vesle, Foch
 gave the new army it's first real
 chance. The blow was struck simul-
 taneously from both sides of the St
 Mihiel salient. Little mere than l twenty four hours was needed to close
 the gap, bag Is 900 Huns and advance 1 the battle line close to the German
 border and within striking distance o1
 Metz. A short but furious barrage 1 doughboys Altering through forests
 and ravines, tanks everywhere to cleal i out machine-gun posts and the threatening St. Miriel salient was . thing of the past The whole battle was planned by Americans, led bl
 Americans and fought by Americans The world has thrilled at the news o 1 the exploit and the German answer i!
 the last peace proposal.
 Some enthusiasts have talked a if the taking of Metz was in sight, bu
 these are reckoning without a req conception of the task yet before us
 Metz and Verdun, the two great for
 tresses along the Franco German I border, face each other 33 miles apart
 Verdun, as all the world knows. lie
 on the Mouse Metz on the Mozelle,
 few miles north of where it emerge from France into Germany. Lik Liege Namur and Antwerp, both wer
 considered impregnable. It was t
 avoid the necessity of passing Nerdu
 that Germany chose to violate tn | drew down on herself the might Q Britain and the condemnation of tn l entire world. Taught by the fate c the Belgian forts, the French promptl
 transformed the defences of Ferdu , from unyielding steei-and- concret , emplacements to earthern trench an concealed battery Thus when tn test came, they did not pass" an Verdun was saved. Now it is onl reasonable to suppose that the Ger mans have made of Metz quite a 9 formidable a work as the French sue
 ceeded in making Verdun. The cit 7 itself is the center of a fortified are : 125 miles in circumference. To talk z it by assault would call for an appal ling loss of life; to pass it by an mask it would permanently occupy ]. veritable host but to cut its railway e south and west is perfectly possibl : Metz is more than fortress, it is t great depot of supplies for the entiI
 German line westward to Laon an south to the Swiss border. This quite in keeping with the Germa principle that the best defense is 3 strong offense. Metz was planne t more to supply the German armit d when operating in France than 1 s stand as a defence against possib : invading army. Hence it is even mol n valuable for it's railways than for i ; forts.
 The next move will doubtless be n,
 against Metz proper but past it on u 1 west into the Bassin de Briey. Sue T an advance would not only cut u t railway lines to Loan but would def T nitely put into the hands of the Ali, = the deciding factor in the great wa
 The Bassin de Briey is the greate
 iron region in all the world reachir
 from Belgium through Luxemburg al
 along the Franco German border f a thirty miles,, Before the war Fran = was obtaining over two thirds Of h
 entire supply of iron from this regio e while Germany was mining qui if three fouTths of what she used fro
 her portion of it. But for the last fo ,o years Germany has had the use of t o entire field. obtaining therefrom nine u per cent. of her iron supply. With t j. Briey region in her possession she c;
 go on waging indefinitely, without t. she could not continue three montf l. The prize is great and will not n surrendered without a struggle.
 "Words, words, words!" Ham al might we'll have been speaking of t ,a Austian peace proposition of Septe1 +o Der, 49lS. Under mass Of Eerbla '' the message only repeats the self-el
 dent and oft-heard truths that t 1T world is weary of war, desirous k peace and destined to utter ruin D. this is long delayed. With this pr
 Jude, Austria proposes that "al bell a erent states send delegates to a co <. fdential and unbinding discussion ~ the basic principles for the conclusi CT of peace" The purpose of it a
 Just this: democratic nations z l. made up of all sorts of people with ut sorts of minds. Some are for war n- the bitter end others for peace at a
 price. The strength of a democra # government consists in its ability