New-York tribune., 1918-07-24

scissors Marne Rheims sa-
lient is measured and COM
plicated operation, and therefore
I seems slow. But it could not become
hurried without becoming disastrous.
Ludendorff sent enormous masses
of men into this salient and also vast
quantities Of material with which to
feed an offensive south of the Marne
and up the Marine Valley through
Epernay to Chalons. An outlet
south and southeast for these masses
and this material was barred by the
strength of the Franco-American
defence. The forward flow was in
terrupted and the whole lower half
Of the salient Immediately became
numbered up and congested. Luden-
dorff's problem, in the face of Foch's
brilliant counter offensive against
his right flank and rear, is to get his
men back and his material back. He
may have to sacrifice men to save
material or material to save men.
The lines of communication up and
down the quadrilateral, the four
sides of which are the Soissons-
Ourcq front, the Marne, the Chatil-
lon-Rheims front and the Vesle, are
scanty and defective. The Germans
have now available but one good
railroad line up the main alleyway
of retreat-that running from
Fismes to Fere-en- and
thence to Nanteuil-Notre Dame.
There is another roundabout lire
from Fismes south to Ville-en-T Tarde-
nois, feeding the east side Of the sa-
lient. But up and down the middle
Of the quadrangle-in the section
twelve miles wide between Fere-en-
Tardenois and Ville-en- -Tardenois-
there is only single good highroad
A retirement north must therefore
be accomplished under the handicap
of very poor transport facilities.
Moreover, the German clearway
up the salient, free from Allied gun
fire, is hardly more than seven miles
broad. Going south Ludendorff had
a clearway of more than fifteen
miles. He has lost the use of the
railroad and the highway down the
west side of the salient. And all
the roads and bases along his pres
ent line of retreat are being sub
jected to constant aerial lombard
ments. Every night the French are
dropping tons of explosives on Fere-
en-Tardenois, his main western base,
on Fismes and on the subsidiary
depots between them.
Ludendorff must fight back stead
lily to relieve the concentric pressure
on his armies, to disentangle them
and to salvage his stores. What he
cannot hope to salvage he must de-
stroy. His energetic resistance on
the Soissons-Ourcq line and for
distance below the Ourcq explains
itself. He is obliged to hold on this
side, where the attack is strongest,
while his troops between the Ourcq
and the Marne are converging from
the southwest and south on Fere-en-
Tardenois.
Severe fighting continues on the
Soissons- Ourcq line. Here the time
is not yet ripe for mere rear-guard
actions. Ludendorff must counter to
the best of his ability to prevent the
salient from crumbling before he
extricates himself. Unofficial re-
ports yesterday afternoon announced
the capture by the French of Oulchy-
le-Chateau, an important town on
the north bank of the Ourcq and on
the main highroad from scissors to
Chateau Thierry. Oulchy -le-Cha-
teau is only about six and a half
miles west of Percent -Tardenois. 1t
was also reported from London un-
officially that French and American
forces had reached several points on
the Soissons-Chateau Thierry rail
road, between Armentieres, on the
south bank of the Ourcq, and Coincy.
This would indicate a considerable
advance east from La Croix and
Grisolles, where there was heavy
fighting on Monday.
The night communique from
Paris did not confirm the capture
of Oulchyle-Chateau, but said
that Franco-American forces had
reached Oulchy-la-V Vile, which lies
about a mile northwest of Oulchy-