Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-16

With the French Armies, July l6.
At dawn Yesterday the armies of the
cor,,,,, ,,,.o,,,,, prince attacked from
! ',,'''' y ,,,.,-...
the Marine, near Chateau- merry -
the hand-shaped plateau of Mas
siges in eastern Champagne rms
is front of more than siH'5 ilil''S'
but llp to noon there had been no di-
r,a, ;,,.,,,,,.,, oss,,,,t uno,, the salient
49,. 49, e,,,,i,,s, rrort
OF FNlel'''s' so '""' 'i'e us
may Professionally be counted as hlty
miles in length.
-rbo ot,ocl, ho,i, cast and west Of
.,,,
Rheims. was anticipated bOln OIL zen
eral principles and from signs such
o- .l,o o,.,rosio,, or ,,rsxDcrtc1Lv large
,..i- ,,l .,o r.r.r.,,
ahltl'uhIIIoh uUi''P9 - ''''
guns.
Indeed. at the last the German artii.
,,,, ,,,-,,,o,-,+ir,, ,,.ae ar+,alIy npfici.
- ,...,- ,,i..,.
Pated pS the fFeIlCh p"''e'l le9' "'''' ID
began to harass the enemy positions
=, little before midnight.
e.. a., .o,.o,.o,. l,Io,,. has beor
:" lai 'i'e
delivered on the Marine midway pC'
tween Chateau-Thierry and Dormans.
where about MeXy and F'ossOy, tn"
valley broadens to take in smalI'
tributary, the Dhuys, and where
therefore. the passage of the Marine
would be less difficult than between
the hills of its narrower course.
r, ,;5 ,o.,
AIMS -An "'' mans
Violent lighting began mere cary III
the morning. East or fhelmS between
Fort Pompelle and the MasslgeS hlIIS
the German infantry was supported
by large NUMBER OF tanks.
The news up 10 the moment IS tilaI
in this large sector the attack mas
been generally arrested ana III some
places broken,
The battleline, as IT STOOD YESTERDAY
morning, represented "a great variety
of conditions. tollowlng II from west
to east we have, irSt. fltteen miles
of beautiful loops or the Mafne valley.
reached again after nearly four years
by the Germans just more than a
month ago. The passage of such an
obstacle could not but be costly, and
on so small a front risky, since until
II has been considerable advanced
the pontoon bridges, by which all com.
munications must come, are under
artillery fire. Supposing the bridge
heads to be secured, there is dltflcuIt
country to fight through. with no vital
objective near. On this side, there
fore, there has been no reason for
alarm.
1 Next, there is the Dormans-kheims
sector of vine-clad hills. Here the
| Marne must be crossed. and on that
condition there is the double objective
of the rich but now evacuated city
of Epernay and of the cutting off of
the salient of Rheims.
East of Rheims the French are
strongly posted on the hills and in
the old trench system which has wit
messed no first-clasS action since the
French offensive of September, 1915.
1t Is a wild, spattered countryside of
chalk downs, the defenses of which
have been strengthened of late. and
80 +I,oi ba,ds
Chalons. twenty miles south of the
front at Auberive, is the only important
town that offers concrete objective. =
great advance in this direction would
make it difficult to hold the Rheims sa-
lient. which, by the way, has no more
military value than any other salient,
and a great advance on the east in the
perilous maze of massive hills would
affect the French positions in the Ar
gonne.
If the German high command enter
tains all these designs. so much the bet
ter for our gallant allies. for it is con-
centration, not dispersion, of effort on
the enemys part that we have to fear,
1t is only by concentration on one Of
two supreme and limited objeCtives that
full effect could be given TO initiative
! and mass maneuver.
! l know it is said that the boche will
try here and there and develop the line
on which he has the quickest success.
The time has gone when that sort of
tentative strength can avail him. He
may make one or moro pockets" but
they will not give him decision by Oc-
tober. and with the French armies as