The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-11-04
Hard Fought Drive.

The drive so far has been the hard
resistance of all the Ger
man efforts since the British advance
a gainst Lille. The Germans, when
they began falling back systematicat-
ly before Halg. concentrated their last
reserves and best reserves against the
Americans and French at and near
the Argonne. II was stated yesterday
by General March that the progress
was for that reason measurahly SLOW
but the new drive has had the effect
OF producing tho same demora llzation
among the Germans in this section as
that which WAS Il daily occurrence in
their retreat before tiaig,
TodayS news indicates that the Ger
mans are not standing on the order OF
their going hut are going al once ana
without their artillery and baggage.
Under these circumstances the stan
here is not. concerning itself with DIS
cussions of an armistice. Their talk
today related solely T. the irretriev-
able positions which Germany faces
on the west front and on her east
front They point out that the terms
of he arHals}is3e pleaded for lay Ais
trla will include Il demand that she
shall stop tighting on all fronts. There
is no accurate estimate of the numb
of Austrlans now with the German
army ON the west front. Whatever the
number may be. however, they are
now getting instructions probably To
come home, or At least to obey only
the commands of the Austrian COM
manders proper
Aastrians Retire.
In this relation, army men comment
on the news to the effect that the Aus
trians ia front of the Americans IN
81 a fhrOpinw DON
their arms II is an even chance, eN-
merits say. that this is just IS much
due to the fact that they have orders
from Vienna 10 that effect AS that they
are badly beaten and in intemperate
flight,
As one officer put ii today, only a
nation of iunatics would consider stag
gering for a moment longer under the
load that is now depressing Germany,
Her plight simply is that the Austrians
must leave her; she must be invaded
from the east through Austria; she rs
being beaten back to Sedan and be-
yond by the Americans: she is being
forced back daily by Haig; the french
army and the American second army
under General Rallard is forcing her
towards the Rhine in the center of the
line from Grand IRE to the sea. ana
her railways BY which she got sup
plies via Bulgaria and Turkey are cut,
with the certainty of a winter OF star
walton II she plays false in the matter
OF the armistice.
It is observed here today that Ger
many must know that II she shows she
il guilty of Punic faith. the winter
viii not give her any rest. The air
craft construction of the United states
and England and France makes 1t a
possibility that she can be attacked
even during the most rigorous winter
DAYS as far az kiol. and that there
now is practically no limit TO the war
fare against her by the aeroplane
foutes,--
In addition Germany appears still TO
be unaware that the United States navy
has given the allies the most powerful
and longest range siege guns in the
world for attack on the Rhine cities.
These guns do not fire shell OF a
reduced caliber so as to increase the
range. The she'll is measured by the
full caliher OF the sun.
Ii Germany realizes this, as she
must do now with her armies flying
north, center and south. army men
think. the present win only complete
the great events of the past week and
secure the peace by victory which has
been in sight since the Germans were
driven back over the Marine in July