Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1918-06-20
One MILLION U. S.
SOLDIERS IN FRANCE
Government Rushing American Sol
diers TO France to Make Sure
The Huns VIII BE Crushed.

Washington. ID. C.,-To give the
allies mastering superiority of
numbers of the German invaders
American troops are being rushed to
France as rapidly as transport tom
age will permit When the purpose
will be realized cannot now be fore
told, but more than 100000 men
have been sent overseas and the
number will be increased to 1,00O,-
600 early in July.
These facts were announced today
by General Peyton c. March, chief
of staff, in inaugurating the new
policy of giving newspaper men a
weekly summary of battle condi-
tons
Facing a great map of the battle
lines with every operation of the
German offensive shown upon it,
General March pictured a single gig
antic campaign extending from
Rheims to the sea, where the allied
lines have been battered back in four
successive phases. The whole wedge
of assault has now increased the al
lied lines &C miles, from Rheims to
Ypres.
Send 100000 Men a Week
I'm a condition of this kind"
said General March with a quick
gestre at the map, where a new line
has to be held and where the attacks
of the Germans have made, the i'm
portance of getting American troops
to the front is more and more pre-
eminent.
I'VE have now passed the $780,
600 mark in troops shipped over
seas"
The extent of the American troop
movement was particularly striking
because Secretary Baker stated less
than a week ago that more than
700, 900" had embarked.
The fact that the figure had in
creased approximately 100000 in
Less than seven days drew quick
question as to when definate superb
ority in man-power might be attain
ed.
THE matter of the number of
troops on the western front" Gen
eral March replied, "is' question
that must be considered with refer
ence not only TO the enemy divisions
which have been known there all
along, but with the potential in
crease which might be attained by
| bringing divisions from the eastern
front
Will Keep II Up
at is impossible to predict the
| day-say a month ahead, Or any
other definite time-when master
| ing superiority will be in the hands
of the allies; but the number of
troops we are sending across now is
limited only by the capacity of the
ships to carry them, and we intend
to keep that up"
General March made it clear that
there is no doubt in his mind or in
that of the allied military leaders
that the channel ports are the main
objective of the whole German effort
In terse sentences and with quick
motions toward the map as he fol-
lowed out the strategy of the one
great battle he outlined the situation
that General Foch is facing.
1.-The four drives" he said, zone
beginning March 81, the next April
8, the third May, 81, and the present
one June 8, are all part of the COM
mon scheme of offensive. Consider
ing as a whole the succession of at
tacks, the first penetrated the allied
I ilHC oonlC tHll 7SlA lulltS lutO
cardy. the second some fifteen miles
into Flanders and the third a dis
lance of thirty-eight miles further
along the Marine Under the pres
ent drive the line has been penetra-
ted an average distance of from five
and one-half to six miles.
Sixty'six Miles longer
Zone very striking feature in con-
nection with this whole advance is
the extention of front which the al
| lies have had to cover as result,
The total stretching of the line from
Rheims to the sea was sixty-six
miles.
I'm order to hold that extra line
the allies have had to have more
| troops than they had at the start
obviously the objective of the
German advance is, first, the chan
mel ports which would make it necess-
sary for Britain in shipping troops to
France to go farther out to sea and
longer distance, making the turn
around longer and showing up the
movement and making it more dan
gerous; second. Paris, which, of
course, is great strategic objective
because of its importance sentiment
tally and practically to the people
of France.