New-York tribune., 1918-06-13

son of the enemy's plans. The
French are amazingly quick in dis
covering dead point" in the enc
my's offensive, and their fierce reac-
tions threw the German machine out
Of gear comparatively.
There we're only a few changes in
positions during the night and they
were entirely in French favor. On the
French left and centre Foch's troops
regained little ground and on the
righ: the positions virtually are the
same. Apparently Compicgnc is now
undcr the direct hrc of the enemy's
guns, Paris reports stating the town is
being drenchcd with gas shells.
'Go~day's new attack is being watched
with the keencst interest because the
cnemy advance IN this direction means
The reduction OF the triangle formed
~ the Disc and the Aisne into. even
more awkward salient. Ludendorff is
anding these great wooden areas eN-
cccdingly serious obstacles and he is
.ying to skirt them in the hope of
oNthanking both Compiegne and Vii
Iicrs Cotterets.
If the enemy uncovered Foch's COM
niuaications behind the Montdidier-
Chateau Thierry from. the position will
DC embarrassing. However the new
drive results, Foch has to his credit
fnn l,~;1liant ctrola m tho Co,,p;ooa
iron. and the reaction; of his troops is
deserving Of high p-aise. The further
west the Allies are driven the poorer
becomes the.r railway communications.
The German press is emphasizi ig
what apparently is an ina Hd state
naent that Foch's army ~ erves is
no longer intact. Tns ebfman papers
take the position e Ludendorf can
win a decision witHaeompa small
force because OF the superiority of his
railway communications and the rap
iGity with which he can move his army
General Foch is doubly bound for
even # he saw through the German
plan the consequences of the battles on
tho Sommc and the Lys would still
hamper him." says the military critic
Of the "Frankfurter Zeitung." 1.-The
French do not seem TO have the re-
serves for defence on a grand scale.
battle of reserves. Foch's former re-
serve army had been sent into action
before Amicns in place Of the shattered
English armies and the German blow
on the Aisne nailed the French field
army still more firmly to the north
wing. We then raised the question
whether the French high command
wasn't taking too much credit for the
strength in taking over sixty miles of
new front. At the same time lines
casting along the front were partly
destroyed by German wedges, notably
the direct ParisAmiens line"
"Nowthe new attack cuts the i'm
portant line of Paris. scissors, Rheims
and Paris and Chaions. Along the
whole front trench warfare therefore
tho main CASTING lines, those nearest
,hr front, viz, Ypres, Hazebruck
Amiens, Paris. Chalons and Verdun
serves are. however. more important
3, moved quickly The situation of the
Allies, therefore, is all the more seri
Gus. At the very moment when our
Berlin correspondent is able to confirm
the fact that Foch has no longer an
intact reserve army, the enemy's sys-
tenn of communications are seriously
damaged. This is a double burden on
the enemy"
On the other hand the farther Ger
mans advance the greater distance they
are from their bases.
There is a growing feeling that
naval battle is imminent. The German
high seas feet, which has been mac
live since the battle of Jutland two
years ago, is expected to make dash
into the North Sea in the hope of
breaking the blockade which has
strangled Germany SO long.
Ludendorff has only to speak the
word and the German navy will sup
pement his attacks on land, Captain
Persius the eminent German naval
critic, has discussed in great detail the
possibility of big naval engagement
and has come to the conclusion that it
must be on Britain's initiative.
He sees the possibility of further
attacks on Belgian coast, but declares
the Allied navies are extremely un-
likely to lombard the German forts.
Persius thinks the American navl au-
thorites favor offensive operations and
are far from being satisfied with a
waiting policy, but he doubts whether
Britain will seek nattack The Ger
man sailors are good fighters and have
learned pdch during the war, but they
have healthy respect for the prowess
ST the British grand feet. Since the
operations on the Baltic the German