The Washington herald., 1918-09-08
ALLIES DRIVE
ON QUENTIN
CRUSHING HUNS
Combined Effort Direct
Against Key Position to
Old Hindenburg Line.
DIRECT PNCHER MOVE
Yankees, British and dFrench
Batter Stronghold of
Germans.

The combined and simultaneous
thrusts of British, French and
American troops in great masses
within the past twcnty-four hours
have resulted in converging
drive of the three nations against
St. Quentin, the key OF the Hinden-
burg line, according to announce
ments officially made today by
Gen. March, Chief of Staff.
Foremost in the actions which
so seriously menace the Germans
strongest and most strategical po-
sition is the announcement by
Gen. March that "our (French
and American) allied forces cross
ed the Vcsle-Ainc ridge and reach
ed the Aisne river on a ten mile
front.
Advance With Artillery.
This announcement demonstrates
that General March's theory that
the Americans could advance rap
idly and with artillery along the
plateau east of Juvigny has been
verified and also that the COM
manding terrain on which the
Americans advanced enabled them
to deploy readily so that they and
the French are presenting a front
of ten miles to the enemy, hav-
- ~
the hills intervening between the
last slopes of the plateau to the
south banks Of the Aisne. This las
been accomplished in exactly seven
days of the hard fighting pointed
out here as being necessary to pro-
duce the given expected result.
Largely because of it's military i'm
portance stan officers take great
pride in the fact that it will be
the great assistance of the Amer
leans to which will be inevita bly,
| due the turning of the south
end of the Hindenburg line because
! it is assumed here that nothing can
now stop the onward rush OF the
French and Americans in that di-
rection.
1t was noted by Gen. Foch that the
retreat of the Germans since Wednes-
! day on a lOO-mile front has been
| brought about by two independent
movents: One. the pressure from the
! British front between Arras and
! Perrone. The other the pressure in
| the Franco American sector on the
| plateau of scissors. He credits the
\ British with a brilliant move i'm their
drive towards Cambria. In this push
4 IT.
/ while at the Sensee marshes northwest
| of Cambria and the Canal du Nord.
| The American forces from the Aisne
! to the south. the French and Ameri-
| can forces from the Juvigny sector
and the British sh-French-Americar
forces from the northwest sector are
destined to break the whole German
| system of defense by the capture OF
/ masking of st. Quentin. II will re,
! quire, IT is thought, ten days for the
realization OF that result. II that be
accomplished the whole Hindenburs
plans of defense will crumble, anC
there is no one informed as to where
the Germans will stop. as it was ex'
pressed by a staff officer, on theil
retirement home"
British Effect Junction.
| Inc TOunOntdu lines Ol SOlultEs
on Gen. March's maps show that
the French and English. the former
advancing generally east anC
southeast have made junction
northeast of Noyon. This was ef.
fected by the fact that the French
captured the greater part of tbs
Autrecourt Plateau on wednesday
and succeeding days. 1t is thu:
seen that the enormous pincer move
ment against st. Quentin is being
assisted by the incessant attack
of the French at the center. 1t il
! again pointed out that the Focl
plan of attacking all along the lin'
in force is preventing the German
from massing any great body o
troops against any particular at
tack and to force the policy OF re
treat they have adopted.
Gen. March announced the forma
tion Of three new divisions, the Nine
ity-fifth, Ninety-siXth and Ninety
seventh at Camps Sherman, Wads
worth and Cody, respectively. Tht
makes ffteen new divisions sine
July /.
Assistance to Csechs.
Gen. March also touched on the mil
itary situation In SIBERIA. lie saf
the reports show that the release
the Czechs Is in sisht. In their ad
vance eastward from Lake Baika
. they are being assisted by Cossack
and japanese who have come throus
China and worked westward throug
/, Manchuria. The rood has been clear
ed to Vladiyostok by the defeat
the enemy who has held the middl
, section of the Siberian Railroad a
, and near Chita.
The following announcements wer
made as to individual units: Tn
ss0th Infantry. Eighty-third Divisio
is in France but not on the lin'
The Eishty-ninth Division is in II
line north of Toul since the midd
of August and has been under artil
CONTINUED ON PAGE EIGHT.