The sun., 1918-09-13
F0CH REPEATS
HIS TACTICS IN
NEW OFFENSIVE
Shifts Scene of Major Oper.
atiOnS When Other
Drive Lags.
SALIENT Is IMPORTANT
American Attack First Serious
Allied Blow on Eastern
Flank.
SALIENT Is IMPORTANT
BY II. sIDEBOTHAM.

Europe.
Special Gable Despatch TO THE sus from the
London Times Ser,ice.
Copyright. 1918; oil riohts rsserred
LONDON. Sept. 12.-In beginning a
new offensive just when the old ones
threatened to become sterile Of imme-
diate result-although one or two use
full advances are reported to-day
Marshal Foch has followed his estab-
lished practice. He has illustrated
over and over again In the course o:
his operations since July Is that he
is not "a man to go on hammering
until he splits the board, for the first
principle Of his strategy is surprise,
or at any rate constant change.
Surprise in the strict sense does not
seem to have been achieved In his new
offensive, for there were many hints Of
the direction Of the coming attack. and
the Germans have shown by their
raids, which we're heavy handed re.
connaissances. that they were ex-
tremsly -apprehensive Of q new move
on the eastern French lsort.
Feahsnssr ersil,ery ,rsePeretien.- Z.
For that reason also. because the
positions to be attacked had remained
almost unchanged since 1914 and
therefore presumably were Of excep-
tional strength, the preliminary bonn
, bardment was longer than is usual OF
late, lasting four hours. None the less
the attack mad. rapid progress and
the results promise to be exceedingly
satisfactory.
The Germans always have attached
great Importance to their positions In the
Woevre particularly to the possession OF
/ the salient Of ST. Mihiel. In the original
plan for the attack against France there
, was to have been a double encircling
movement. through Belgium and Lille
on one flank and through Nancy and
across the French fortiflcations along
! the heights of the Meuse on the other
| flank
This movement on the eastern flank
| miscarried and the military success won
by the enemy was st. Mihiel, which COM
mands one line OF invasion across the
| Meuse heights from Metz as Verdun
commands the other. One of the best
| things the Germans have done has been
their rapid consolidation of this bridge
head into France across the plain OF
Woevre. There Is railway communica-
tlon across the plain as far as Thiau-
! court. From that point to st. Mihiel is
| broken country. where the heights of
! the Meuse sink down amid marshes and
woods with Isolated hills to the level Of
| the plains.
Railways Built swiftly.
| As far as Thiaucourt the line of the
railway follows the line OF the Rupt d
Mad. which is what We call a donga. a
ravine sunk In the level plain which car
ries off the water. From Thiamont
westward to st. Mihiel communications
had to be made. and the rapidity with
which the Germans carried light rail-
ways to st. Mihicl was remarkable.
This St Mihel salient was quite the
sharpest on the whole battle front, but
thanks to the protection OF woods and
marshes our Allies never made any sc.
rlous impression upon It, The French
rious attack. They approached from
the south on front OF eight miles where
the protection OF the forest Is less thick
and from the west from the heights oi
the Meuse from Eparges downward.
! Half way between the limit or the ad
vances from the south and west is Hat
tonchatel and the gap left between the
p!ncers at most Is ten miles. Thus there
is. II the advance can be maintained, al
excellent chance Of intercepting the re.
treat of the garrison at ST. Mihiel and
taking a considerable number of prison.
ers.
object Not Yet Revealed.
1t remains to be seen whether the. OBJ
ject Of this new offensive is simply the
closing of a door half open into France
at St. Mihiel and the capture of a mum.
ber of prisoners. with the biting of OF
an offensive salient, or whether this IL
part Of larger plan not yet revealed.
AS the German advance into France
was crescent shaped, with one horn
transnxing Lille and the other meant to
transhx Nancy. SO Marshal Foch may
be grasping these horns In the hope OF
twisting the invader back the way that
he came.
| II there is any idea Of an advance
northward from verdun 1t would bs
highly desirable to get rid OF the st
Mihiel salient. widening the base for q
northwsrd thrust. Similarly. II there 1,
any idea OF an invasion Of Lorraine over
the Vosges mountains, further to the
south. the suppression of this salient
would be no less useful.