The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1918-05-28
GERMANS STRIKING
HARD BEFORE U. s.
Gets Men over
Trying to Break Through Before u. S.
is Ready
AS WASHINGTON VIEWS 1T
American Military Men Believe At
tacks Yesterday Are Only
Preliminary Moves
AS WASHINGTON VIEWS 1T

Washington, May 27.-Germany ap-
parently has launched another des-
perate attempt to smash her way
through the Allied armies to victory
before American troops can reach the
j pattlefields of France and Flanders in
great force.
Associated Press reports from the
British and French fronts telling Of
| the new assaults which may mean
that the supreme test of power is at
hand, were conveyed to President Will
son just as he was leaving the White
; House for the capitol to ask Congress
Tor legislation to provide more money
I for the war. The President, empha-
sized his request by telling the House
and Senate in joint session that the
great enemy offensive apparently had
been resumed.
Brief Conference
Later MIR. Wilson went to the State.
War and Navy building for brief
conferences with Secretaries Lansing,
! Baker and Daniels. 1t was taken for
. granted that the primary object of
The visit was to seek official news
from the battlefront, and while there
were reports that the President dis
cussed other phases Of the world sit
! uation with the department heads,
they were not given the slightest con-
/ fjrmation Unofficial quarters.
! No official information had come
TO supplement- the press dispatches
from the front.
! Preliminary Moves
Army officials studied the press ac-
counts closely for signs of the German
purpose. The fact that on, blow was
launched at the southern end of the
| Picardy-E .anders battle line ami the
other. at almost the extreme north end
of the 200-mile front, was taken as
direct evidence that today's attacks
were only preliminary moves in the
German strategic designs.
! Extension of the active battle 'front.'
to the Aisne sector on the south would
mean adding forty or fifty miles to
the fighting lines at time when the
German army needs every unit it can
get together in centralized positions
within the wide salient driven into the
Allied lines by the first rush. Off
Gals here agree with the French crit
les that the most probable place for
the renewal Of the drive to dcveloE
would be in the Albert sector of the
Amiens front. An advance there would
'hSh"SS aIlS anu t1c cnannel EOrtS
Explanation of Delay
An explanation of the long delay
Of the Germans in renewing the Of
fensivc has been found in the forty.
mile stretch of shell-torn roads ovel
which they had to move up guns and
ammunition before they could resume
pressure of the Amiens line with
massed power. Many officers thought
tonights extension Of the offensive tc
the Aisnc thcater wa. merely fcint
preparatory to later attack in the
Albert region, or near AmienS, the
point of maximum penetration, and
where American units now block the
road with British and French COM
rades. 1t was pointed out the long
sweep Of the French line from Mont.
didier southeast to Pinon, the northern,
flank of the new German thrust, had
constituted great menace to the
whole German position in the Picardy
sector.
Others contcnded that the new blow
was struck directly at Paris and the
long range gun brought into action
against that city again in order to
force Gen. Foch, supreme commander
to mass reserves on that side
| From the French point of view the
road to Paris must be defended at all
costs. The British, Of course, attach
+ supreme Importance to the channel
ports. The new German thrusts ap-
peared to be cunningly planned to
exert the greatest popular pressure on
the Allied leaders to draw their re-
serve strength to the south and north
gradually weakening the line in the
center. The center is north of Amiens
probably, from military standpoint
around Albert. Some observers are
convinced that if the blows to the
north and south prove effective for q
few days, compelling reinforcemcnts
of both lines, the situation will change
overnight at the psychological mo-
ment and the real weight of Germany
might be hurled at the weakened cen
ter.
| -W-S-S-
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