The Alaska daily empire., 1918-07-31
THE RESPONSIBILITIES CONFLICT.

Writing under date of July 27th Albert s. Draper the correspondent, graphically described the sit nation in the Asne-M -Marne battle region as follows
 "To understand what is going sequel to the Allied victory July IS, one must appreciate that the enemy is trying to extricate himself We must understand this word extricate. Take an arc not much more than twenty-five miles across and less than twenty miles deep. Imagine that less than at least thirty five divisions crammed with their material, their accumulated dumps for shells their artillery, including the heaviest pieces, their stores of food and prOvis- ions. and all preparations for what was on July 1o the great offensive movement.
 One must realize that each of these thirty five divisions least 5000 nfantrymen and some 6000 others, less only by dead, wound ed and prisoners and all his huge mass cramped in so narrow space is compelled to retire through two points where the roads of the district meet Fere-en-Tardenos and vie-en- Tardenois, both of which are under direct fire at comparatively short range, while the whole arc is under converging fire from every side.
 That is the situation at the present moment on the Grown Princes left. and more expensive one could not be conceived. The mouth of the pocket is not so narrow that the troops within are doomed. Far from it. The mouth as any one can see by looking at map, is broader than the depth. But what the defeated enemy is con deLined to by his position is enormous losses in proportion to those of his victorious assaants He has to counter-attack ceaselessly in order to preserve the centres of supply and behind him from being reached. And, as I have said he IS under convergng fire the whole time
 By steady pressure with occasional local con- centrations the Allies are squeezing the Crown Prince, and his position in the Marne salient has grown more precarious. The chief progress has been made south of the Ourcq where the Franco American forces have captured Oulchy -le- Cha teau and drawn closer to Fere-en- Tardenois the Important crossroads"
 Since the date of this teegraphic letter the Allies have driven wedge into the German wedge from the southwst, crossing the Ourcq river Fere-en Tarde nois. which captured. and approaching the Adre river advancing toward Fismes the center of German activities in the region. The Americans are in the apex of this wedge within d wedge Evidently it wa, to stop this drive into their center that the Germans counter attacked Monday and continued their of fensive operations for twenty-four hours, when the Allies broke down the attacks the Americans defeat ing the forces that in their front composed ir part of the crack Prussian guards, and pushing the positions toward Fishes.
 This would seem to leave the Germans in two wedges now instead of one. One lies southeast o Fere-en- -Tardenois and southwest of Rheims and an other west and north of Fere- -en- -Tardenos and be tween that place and Soissons. There is pres ent time. therefore. probably not German position n the whole region south of line that would bt forth of the Vestle river that is within the range of the great of Allied artillery