Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-11
REPLY OF FOCH
DELIGHTS PARIS
Terrific Offensive on Three
Fronts Declared Only
Possible Response
GREAT STRATEGIC PLAN
Triple Drives Creating New
Salients in Which to Trap
Enemy Hordes
GREAT STRATEGIC PLAN
Special Cable 10 Erening Public Ledger

Special Cable TO Erening Public Ledger
copDriOht 1913. bB Ncir York Times 60.
Paris. oct II.
Paris indorses thoroughly the reply
which Foch gave to the boche cry for
an armstice by resuming his terrinc
offensive on no fewer than three dif-
ferent sectors Of the battlefront. rs
Paris sees it. this is the only possible
response TO the absurd German appeal
and there is not man or woman in
this country hut is thoroughly con-
vinced OF Foch's calm disregard Of the
enemy squeL
One of the most notable features OF
the situation here is the implicit con-
fidence the French people have. not only
I that Foch but also that Wilson, viii DO
the right thing.
The latest developments of Fo'hs
plan are exciting universal admiration
among experts here. It is already e\l-
dent that the Allied commander in the
new offensive is 70 employ consistent
repetition of his previously oNerwheIh-
ingly successful method Briefly, the Of
fensives begun on Tuesday morning aim
st the creation and development OF two
new salients cutting deep into the
German main positions. Each ot the
two--for Gourauds offensive in the
Champagne and Liggetts on the right
bank of the Meuse above Nerdun, may
be regarded for all partial purposes as
one co-ordinated atack--has a double
object The anglo-American drive be-
tween Cambrai and St Quentin. the
deeper attack into the German lines,
will threaten more and more the safety
Of the whole enemy positions north and
south of Lille. and at the same time
ccmpromise his huge central bastion
surrounding Laon.
Two Positions Menaced
Gouraud's and Liggett's operations
between Laon and Metz must prove
equally threatening to the Laon bastion
on the left and to the Metz and Briey
bastion on the right Both offensves
are fresh examples of efforts toward
development and encirclement which
ndNe dlTeauy proved enormously sue
cessful as means of reducing enemy po-
sitions too powerfully defended to be
amenable to reduction by direct frontal
attack except at fearful cost of lives.
The progress of these new offcnSiveS
should be clio sely watched In view of the
fact that their success must inevitably
bring about German retreat on their
last defensive lines in France The
Hindenburg lire is now thing Of the
past for all practical purposes. Soon
eNQr later. as things are now going
the Csr1hans will he back on this last
line In French territory, which may be
sketched roughly as running from Lille
through Valenciennes and Ne2ieres to
Metz
According to reports received here,
the enemy is already fcvcrishly en-
gagged in strengthening this line.
The British. advancing southast Of
Cambrai, are now taking revenge for
the grueling they suffered at Cateau,
Landrecies and Contry during their i'm
mortal fighting in ,he retreat from
Mons in August, 1919, uuIIug the first
German onslaught Of the war. Every
step the Allied troops are now taking i'm
this sector is bringing them nearer to
the centures-old backgrounds which
are symboliZed I'm the French mind hy
the music of "Sambrv vt a1euse." per-
.
diers' march next TO the Marseil.aise
I'm the whole world.
The strategic objective or Gouraud
and Liggett, apart from the threat 10
Metz and Loan. appears to be to Sc
cure the historic Trouce de Stenay, north
of verdun. the broad passage through
the open country which has always been
regarded militarily speaking. as the
natural doorway for the German in
Il
TO block this doorway against the Ger
mans that Metz and Verdun became the
great fortresses they are.
Brilliant L.. :. stroke
The operations of Liggett's Americans
on the right bank Of the Meuse are the
natural corollary TO their brilliant ad
vance a week or two stsu on the right
bank. Further progress down the right
bank of the river, as ! cabled a week
ago, was more or less risky while the
Germans still were able to enh,ade the
y American positions by means of the
powerful and numerous batteries they
were able to use on the other side ot
the river. Yesterdays operations re-
suited in the Germans being driven ou,
Of all their positions on the eastern bank
OF the river, and carried our line tC
beyond Consenyove. which lies about
dozen miles down the river north ot
verdun The Americans are now wei
astride OF the river and steadily ad
yancing.
The opinion is gaining ground here
that Ludendorff has already waited toi
long before falling back along the wnol,
present battlefront, and that any dal
may now show It is no longer posi-
BILE for him to avoid a disaster wors
than anything his troops have so ia
suffered. Ludendorff evidently has no
had the courage 10 follow the eNampl
OF Joffre after Charleroi. Joffre d
not hesitate 10 break off combat an
fall back right to the Marine, where h