New-York tribune., 1918-08-01
Affairs OF the
Rear Guard
By Frank II. Simonds

%HE fluctuations in the tide of bat
tie in the Soissons- Rheims region
in recent days have no other sig
nificance than the fact that the German
is approaching the line on which he
means to stand, and, as he approaches
that line, is redoubling his resistance for
two reasons: to complete the clearing of
the area to be evacuated of military
stores and to give his troops as much
time as possible to prepare the new
lines.
There is an additional circumstance
worth noting. The German fought Wig
orously and steadily for considerable
period in the rough and wooded country
Immediately north of the Marine and COW
ering Fere en- Tardenois. This was
natural defensive position on which to
cover his retirement. He then retreated
with sudden burst of speed to the line
of the Ourcq, and since then has been
making vigorous defence, marked by
really considerable local counter thrusts.
to prevent too rapid pursuit over the
hills on the north bank of the Ourcq and
thus a quick arrival of the enemy on the
south bank Of the Vesle, which, in any
event, will be the scene Of a considerable
delaying battle, even if the German ulti-
mately retires behind the Aisne
The four phases Of operations like the
present, in the contemporary war of po-
sitions, are thoroughly we'll defined and
follow the same normal course. There
is the preparation Of the attack which
was made in the Forest of Villers- Cot
terets while Ludendorff was developing
his own attack along the Marne. There
is the attack itself, which was made on
Thursday, July IS, and continued during
the next day. By Friday night, July 10,
these two phases were closed. There re-
mained two others, the pursuit beyond
the positions forced and the march Of
approach to the enemy's new position
We had passed the third phase, that
of pursuit, by the time our advance was
halted west and south of Rheims and
north of Chateau Thierry by German
counter attacks to the north and rear
guard actions to the south. Thencefor-
ward we have been passing through the
fourth phase, the march of approach to
the next position. In word, when the
German discovered the extent of injury
following the attack of July 1S and 10
he had no choice but to retire out of the
Marne salient, at least as far as the
Ourcq Valley, but the character of the
defence made by his flanks insured to
him sufficient time to get his men and
supplies out of the ground which he had
to evacuate
While the third phase was on, that of
July 10 and the two days immediately
following the successful attack, we took
many prisoners and guns, because the
enenly's positions had been preached both
north and south of the Ourcu-that is.
about scissors and Chateau Thierry--and
there was precipitate and disorderly
flight from the broken defence system.
After July 20 the pursuit was over, in
the technical sense. In these three days
we took 10000 prisoners and over 500
guns. In more than two weeks since that
time we have taken only four guns and
40" Vil@ii iidA1 sto many prisoners.
1t is hard to make clear to the average
reader, who is not yet accustomed to
military matters, the difference between
the fighting now going on and that of
the first days of the Franco American
attack. Then the gains were of utmost
value and of a character which might
concevably lead to a supreme military
disaster. Now they are the consequence
of the German decision, made because of
his early defeat, to go back out of the
Marine salient to some new line, probably
at the Vesle, possibly at the Aisne.
The rate of Allied advance now is. in
the main, fixed not by Allied effort, but
by German policy. When the Americans
or French come on at faster rate than
the German desires, having in mind the
necessities of getting away his heavy
guns and material and also of fortifyinp
his new front, he employs fresh divisions
for counter thrusts and we have such
desperate fighting as we had at Epieds
last week and at Sergy and Sernges
this week. The new troops slow down
the assault, temporarily stop the pursuit
and = temporary deadlock ensues. But