Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-22

the eyes of the allies had been fixed
on the long curving line from La
Fere to ArraS as the stage where the
first act of the great drama would
be enacted.
Germans Sweep Forward.
Moving with a swiftness that car
ried concern to every entente nation,
the German forces swept over the
British lines in Picardy and rolled
westward like a tidal wave during
the closing days of March until at
last the British reached positions
where they could stand at bay and
the French had come to form living
wall before the gray-clad host of
the German emperor. Then the Of
fensive stopped.
Hardly had it's rush been checked
than the line between Lens and Ypres
was attacked by the Germans and
ward. This advance of the enemy
went on until it reached the high
ground to the southwest of Ypres. and
then it, too, was stopped by the stub
born fighting of the allied armies.
A pause followed for nearly month
and then on May q the Germans sud
denly broke through ting French lines
north of the Aisne river and smash
ed their way southwark until they
had reached the Marine over a wide
front east of Chateau Thierry. No
sooner had the momentum of this
drive been taken up by the yielding
defense of the\French troops than a
new assault-Was made by the Ger
mans, who, this time tried to break
the French lines between Montdidier
and Noyon and link up the Picardy
and Marne sectors.
Allies Pursue Definite Policy.
It was here that the world had the
first intimation that the allied armies,
which since late in March had been
under the supreme command of Mar
shall Foch, had been pursuing a definite
policy and had conserved their
strength against the time when it
might be used with good effect. The
German attack east of Montdidier
came to a pause after six days of
terrible fighting. in which the Ger
mans suffered frightful losses and the
French. for the first time since the
German offensive began, struck back
at the invaders.
American forces had taken part in
the final phases of the battle along
the Marine and had been Instrumental
in stopping the Germans at Chateau
Thierry- In this battle came the first
notable contribution of America to
the military fortunes of the allies.
Floodtide Over Atlantic.
Since March, however, there had
been a doodide of khaki-caad men
crossing the Atlantic and during
May. June and the first part Of July
they rapidly moved up to the battle
zone.
The sanguinary check of the Ger
man offensive east of Montdidier gave
hof 10 l.
would be safely stemmed and this
feeling was heightened during the
succeeding three or four weeks by a
series OF local actions along the front
from scissors to Chateau Thierry by
which the Germans were driven back
What was not known by the lay
world was the fact that, by these
very actions, Marshal F0ch virtually
forced the Germans to attack some
where in the Marne region, where
were made for a new
phase of the struggle.
"ofensive Of Peaee.o
On July Is the Germans made a new
drive. called by them "the offensive
OF peace from Chateau Thierry east
tor No sooner had the news Of the
attack reached the world than the
tlolngs came that the French. Italian
and American lines. subject to assault,
were standing firmly in every Vita
part Of the front and that it was
only by the greatest effort that the
Germans pounded their way ahead in
the region southwest of Rheims and
astride the Marne west of Epernay
Il was then known that the allies
bad solved the German system of Of
tense and were able to hold thei,
ground.
Changes Whole Situation.
On July Is Marshal Foch launched
whole complexion of the situation
From Fontenoy, on the Aisne, west
Of scissors. to Chateau Thierry, on the
Marne, the German lines were torn
to pieces and the Marine sale nj
threatened to collapse. It was only
by the most savage fighting that the
Germans succeeded in saving theiH
army from disaster and finally sue
ceeded in retreating across the Vesle
river.
On August the French and Brit
ish stormed the German lines in
Picardy from the Ancre river to Mo-
reuil. north of Montdidier and sent
the enemy ree1ing back toward the
Somme. The next day the French
crushed in the German front south OF
Aontdidier and then, linking theiI
lines with those Of tho British farther
north, forced the invaders back to the
eastward.
Less than two weeks later the Ger
man lines southwest of Arras were
attacked and these gave way and the
forces holding them Joined their COM
rades farther south in a retreat
which has now virtually reached the
German lines as they were on March