The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1918-07-27

Apparently the GermaHS nave IOSI
the second battle of the Marine. All
the dispatches from the battle front
yesterday indicated that the German
high command has ordered a retreat.
Whether the enemy will retreat to
the Aisne river, as he did when de-
feated on the Marine in 1914, depends
upon the strength of the allies in
following up their victory. In cru
cial ways the circumstances are diff
ferent. The first battle of the Marine
was open warfare with trench sys-
stems no nearer the Germans than
the river Aisne. When the Teutons
fell back they did not stop until they
had reached the system of scientific
trenches they had wisely constructed
in their rear, trenches which were
the wonder and envy of the French
and British.
In the present mode of warfare
trench systems are much closer to-
gether and retreats do not cover so
much territory as in 1914, unless the
defeat has been as disastrous as that
which befell the British and French
in Picardy or the defeat which was
inflicted upon the French and British,
beginning May q, in the very region
which is now witnessing a German
reverse.
How badly the Germans have been
defeated we can only guess. The de-
velopments of yesterday pointed to
a v e everse. The Franco
American army, which moved out of
the Paris zone and attacked the
right flank of the enemy Thursday
morning, made rapid progress in a
few hours in a thunderstorm which
had driven the Germans to shelter.
The progress during the first day
was somewhat exaggerated in the
reports of correspondents. but, on
the whole, it was sufficient to YER
run the strongest enemy position
and to sweep up nearly $1,000 pris-
oners and more than 300 guns. At
the end of the second day the French
and Americans had captured 1900
prisoners and nearly 400 guns. On
the third day nearly 20, 900 prisoners
had been taken. Inasmuch as the
Germans had filled the towns near
this front with food and military
supplies. they lost an amount of ma
terial which cannot speedily be re-
placed. In this way they were pro-
excessively weakened as the Americans
and French advanced, and although
they threw in thousands of reserves
they we're not able to prevent an al
lied gain all along the line from Fon-
tenoy on the north almost to Chateau
Thierry on the south. Here was a
great wall more than thirty miles
long falling in on their right flank
against the allies. The time came
when the pressure of the wall be-
came so heavy that there seemed no
possibility of holding it up. 1t was
then that the German high command
decided to withdraw its forces from
the south bank of the Marne and to
give up some of the gains on their
left flank toward Rheims. Thus
they drew back about to their old
lines along the Marine and northeast
ward thereof.
The Germans were now confronted
by the necessity of making the most
momentous decision of the battle.
They asked themselves whether they
could bring up enough men to stop
the Franco-American advance on
their right flank. If they could hope
to hold the salient as far south as the
Marine. If not, they must order a
retreat from the Marne toward the
Aisne. Whether the latter decision
has been made we will know to-day
or tomorrow. Only an extraordi-