Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-19
FRENCH ON PART
OF u. s. SECTOR
Occupy Nearly Half of Ter
ritory Allotted to Amer
ican Army
STAFF PROVED WORTH
Organization Directing Ad-
vance to Coblenz Formed
Almost Over Night
STAFF PROVED WORTH
BY EDWIN L. JAMES
Special Cable to Evening Public Ledger


Copyright. 1918. bv NetO York Times Co.
Coblenz, Dec. II delayed.
The expiration of the original period
of the armistlce at II o'clock today
found the troops of the American
Army of occupation on their final posi-.
tions along the perimeter Of the Co
blenz bridgehead. Despite the changes
in plans, the movement was made en-
pedltiously and skillfully in a manner
that is tribute to the staff Of the
Third Army. which was formed almost
overnight a month ago.
There should be made clear at this
time the composition Of the forces
holding the Coblenz bridgehead and
the fact that the Third Army does not
command the whole bridgehead as first
planned, and that the British COM
mand the Cologne bridgehead and the
French the Mayence bridgehead. Forty.
two per cent Of the Coblenz bridge
head has been taken over by French
troops, not under General Dickman,
but under the Tenth French Army.
To gain a graphic idea Of the sit
uation. one should draw semicircle,
with the Coblenz end Of the Pfaffen-
dorf bridge as center, and a radius
Of thirty kilometers, the Rhine being
the diameter. This gives an arc start
ing north on the Rhine jus below
Linz. through Stumperich, p z ,rsfahl,
Oberlahr, Niederwambach, Dreis, Drei-
fielder, Schonbers. Salz East Diez,
Karlskopf. Dorsdorf. Egenroth. Lip.
perm, Wissel and Dorscheid. This semi
circle was the original American sec
tor which the Third Army planned to
command.
Three French divisions have been
ordered by Marshal Foch into this
sector and have occupied the south
ern end up to the irregular line run
ming from Horcheim. on the Rhine.
through Nicvern. Hoffhobe, Holzappel,
Eppenroth and Hundsangen. 1t is my
personal opinion that the thing would
have been better done had not the
whole sector been once assigned to
the Third Army. Again expressing a
personal opinion, ! should say it is
the idea Of the doughboy that the
French should be given the whole
sector free of charge with q cash cou.
pom attached, and to the Americans
should be given tickets home down
the Rhine.
The relations between the Ameri.
cans and the German population con
tinue to be all that they should be. The
Germans are satisfied with our treat
ment, and our army is satisfied with
the behavior of the German civilians
Visitors to all the occupied sectors sa y
they notice differences between ouI
sector and the others. but what goes
on here suits both sides here con
cerned.
There is no friction on the Ameri
can sector. We are doing our Job OF
occupation in the American style, with
American methods. and 1t is working
fine. Our soldiers feel that nothing
is lost by having the Germans glad
we are among them, SO long as some
of the enemies had to be.
December 16-The French divisions
which have taken over part Of the
American sector are operating under
command Of the French Tenth Army
and not under the American Third
Army. The American Third Division
which was to have been sent to the
Mayence bridgehead, has had its
orders changed. Three French divi
sions already hold nearly half Of the
original American sector.
1t is formally stated that thes,
changes in plans have no connection
with our treatment of the German
population. There has been no chang.
( in our policy Of kindly and moderat,
| treatment Of the civilian population o