New-York tribune., 1918-09-14
Military Comment
BY William J.. Mcpherson

that it has gone, though fic-
tl0nzlng about the cause Of it's dis
appearance.
1t took the Americans, aided by
French contingents, only thirty-six
hours to squeeze out the appendix
to the Lorraine line, which the
Germans have been holding fast to
since 1914. 1t was smart and
workmanlike operaton-onc of the
most successful Of its kind in the
history Of the war The total Of
prisoners taken probably will run
to over $4,000 and the total of guns
captured to over 100. 1t was most
suspicious beginning OF the. Ameri-
can campaign on the Meuse- Moselle
front.
The attack on the st. Mihiel
wedge took the German General
Stat by surprise, although it
shouldn't have done so. Ludendorf
now admits his blunder in not with
drawing sooner from a dangerous
and useless salient by claiming that
he actually did withdraw before the
smash came. The German official
day statement, issued yesterday,
made the fatuous statement that
during the night Of September 12
the evacuation of the (St. Mihiel
salient, which was liable to encircle
ment, and which (the evacuation
mad been under consideration for
some years, was completed without
lnterfcrence.' 1t also fortified this
alibl by assuring the German pub
lie that, in anticipation of the at
tack of the French and the Ameri-
cans, we began evacuating this
salient a few days ago"
Fifteen thousand prisoners would
not have been left behind in the
course of a deliberate and volun-
tary evacuation Ludendorff was
prudent enough to quit the Lys
Valley salient while the quitting
was good. He drew off down
the Lys Valley two or three
times as many troops as were in the
st. Mihlel salient. His loss of pris
oners in this operation was negli-
glble-probably less than 5000. He
lost no heavy guns. He feared the
sprlnglng of a trap in Flanders.
But he didn't anticipate the spring.
ing of trap on the Meuse. And
now ne can protect his military rep
utation in Germany only by sup
pressing the truth and filing the
German communicates with fictitious
afterthoughts
Reports from the front yesterday
indicated that the whole St. Mihiel
projection had been ironed out. The
American forces have advanced
seven miles down the west bank of
the Moselle from Pont-a Mousson.
They have reached Pagnv-sur- Mo-
selle, on the German border, and at
that point are only ten miles up the
valley OF the Moselle from Metz
From Pagny the line runs west to
Hattonvile, which lies a little to the
north of Vignelles, in the centre Of
the salient. Then it turns northwest
to Combres and up the eastern side
OF the Meuse heights to a junction
with the old line southwest Of
Fresnes
Metz has not been threatened by
the operation Just completed. Metz
is very powerful fortress: vet its
value to the Germans may easjlv be
overestlmated. Fortresses in this
war have proved no stronger than
the armies charged with their de-
fence. A fortress doesn't protect an
army. And an army may easily be
lost trying to protect a fortress.
This was proved at przemysl in the
early days Of the war. A fortified
place like Metz, unable to resist
modern artillery, may become an in
cubus. Defending it destroys free
dom of movement and wastes
strength. Verdun was saved not by
It's forts OF its fortified exterior
lines, but by the heroic endurance of
the French infantry. 1t will be the
same with Metz. IF it is once envel-
oped it may be the grave of Ger
man army trying to hold it. just as
1t turned out to be in 1870 for a
French army under Bazaine.