Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-08-11
Time FOR GREATEST
EFFORT BY ALLIES
General March Says Foch Is Fol
lowing Principle of Hitting
Without Relaxation.
BUT END OF WAR NOT YET
Chief of Staff Warns Against
Undue Optimism, but Ex-
presses Great Confidence.
my Associated Press. ]

"AoaiNGIOS. August 10.-Thc
r'anco-British drive In Picardy has put
e enemy again in bad position
similar to the pocket which closed up
ON MIN on the Aiane- -Marne front. GEN
erai March said o-day In his weekly
conference with newspaper cores
pondents
The whole battle line from Rheims TO
FLANDERS is being Strengthened out and
the time has come for the greatest CT
FORT General March .aid.
Marshal Foch is following the sound
miitary principle Of hitting without
teia&ation. said the general when
you get the enemy going. keep him
going"
ANY suggestion that the cnd OF the
war Is At hand should be discuurascd
the chief of stan said. but the time
mas come TO keep the enemy running
ana to hit him hard.
The greatest advantage TO the allies
Is that they have taken the offensive
and can keep the enemy rucssing in
stead Of guessing themselves.
Although ,hc British War Office has
announced II. General March had no Of
hcial Information tnat American ,roops
arc participating N the drtr. in pi-
cardy. which already has enabled the
line OF communication under sun6rc
The chief ot s;an read a conndcntiai
report showing that the Blush had
taken In the first days o. tho drive
more prisoners than they could handle
In their prison cages and also had cap
tured al! en"try artillery in their i'm
mediate front The report added that
German general and his stan had
been aapturcd
FRENCH AND AMERICANS
aiBDiE UH RIVER VESLE
Turning tn tho situation on the vesIc.
General March said French ana Amer
lean troops had been "nlbDIing" aiuu:,
that line. but had mbdc no attempt AZ
yet 10 advance up the slopes north OF.
the river wherc the German lines OF.
chief resistance are supposed 10 stand
The temporary rehabilitation OF tha
fShting on the Eeslc front mad been
promptly met by General Euch. he
added. by the bio~ Ia Picardy where
events of the Mnrne battle Gecm likely
TO be duplicated.
The importance OF tho allied advance
on Chau!nes, Il Junction on the only
railway line the enemy has over which
TO "ithdra" from, The depths OF hi,
Picardy position was pointed out
D.
the Germans ia difficult situation.
Laying emphasis on the necessity OF
pressing on vigorously aaL giving the
enemy no chance io rest or readjux.
himself. General March said this was
the object OF the War department In
seeking 10 raise the age limits Of tho
draft and - hurry TO France ever
increasing American forcca.
MARCH PRAISES RAINBOW
DIVISIONS GREAT WORK
j, answer TO questions General March
said the Forty second ll.a!nbow) Divi-
sion. after receiving It's combat train
ing in Lorra ne. h.,d joined the French
east OF Rheims on July Is and he!prL
10 break The oaciMy drive ~ the place.
Reading from record OF the divisions
movement, he sid that Ia ciGh, days OF
battle IL had forced passage OF the
Ourcr. met six different enemy Givi-
sions and Had advanced sixteen k!o-
meters and taken prisoners from each
OF the opposing enemy divisions.
The Tweniy-ninth Division Is still
in Alsace, southeast o: l;p.nal; the
Seventy-ninth is still in the American
training areas and the Eishty-nfth is
now arriving in France. its infantry
having landed and its artillery being
about TO land. The Twcnty-seventh
Division, under Major-Gcncral O'Ryan
and composed of New York National
Guard troops. WAS last reported with
the British in Flanders.
The Germans General March told
tho newspaper men, were taken com
pletely by surprise and offered strong
resistance in the center OF the line at
which forces under Field Marshal HaiE
struck. Their greatest resistance was
on the north. where they recaptured a
portion OF the ground by vigorous
counterattack.
The terrain over which this fighting
Is proceeding. the genera pointed out,
lends itself to an advance particularly
because all tho river valleys stand
perpendicular to the allied lines and
do not parallel. 1t offe ing chance OF
resistance. AS II is. III allies advanced
directly UP these valleys through a
country that Is almost wholly nat and
in which even the small patches OF
woods have been lcvelcd by artillery
fire.