Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-09-10
Helping Hindenbury Change His Mind
By an Amateur Strategist

unlike most military expers) we do not
know it.
THE story of the month from that foggy
l. morning will fill many volumes in future
history. The impressive feature that out
stands y the calm, resoute and orderly eff
cacy of Foch's strategy. OF the tactical
problems, only those intimate with the ter
rain may be permitted to speak. In general,
it may be pointed out that the British be-
tween Arras and Albert were over the water
she'd and had downward going toward Douai
ana Cambria; against which must be said
that the enemy will undoubtedly stand as
long as possible before these two towns.
which form the ball-bearing of all his north
ern wing. The French, fighting up the
valley of the Disc, had serious difficulties of
contour to meet, but the rapid advance of
Haig's men upon Bapaume and Peronne made
1t necessary for Hindenburg to evacuate the
Montdidier elbow swiftly. Such are the ad-
Vantages or successful unified command The
Gernans clung desperately to the "massif"
or Lassigny and Thiescourt, which covered
their Keystone position at Noyon. Lassigny
ana a,it, Noyon were the hinges that linked them
with the Aisne and Ailette valleys. Once
these were lost. Laon and the Gobain high
land became the axle of their wheel.
TT CANNOT be insisted too strongly that
L barring unforeseen developments) the last
month may have totally changed the aspect
OF the war. The British, bursting through
the Wotan switch from Drocourt to Queant;
have menaced the joints of the whole north
ern arch. Hindenburgs great angle below
Laon' Is now In doubt because Of Fochs
secrecy as to his disposition Of the large
American forces. which are practically intact
under Pershing in readiness for a decisive
blow. The immense German bulge which ran
from Arras through Montdidier and back to
Soissons has been entirely emptied. The
maximum advance has been nearly thirty
five miles; and even in the Ypres-Bethune
salient the enemy has had to give ground to
the extent OF ten miles. Almost everywhere
the old Hindenburg line has been reganed
toward Cambria it has been shattered
WHETHER Hindenburg can stand through
w the autumn on the line of Cambrai-St
Quentin-Laon is now the critical question.
La Fere and Laon form a valuable pivot for
the German but Mangin is now so close to
La Fere and Anizy that Laon may be out
fianked in the course of the next week or ten
days In the meantime one may expect some
heavy stroke by Pershngs men toward Rethel
or Vougers, east of Rheims which would as
sst the French movements farther north 1t
should be pointed out that. owing to the bends
| Of the Aisne and Meuse, an advance between
| Rheims and Verdun would be down the
| course of these streams. And the finest fight
| ing weather of the year is still to come II
| the next two months should prove as
| profitable as the past two, 1t would not be
| impossible to see Lille and Valenciennes back
on the war maps
| HINDENBURG has repeatedly explained
| J. J. to Berlin that he has been shortening
his line to great and congenial advantage 1t
| now runs practically straight from Lens to
| Fort de Conde on the Aisne. where Il hinges
| eastward. 1t is now to be seen whether
F'och can help him shorten it to something
| even shorter than straight line--a line with
| hoes in it.
NNE other consideration of extreme i'm
" portance is to be mentioned. General
| Won Ardenne, the German military critic has
| spoken anxiously of the suspicious move
ment between the Meuse and the Moselle"
| That is to say, Foch has been concentrating
| troops in the southern wing, below Verdun
| toward Nancy and the Vosges. East of
| Nancy, along the Marne-Rhine Canal Is one
| alley into Germany, East of Belfort around
| the southern spurs of the Vosges and the bal
| lon dAlsace, is another In this Alsatian
| sector the Rhine is within easy gnshot
| There Is more than one way of examining the
| works of the watch on the Rhine.