The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-09-03
is WORST DEFEAT
Breaking of Drocourt-Queant
Line Heavy Blow.
One of Worst German Disasters
in Whole War.
IS main SYSTEM OF DEFENSE
May Involve Loss of All of
Northern France.
Victory Makes Immense I'm.
preston in London.


London, Sept. 3.-The sensational
breaking of the famous Drocourt-
Queant switch line after a series of
| important allied advances with great
captures of men and material has
made an immense impression here.
While too great confidence that the
success can be maintained is depre-
Gated, the blow is regarded as one of
the worst disasters inflicted upon the
Germans during the whole war, and
one which must cause their high COM
mand the deepest anxiety.
The belief is general that the switch
line is the main system of German de-
Tense and that there is nothing equally
strong behind it.
Releases French Coal Fields.
Its loss would involve the evacua-
ton of the French coal field, perhaps
even of the Flanders coast" saws the
Mail, land would imperil the German
hold on Douai. Valenciennes and Cam
brai, which are essential to Hinden-
burg for maneuvering his armies. The
switch line is thus the pivot of the
whole German front and it's breach
mans that we have forced the enemy
to a struggle of man against man,
which he had used all of his ingenuity
to avoid"
The Telegraph. also noting the dam
ger to the important German centers
of communications, says: IF the
Germans cannot stand before Douai,
Cambria and st. Quentin they can
stand nowhere this side of the German
frontier"
Paris, Sept. 3.-Yesterday was an
other day of notable successes for the
allies, results of the first importance
being attained in the face of stiff re-
sistance to both the British on the
left of the line and to General Man
gins French, troops on the right. The
French military commentators write
enthusiastically today over the breach
in the Hindenburg line made by the
British between Drocourt and Queant.
astonishing as it may SEEM" says
Henri Bidou in the Journal des Debats,
the enemy was once more taken by
surprise. Only by accepting this as a
fact can one account for the great
number of prisoners which indicate
the Importance of the forces engaged
and the lack of the prolonged re-
sistance which should have been the
consequence of the presence of this
important mass of electives Doubt
less the German staff held the hope
that the British after several days
hard fighting would be obliged to
rest"
Reserves Nearly Exhausted.
In the newspaper Oui. Col. Fabry
advances the view that the battle is
being directed on the German side by
the local commanders who are being
more and more left to their own re-
sources by General Ludendorff. This,
he argues, is a certain sign that con-
fusion prevails along the German line
and likewise of a scarcity of reserves
for in losing its reserve the supreme
command loses its best reason for in
tervening in the direction of affairs at
the front, the critic points out.
Will Have Widespread Effect.
All the commentators agree that the
British success is likely to have wide
spread effects and that the German
armies fighting before st. Quentin and
Lafere will be obliged to accelerate
their retreat for fear of the fall of
what is characterized as the pivot of
the whole line to the west of Cam
brai, which would place them in jeop-
ardy.
On the southern end of the line the
enemy is continuing to interpose an
energetic resistance between the
Alette and the Aisne, profiting by the
intricacies of the terrain which makes
the region one of the most difficult
t. attack and easiest to defend on the
whole of the western front. Never
progress, daily scoring advances
hich, while not great in themselves
are. appreciabTe and continuous and
are calculated to have cumulative
effect Thru the capture of Leuilly,
eight miles north of Scissors and of
Terny -Sorny, three miles directly
south of Leuilly, the French have
completed the capture of the plateau
above scissors. Leuilly, in addition, is
clos to the Ailette, while Terny- Sorny
is on a level with the Chemin des
Danes. which is less than four miles
to the east. One effect of the advance
is to give q view of the whole country
eastward as far as Laon, an advantage