Evening star., 1918-08-25
BY FRANK H. slMoNDs.


Copyright. 1918, the Tribune Axsociatlon-the
New York rribune.)
The active phase Of the third battle of
the Semme was over on Monday. Au-
gust ~. when the British fourth army
was halted on approximately the line Of
the old Somme front Of July !, 1916, the
front facing chaulnes and Roye. from
army at the beginning Of the FIRST battle
Of the Somme. Thirty thousand pris-
oners and $50 cannon captured. the
Paria-Amieps- RoulegRe railway cleared.
the Montdidier salient pihched out
these were the Immediate fruits OF the
frst allied offensive In the campaign Of
the initiative had passed from Ludep-
dorm to the allied commander-in-chief.
In the following week there was a
slow but marked forward movement
south of Chaulnes az Debeny's first
army, Humbert's third army. and finally
the French tenth army beyond the Oise
moved up in line and In turn reoccupied
the old position of July. 1916 At the
moment when this article is written, on
Monday, August IS, the line from the
Somme to the Aisne, from scissors to
ChauInes, comedies almost exactly with
the familiar line Of two years ago. and
the changes that have taken place in
the past week are the logical conse-
quences of the initial victory on August
s and the following three days.
The parallel with the events at the
Marine is exact. All that happened
after July -. when .taaH Mangins thrns. ss
natural and Inevitable consequence of
the initial gain; the Germs ms had TO
retire to the Vesle, between Soissons
and Rheims, because Mangin's thrust
had rendered the intervening country
khA
Hutier and Narwitz were compelled
to retire along their entire front be-
cause of the successes of the British
south of the Somme and toward
Chaulpes. In the same way, because
the German tanks along the Oise and
the Somme held. the British advance
was Obliged to halt as the allied ad-
vance in the MaFne salient had been
compelled to halt because OF the sue
cess of Boehn in defending the hank,
ing positions about scissors ana
north of Rheims.
thus temporarily stabilized them
selves on the old Somme front line,
there have continued runners OF re-
tiremept by the Germans on a VIDE
front, rumers which persist ana raise
once more the ne auesaGea que Gepmans al to .o the
Hindenburg line, with possible m
termediate stop on the line OF the
unper Somme, precisely as there con-
tinues the belief that the Germans at
the VesIe will ultimately go back be,
hind the Aisne and reeccupy the Ola
Chemin-d n-des-Dames position. On the
military side the signincanee OF suef
retiremepts would be simple ana tne
reyersien to the strategy or lslf uh-
mistakable-
Hindsnburg Retreat Explained.
The great Hindenbure- retreat of
1917 was very little understood az
NJ approa aching German defeat and
expuisien from France 1t was noth-
inr of the sort. Germany had still
Russjan problem on her hands, ana
she believed that one more campaign
would suffice to abolish the eastern
trent The experiences 81 the sonl.ns nnnas
had taught her the enormous costs
ef a defensive campaign OF pound.
ine. costs which she could not well
Aecordineiy Hindenburg resolved to
decline q renewal of the battle OF
British had made enormous prepara-
tons, withdray his whole line be-
tween Arras and Soissens, and by
devastating the Pieardy and AFtois
rssions before his new position delay
the British and French approach to
the new frent. render useless an the
vast labors of the allies in prepar-
ing the ground for a continuation OF
the Somme extensive and avoid any
serious lighting on these sectors for
Hindenburg's reasoning was in sub
stance this: 'I cannot afford the men
for another Somme battle this year
and the enemy is preparing to re-
sumo the struggle. But II ! retire
twenty miles to good positions 1t
will take him all summer to arrive
hefore the new positions with his
communicatiens. heavy artillery and
ehIe 70 attack the new line this year.
nut will be compelled to attempt an
otfensiye on either side. where the
new line rejeins the old; that is, in
Elanaers and on the Aisne. He will
inns attack my tanks, when I re-
tire my center, but by retiring my
center and devastating the ground
before 1t 1 shall be safe from an at