Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-03
TENBIG ARMIES
ATTACK GERMANS
Belgian, French, British
and Americans Unite in
Colossal Battle
FOE FEARS DISASTER
Exerts Every Effort to Protect
Retreat to Lille.Mezieres
Positions
FOE A DISASTER
Special Cable to Epening Public Ledger

Special Cable 3 Erening Public Ledger
Copyright. 1913. by Ncw York Times 20.
Paris. Oct. 3.
While Paris as a whole Is more than
satisfied with the situation, there are no
Illusions here on the part Of the thinking
public as to the immediate outlook. The
belief is cherished in many quarters that.
given some exceptionally happy event.
such as wholesale mutiny on the part
OF German troops or widespread popular
risings In the interior, Germany may
collapse as suddenly as Bulgaria has
done and the war be over by Christ
mas.
But more careful observers. who form
the larger proportion of the public here.
direct attention to one outstanding fact.
That fact Is that. however much the
Kaiser and military party may endeavor
to csmoufage the situation by pretend
ing to favor the characterization of Ger
mar political institutions. the real enemy
is Prussian militarism. which will fight
to the last gap.
Political abdication the ~junkers may
consent to as long as the military ma
chine is left untouched. but military alb
dication never.
No amount of democratizing of the
German Government. or even a wide ex-
tension of the franchise. can have the
least effect in the interest of the peace
CT the world, as French opinion sees II,
until the German military armor has
been rendered useless for evil.
In spite of the equalization Of Bulgaria
and the possible detection of Turkey and
Austria. Germany herself is still unfet-
tered. A decisive crushing defeat of
Germany in the field and occupation of
German territory on a large scale re-
mains as ever. as Paris sees It. the only
possible means of ending the war.
Ten Armies Attack
The strategic situation offers the high
est hopes. with the advent of Berthe
lots army west of Rheims in support of
Mangin on it's left and Gouraud on the
right. ten Allied armies are now attack
ing, from the Belgians on the north. fol-
lowed by four British armies under
Plumer. Horne, Byng and Rawlinson.
respectively, and three French armies
under Debeney. Berthelot. and Gouraud.
to the Americans under Liggett, west Of
verdun. All these armies are fighting
one one continuous battlefront. extend
ing almost exactly 100 miles. the long
est line Of simultaneous unbroken at
tack the world has ever known.
IL Is now ClcdT tFht the real ODJeCtlNe
Of the Allies this time is not the con-
quest Of any one position or a local
series of positions, but a veritable eff
fort to destroy an enemy army which
IL still formidable. but which every day
feels it's strength diminishing. while that
of its adversary is continually increas-
ing.
L~udendorff has now thrown in virtu-
ally the whole of the reserves which he
had accumulated carefully saved up
for exactly such a situation as now
faces him. More than ever before Ger
many is now taxed to her extreme limit
Of strength to resist the ceaseless pres
sure Of the Allies. The enemy is now
enduring the greatest effort that has
ever teen made against him, and has had
to call on every ounce of the strength
remaining in him to withstand the awful
blows rained upon him.
For the moment. to sum up the situa-
ton In a phrase. the enemy has succeed
ed In holding back the Allied attack
In the Champagne he has been able 10
counter-attack with large masses OF
troops both Gouraud's army and the
: Americans. In Picardy he has not hest.
tAted to throw other important masses
in between Cambria and st. Quentin to
delay tho British-French advance into
the centre of the Siegfried line. In Bel.
GUM he has succeeded more or less
in blocking the breach made by the Bel.
CLANS and British. but only to bring on
the strenuous attempts to envelop the
quasi-impregnable Lille position by the
north and south.
Expert opinion here regards Germany's
present tremendous effort as beins
mainly directed toward avoiding com
pletF disaster along the whole present
line. and especially with a view of per.
hitting the German stan to accomplish
. vast strategic retreat back to the
Lille-Mezieres line. This wholesale re.
treat Is obviously becoming daily mors
certain n is already being foreshad.
owed by German military critics al
home.
The problem now facing the enemy is
how to accomplish this great movemen,
without losing too many prisoners and
too much material. II is regarded here
as obvious thatthe Germans realize they
are powerless to continue their hold or
the present line in view of the enormou.
density Of the troops we can now utilize
to keep up the pressure and of the mas.
terly way in which Foch is handling
the battle.