Evening star., 1918-08-27
WHOLE GERMAN RESISTANCE
CRACKING AT VITAL POINTS
Allies Attacks on Flanks Forcing Dis
orderly Retreat Opens Possibility Of
Real Disaster for Enemy.

stood from March. 1917, to the spring
of this year. He has instead fingered
and procrastinated as Napoleon did
in eastern Germany in the early sum-
mer of 1913, hoping for victory, ex-
pecting a turn of the tide and thus
moving ineluctably toward Leipzig,
which was the ruin of his empire and
the doom Of his European supremacy.
Lingering, Ludendorn has suffered
heavy local defeats and an ever
mounting 'wastage of men and ma
terial. He is not infiicting greater
losses upon Foch than he is suffering:
on the contrary. his losses are far
more considerable and the morale of
his army ts breaking down under
ssss4y M ret,sat.sset q siaxls retire
which was orderly and left his SOL
movement. but rSSfSxtSfSTfefssSSc
defeats. each Of which increased the
depression and pessimtsm OF his army
and increased the sense OF superiority
felt by his foes.
We have still to keep our feet
solidiy> on the ground, despite the
amazing turn OF events and the eyer
growing magnitude Of our successes.
The decisive stage Of our campaign,
or our offensive Of this year. has not
yet come. It. cannot come until the
battle for the Hindenbhrg line be-
gins. That battle may begin At any
moment. but II it does It will be. on
new fields, north of Afras or east of
Rheims, or in both regions, thus re-
calling the double thrust Of Cham
pagne and Loos@ in 1916. In. word.
Ludendorfrs center Is now that beat
en- host retiring upon the Hindenburg
line, which offers 1t a possible rally
ing ground. But in the nature-<sf
things an allied attack upon the
tanks. turning the Hindenburg line
and abolishing the position to which
the beaten center is retiring in mani
fest disorder. Is the stroke to be. ex-
pected. II It comes, then it will be
followed by, a real disaster. for the
beaten center will then have no re-
spite short of the Meuse, apd this
means a new retreat without any
chance to reorganize and rest.
Critical Fortnight Ahead.
All now depends upon two things,
the extent to which the center can be
harried and demoralixed before it gets
to the Hindenburg line and the abil-
ity of Foch to strike on the tanks and
thus abolish the German line in
France from Lille to verdun. A
more interesting and a more critical
fortnight than that which is before
us is impossible to imagine. More
than this, recognizing how futile is
forecast at such time, we can yet
see that events are, at least tending
rapidly toward producing another
Leipzig. not Sedan or even a Jena,
but Leipzig, a defeat which. threw
Napoleon back into France and set
tied the fate of his ten years strug-
gle for the supremacy in Europe.
Watch the tanks, keep track OF
the prisoners and guns taken: by con-
trast pay relatively little attention
to ground gained in. front Of the Hin
denburg Line; this is the advice all
military commentators are giving to-
day. The present hour is the best
since the war began for the allied
cause; it holds out great present pos
sihilities, 1t insures ultimate military
decision over the enemy. absolute
and unqualified. "
Copyright, 1913, by the Tribune Association.
New York Tribune.