The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-07-19

United Press
War Summary

| IyffIIH 0dy OF tUC war; t<t6I Ody
Of the big offensive.
| Asne-Marne Front: The AmerL
cans and French, after consolidating
their newly won positions, resumed
the offensive at o'clock this MORN
ing on the whole 25-mile front from
Soissons to chateau-Thlerry. New
progress was reported, despite heavy
reserve forces flung into the battle by
the Germans. A strong German
counter attack southwest Of Scissors
was repuised. The enemy Is report.
ed to be destroying supplies In Soils.
sons, preparatory to evacuatjng the
city. United Press dispatches filed
this afternoon reported that the bat
tie was increasing In fury.
| Champagne Front: Simultaneous
Iy with tho Franco-American drive
to the westward French and italian
troops are attacking on fifteen mile
front from the Marne, between Cha
tesu-Thierry and Epernay, northeast
ward toward Rheims. They have
r"a5e some progress and the'- sd-
vance Is continuing, thus increasing
the danger to the great forces of Ger
mans within the Marne salient, which
is being assaiIed both from the east
and west.
oise Front: Extensive French
raids on this front and in the Woevre
district netted more than 100 prison.
ers.
Picandy Front: German raids were
repuised in the ViIllers-Bretonneux
and MorIancourt sectors.
| Flanders Front: British made
successful raid near Locre.
Austria-Hunsary: A squadron OF
! fifty-four italian airplanes raided
PoIa.
England: Herbert Hoover, Amer
lean food administrator, arrived.
Japan: The newspaper Asahi de-
c,ares the Japanese cabinet decided
Monday to intervene In Siberia.
1 Germans Disorsanlzed.
frBy j. W. T. Mason, United Press
4 War Expert.
! NEW YORK, July 19.-Renewal of
Ithe American and French offensive
today means the Germans have been
thrown into disorganization inside the
lAisne-Marne salient, and Won Hin
denburg is in danger of suffering the
most serious disaster since he be-
came chief of staff Of the kaisers.
armies.
The Aisne-Marne wedge forms for
the Germans a pocket, within which
Won Hindenburg has placed probably
35O. 900 troops. This pocket swings
southwark from scissors to the
Marne and then north to Rheims,
forming a line of about sixty miles.
The Franco-Americans are now driv'
ing the western side of this pocket
inward while the southern and east
ern sides are being firmly held and
locally attacked by the Americans,
French and Italians. If the driving
process continues a little longer, the
pocket may be squeezed flat.
The only way of escape for the
Germans caught within the pocket
then will be northward, along the
thirty-five-nfile opening between Sois-
sons and Rheims. If the Germans
wait too long before effecting their
lescape, the largest single capture OF
prisoners yet made by the allies may
fall to the Americans and French.
The accomplishment of this posi-
bility is now the main objective OF
the Franco-American drive. To pre-
vent it, Won Hindenburg win be COM
2elled to discard his own offensive
plans and use up his reserves for
defensive fighting.
The belligerent spirit OF the Ameri-
cans, as revealed Dy lHelI liioI ifti Sc
scale offensive, is unquesttonably
causing dismay at the kaiser's head
quarters. No army since the war be-
/ gan has in any respect approached
the military ability of the Americans
after such little actual experience IN
trench warfare. The Americans moved
! forward yesterday without previous
artillery bombardment of the enc
my's position This is the newest
and most highly technical method Of
attack. Yet, American adaptability
and initiative equaled the training of
veteran fighters.
The German war office is afraid
to tell the German people that Ameri-
/ cans have been so largely response
bic, both for the check to Won Hin
denburg's fifth offensive and for the
present successful allied counter
| stroke. American participation in
the fighting this week has not yet
been mentioned in the German Of
ficial communiques. Yet this is by
far the most important development
in the war. The kaiser's timidity
about letting his subjects know the
truth, is not likely to do him any
good at home when the facts finally
become known.
Peoria Grain.