Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1918-09-14
Wiping Out Salient l. Begin
ming of Move TO En-
circle Met.
BLOW is STRATEGIC ONE
Capital Observers See Much
More Than Mere Capture.
Of Territory.
FRENCH ARMIES RELEASED
Forces Can BE Put Into Bat
tie Elsewhere; Railway
Line Liberated.

wAsHGNGTON. sep, ias com
rlotc elimination of tho So NmrI
salient by General porshnr- army
and cooperating French force.
many army officials here believe. Is
only the entering wedge uf opera
lions of far larger scope
Official dispatches were suI de-
Rycd and the Gun scope ~ the yir-
tory won l1 tho Americans 900 their
first independent action could not bs
gaugcd n was regarded ns prohl
bile. however, that General pcrshlura
men sill wrro pressing forward iu
get in touch with tho new limo the
enemy hopes tn hold
Until definite word ,omsF as 90
tho line across tho mouth uf tho
destroyed salient which the Amcri-
cans nov hold Officers here Will Doe
unable to form opinions aH to the
most probable course future opera
lions mo this tholicr will take There
ls strong belief that the quick rc-
duction " the 81 MihlcI salient will
ho made the cornerstone of "a great
cucirCllng movement aimed AZ iso-
atinr the German fortress. NJ Metz.
tho center huttross of the whole Ger
man front from tho North sea 90 the
Swiss border
Territory Not True Estimate.
The strategic importance OF Cen
erdl Porshing's smashing victory
hardly can be over estimated. In the
opinion ~ many observers 10 is out
NJ an proportion 10 the tXtcnt Of the
territory regained or the forces em
ploycd II is said. Tor tho removal Of
| this menace In tho rear of the
French citadel of Ncrdun. has re-
leased tho French armies from that
point 10 Rheims FOR active offensive
| operations n also has liberated the
railway line from Nerdun 10 Com
mercy Toul and Nancy which will
! be ~ the utmost value 20 General
PershinE and 10 the French armies
| on his left In supporting future oper-
ations along this front
II was the loss OF .shis railroad
severed by the GeFfnans In 1910
with the capture ofSt. Mihiel which
placed the Nerdun fortress In dan
| ger and brought ON the battle "
Ncrdun
General Pcrshinr now has signal
he'd tho entry Of the American army
into the war hy smashing tho on
D
whole battle front. and smashing u
In less than two days Of fighting
Early reports fixed tho number of
prisoners taken hy the Americans at
1900. and these probably represent
the wrcckage of ~ least three enemy
divisions No estimate ~ the war
booty captured has been received.
Advance Not stopped
As the lines were reported ton ight.
there was nothing to Indicate that
tho American advance had stoppcd
The German official statement was
that q now linc had been prepared
hut tho nature ~ tho country where
tho American troops stood late to-
day indicates that the German de-
fensc positions must be farther back
toward Nctg. where better natural
obstacles are available n was OK
pected here that American patrols
would pnsh forward to feel out This
limo before p new advance is under
taken
The German statement that tho
salient had been evacuated without
serious Interference caused much
amusement among officers IN view
of the number of prisoners captured
10 has been estimated that seven di-
visions of the enemy were IN M"
salient including those standing
guard at Us Naukv Probably not
more than four dlvigions have at any
time been In the depth OF the pocket
and ~ these more than ono. fourth
have been captured Officers say
that retreat effected a. such a
cost hardly can no considered as n
successful evacuation. and they are
Inclined TO accept tho German state
mcnt ~ PROMULGATED Tor home con
sumption.