New-York tribune., 1918-09-07
Military Comment
By William l.. Mcpherson
Copyright. 1915 by The Tribune Association
New York Trbune)

VB infiltration on grand
scale-of alienation in at
tack-is still producing brilliant re-
suits. 1t is in striking contrast
with German methods. Hindenburg
and Ludendorff blasted through on
relatively narrow fropts-each blast
being only slightly related to the
other and each soon losing it's eX-
plosive ener| |gy.
Foch has struck successfully at
critical points on a very wide enemy
front, causing arrangements at
those points which have shaken
loose. the whole German line in
Northeastern France. 1t is case of
t'nessc Ucrsus brute force. Thus, the
Germans have been squeezed out of
the Lys Valley salient almost with
out a blow. They have been squeezed.
out of their positions between the
Vcsle and the Aisne and to the north
Of Rheims by virtue Of skilful
pressure economically exerted in the
Valley of the Aictte and above
SoIssons. Blasting, with its great
cost in effort, has not been neccs-
sary at any stage Of Foch's offensive
of the last seven weeks. Yet in that
time he has wiped off the slate all
the German gains of the preceding
four months.
His method has not yet been
solved by the German defence. It
VIII continue to yield results. The
! possibility of a German stand on the
old Hindenburg line has already
! vanished. Foch is now attacking
the two chief anchor points in that
! line-thc La Fere-L Laon sector and
the Cambrai-Doua sector. When
they give way Ludendorf will have
to retreat to the Belgian border.
La Fere is already endangered
General Humbert's army, pressing
up the Oise Valley. took Chauny
yesterday and pushed on toward
Tergnier, which is only two miles
southwest Of La Fere. Ham has
fallen. In the region south Of Ham
and east of the Canal du Nord the
French advanced yesterday nearly
seven miles. Within day or two
the entire territory between the
Oise and the Somme will be cleared
of German troops.
The Forest Of st. Gobain is the
great bulwarE before Laon. But
foch viii probably have as little
difficulty in outfanking it as
he had in outflanking the Lassignv
massif, Mount Raner, Ourscamp
Forest and the other powerful posi-
tions below Noyon. General Man
gins army is already on the edge
of st. Gobain Forest and at places
beyond the old Hindenburg line in
that sector. Further south it is
driving toward Anizy-le Chateau,
directly south Of Laon. Yesterday
Mangin's troops reached Laudri
court, two miles west of Anizy-le-
Chateau, and Vauxillon Ravine, two
miles southwest of it. Meanwhile
the Crown Prince Of Prussias ar
mics are retiring north of the Aisne.
only to find both the Chemin des
Danes line and the Laon-La Fere
line in their rear threatened with
development from the west.
On the Somme front the German
retreat toward ST. Quentin is being
hastened. The British and French
advanced again yesterday three
miles or more, both north and south
of Peronne, bringing their front up
to a line running from Monchy-
Lagache, on the south, through
V"aignes to Tincourt- Bouchy. Mon
chy-Lagache is ten miles west of St.
Quentin. Vraignes, in the centre. is
three and one-half miles west of
Vermand, which is five miles north
west of St. Quentin Tincourt is
two miles west of Roisel and five or
six miles west of the Hindenburg
line
Further north the British have
advanced couple of miles east to
Longavesnes, which is two miles
northwest of Roisel They are also
close to Metz-en-Couture. on the
southern edge of Havracourt Wood.
This wood lies about three miles
southwest Of Marcoing and is almost
up TO the Hindenburg line. This
once famous line is now hardly any,
thing but a geographical curiosity.
1t has lost its once potent. signifi-
cance, from the. military point of
view. 1t looks as if it were about to
disappear forever from the West
front war maps
German Air Forces
Far From ADEQUATE