New-York tribune., 1918-08-29
The Last Phase
By Frank H. Simonds
Copyright 1918 by The Tribune Associauon-New
York Trbune)

r UDENDORFF'S retirement in con-
IL sequence of his defeat of August 8
has reached it's last phase. Having
hung on to the old lines Of 1916 as long
as possible to permit the withdrawal OF
guns, munitions and material and the
complete renovation of the Hindenburg
line, he is now executing a "hell-for-
leather" flight to the place Of safety.
We had exactly the same thing in the
case of the Second Battle of the Marne,
when, following stubborn rearguard
actions on the heights above the Ourcq
for nearly a week, the Germans sud
denly made dash backward for the
line of the Vesle, and the Sunday papers
of August recited the list Of villages
reoccupied, just as the newspapers are
now giving a new list Of reoccupied
towns.
In the case Of the Marne retreat the
great question was whether the German
would decide to stand at the Vesle or
the Aisne. To-day the question is
whether he will halt at the line Bertin-
court Peronne- Noyon, which is the line
of the Tortille and Somme rivers and
the Noyon Canal, or whether he will go
straight back to the Hindenburg line.
In any event he is going back to the
Peronne- -Noyon line, which will be his
next resting place.
But while the spectacular advances of
the British and French from Bapaume
southwark are attracting the attention
of the public who follow the war by the
headlines, it is actually true that the
comparatively insignificant advance of
Byng to the north along the Scarpe is
OF far greater Importance. Thus the
capture of Monchy y-lePreux, the Bois
des Sarts and Vis-en-Artois, supple
mented by further captures yesterday,
carries a real threat to Cambria and
Douai, while the fall of Bapaume,
Chaulnes and Roye are merely conse-
quences of an earlier defeat, which will
be liquidated when the Hindenburg line
is reached. In a word, they are already
discounted, while the new push has a
present and future meaning.
Allenby took Monchy-le- Preux in
April, 1917, but he could not shake the
Germans out Of their hold on the park
at the east side of the town, and as
consequence it had far less value to him
than 1t would otherwise have haa as an
observation point. His offensive after
the early April days, pushed only to
help Nivelle's larger operation on the
Aisne, was stopped exactly where the
British are now making progress. From
Lens right down to the Sensee River. at
Cherlsy, the British are now at or be-
yond the line Of 1917, and where thew
are beyond it they are on high ground
of great value.
Now, it is quite plain that any further
advance will bring Byng's army square
~ up to the last circumstance of that
Wotan line so much talked of in 1917.
the Drocourt- -Queant switch, running
down from the never broken section of
the German line behind Lens to the
main Hindenburg line east of Croisilles
1hls IS the ultimate barrier to British
advance to Douai and Cambria and
Douai and Cambrai are the KEYS Of all
the region now occupied by the Germans
IN Northern France. If the British can
reach either, then the Germans must
make tremendous retirement both
north and south. They will, indeed
nave to go back to the Belgian frontier
and the deliverance of France will be
substantially accomplished.
We do not yet know whether the Cor.
man will be able, at the close of his
present retreat, to hold the British and
french where he plans to hold them
That is the great test of the future and
or the Immediate future. But it is ouita
clear that the test will be somewhere
north OF Bapaume and on the portion
OF the front astride the Scarpe and
northward of that little stream. The
reason IS simple. South of Bapaume.
or more exactly, east of Croisilles. the
OLD Hlndenburg line makes a great bend
eastward and in front of it is thirty
mile waste, created at the time of the
great retreat of 1917. Now, it is going
TO be long and difficult task for o,r
allles TO create roads and RAILWAYS from,
thelr Old line to the new front when tho
Germans halt.
But north of Croisilles the old and
new British fronts are not three miles
apart. Therefore Hyng can begin his
assault upon the Wotan line almost
IRON Scratch" as they say on the ath-
letic field And he has all +bo l
tage of position as we'll as of proximity.
remember to have seen in Sir DOUGLAS
Halg's headquarters in France wear
ago relief model Of this region in CLAW.
The Gtfect WaS St1il.iracr