The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1918-08-23
TEUTONS BEATEN
BACK TO SOMME
Relentless Allied Pressure Forces
Them Into Former
Trenches.
DREW HEAVILY ON RESERVES.
New Attacks by Foch May Be
Made on Flanders
or Italy.
DREW HEAVILY ON RESERVES.
BY HAYWOOD BRoUN.

(Mr. Broun accompanied the first
contingent Of American forces sent to
France az war correspondent for tho
New York Tribune and had exeep-
tlonaI opportunities to study conditions
on the Western front)
The western front now seems to be
stabilized for the moment. The Ger
mans have drawn heavily upon their
reserves to stave off the allies at all
points where the offensive was most
intense. OF course Foch is still apply
ing pressure. but the war of rapid
movement waits breathing spell for
both sides. Foch desires that breath
ing spell to be as short as possible. 1t
is not to his advantage to allow the
Germans to dig in too deeply.
At some points no great amount of
new preparation is necessary. In the
Somme, for instance, the fighting has
been over country that is fairly
Scared with trenches. The battle has
gone back to It's own, and old echoes
have been awakened The Germans
are back in the, time tried Somme
trenches. 1t seems as If the peoples
which dog the heels of an army are in
for hard time of it. But 1t Is more
than possible that Foch will not press
major decision on the Somme front
The German positions here are strong
Any number of trench lines are behind
them, and progress, unless an attack
were made in overwhelming force,
would have to be bit by bit. The ele-
ment of surprise is gone. 1t seems
probable that Foch will swing his at
tack at new spot. Flanders may be
the next scene of a new offensive, or
Foch may turn his attention to Italy.
There seem to be sound political as
well as military reasons for putting
Austria under pressure.
Germany's Worst Defeats
The two allied offensives just ended
are the most successful ever under
taken by the forces arrayed against
Germany. OF course there was q
larger bag of prisoners in some of the
Russian advances, but there, as we
know, the offensive was closely allied
to what practically amounted to re-
volt by the Czecho-Slovaks. Foch's
blows gained less ground than the
Germans in their March offensive, and
it Is probable that the toll of prisoners
and guns may be slfghter, and yet
Foch had the greater success After
all, the Germans aimed at the COM
plete dislocation of the allied armies
Their goal was nothing less than the
capture of the channel ports and
Paris. Their preparations were on a
corresponding scale, and so were their
losses. Now, FOch never had an idea
at this time of destroying the German
armies which faced him. He sought
to put Paris out of danger, and he did
that. He tried to stralghten danger
Gus salients In his line, and he sue
ceeded. He wished to test the Ameri-
can troops in major action. He
found out what he wanted TO know
1t was also what he had hoped. Nor
need we forget that In the combined
offensives of the allied troops Foch
took approximately 10000 prisoners
and a thousand guns The Foch blows
probably went just a little beyond the
expectations of the generalissimo him
self
Victory Drive Later.
The victory drive will come later.
1t will come Wien the flow of Ameri-
can troops and supplies has built up q
preponderance of numbers for Foch.
The commander has never favored
nibbling tactics. 1t is the bit by bit
warfare which piles up losses. Every
indication now at hand points to the
fact that the allied losses were strik-
ingly light In the last offensive. They
will be light as well even in the final
drive for victory if we can continue to
hasten men and supplies to France.
Curiously enough. the larger the at
lacking force the smaller are Its losses.
The allied countries can see victory
now, but 1t can be brought to hand
only by the most earnest support of
Liberty Bonds, which equip and send
the troops of America to France.