New-York tribune., 1918-08-22
Chaulnes, Roye and Las
signy Are Scenes Of
Heavy Attacks
LudendorH Seeks
To Gain More Time
Mangin's Advances En-
courage Belief Foe May
Retire Beyond Aisne
By Arthur S. Draper
Especial Cable to The T,1bume>

Especial Cable to The 1',1ibune>
Copyright, 1918. by New York Tribune Incl
LONDON, Aug. 21.-Mangin's Tenth
Army continues It's steady progress on
the hilly woods southwest of Noyon,
while General Humbert's Third and
Debeney's First are slowly encircling
Roye. The three pivotal towns Of
Chaulnes, Roye and Lassigny were the
scenes of heavy attacks and counter
thrusts. Each hour sees an improve
ment in the Allied positions.
General Mangin's new gains give en-
couragement to the belief that the Ger
mans may be forced to retire from the
Vesle line and get back to the Chemin
des Danes. 1t is clear now that Luden-
dorff is conducting considerable troop
movements behind the Somme Canal
and that the stubbornness with which
he is contesting the British advance be-
tween Chaulnes and Roye is due to his
desire to gain further time
Foch Harassing Enemy
Foch is contenting himself with ha-
RAISING the enemy rather than dealing
heavy blows againsS strong positions
which might bring quicker results but
would certainly prove more costly. Tn
less Ludendorff intends q wide with
drawal to the Somme battlefield it is
difficult to understand the object of his
heavy reactions around Chaulnes. Since
August II he has struck three powe rful
counter blows in the neighborhood of
Lihons, but though each attained in
itial success the British quickly re-
stored the line
With the Allies on the western out
skirts of Roye, the German tenure of
the town seems short but Ludendorff
is showing no signs of abandoning it
until driven out. The struggle for Les
signy is extremely bitter, with the
armies engaged in a tussle resembling
in miniature the fighting of Verdun and
Passchendaele Ridge. Mangin's army
working north from the Aisne in the
hope of outffanking the Crown Princes
army, has made notable progress.
French Deserve Great Credit
Ludendorff has his armies we'll ir
hand just now and they are offering
a good deal of resistance, which means
the French deserve the greatest credit
for the success of their squeezing tao
tics.
That present fighting will be followed
by developments of a much more sen
sational character is apparent to any
one who considers for moment thu
size of the forces facing each other or
the wide battlefront. Ludendorf ha.
at least 20t divisions under his com
mand, of which score or more in re
serve are ready for drive That mean.
that 100000 Germans are near or or
the firing line. But Ludendorff wants
more men, and is awaiting the 1926
class and Austrian assistance, which
will raise the total to 100000.
Ludendorf Offensive Predicted
If q decision is not reached botor.
Christmas Ludendorff knows that tn,
war will continue many months. A
this moment the German press is in
forming the people that Ludendorff in
tends to resume offensive. operation
shortly. Why the General staff shoul,
encourage the people to expect an of
fensive unless Ludcndorr intended t.
attempt to recover the initiative is har
to see. Next year Germany will con
front a force greatly superior numeri
cally, while now there is little differ
encc in numbers
Though territory bulked large in tn
German designs al The beginning of tn
campaign, when Paris and the Channc
ports seemed among the attainable OBJ
Jectives, Ludendorif's chief aim now i
to convince the Allies they cannot wi
+ by military decision. Whether he ha
decided that the best way to accomplis
/ TINS is by attacking. which would ,
nothing more than a form of defence
or by conducting defensive operation
similar to those of the French at Yer
dun and the Marine and the Germans a
the Somme and Passchandacle. tim
alone viii tell