The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-12-28

French reserve armies, which had been
awaiting q German attack upon their
own front at the Chemin des Danes,
We're rushed up and thrown in, In this
time the German host pushed relent-
lessly on, passed the Somme, crossed
the battlefield OF 1915, reached the An
ere, o Albert and south Of the Somme
approached within 10 miles Of Amiens,
he vital center Of railway communlca-
tons. Southwark the flood reached
ny highlands and extended to Mont
older.
In the midst Of the disaster France
and Britain, with America, decided up
On a momentous step, Gen. Foch. victor
Of the Marine and Of the User, was
when the first fury OF the German
storm had worn itself out. In the last
days OF March the Germans had finally
been halted just east of the main
Amiens- Paris railway and just north
Of the LAssigny heights, the lost june
had been restored. But a tremendous
defeat had involved the loss OF 1900 900
prisoners, mainly British, and more
than 1000 guns. L~udendorff had not
merely regained the ground lost in the
great retreat Of 1917, but had ap.
ground which had not seen the invader
since September, 1914.
While Foch r~eorganized the situation
In Picardy, a new German blow fell In
Flanders, Failing to stir the Third
British army, which under Byng held
Arras, the Germans had turned north
and breaking the front OF Horne's First
British army In a sector held by the
Portuguese, had flowed over into the
region south OF Ypres, taking all the
famous fighting ground, the White.
sheet" ridge, Passchendaele ridge and
finally Mount KENNEL, the key to
Ypres, Itself.
Once more, as in 1914, the German
drive was headed for Calais and in
the last week OF April. Haig issued a
final appeal to the British army fight
ing with It's back to the wall" In this
critical situation the line held, French
reserves arrived, the situation stabil.
lied itself, following a bloody defeat
Of the Germans on April 20, which. in
reality closed the German offensive ef-
forts In Flanders.
From April 20 to May 27 a long
pause ensued. The allies had suf-
fered frightfully, the British loss alone
exceeded 100000, there was still no
chance OF taking the offensive and the
allies uttered a despairing appeal to
America to drop all otner preparations
and send men. Tho campaign became,
in Lloyd Georges words, a race be-
tween Wilson and Ludendorft." 1t was
to be won by the former, but not be-
fore September could Foch expect large
American numbers, sufficient TO give
him the advantage in THIS respect.
After q delay incident to refitting
their machine, the Germans struck
again. this time against the French
at the Chemin des Danes n again
won a great immediate success. All the
enormously strong positions north oil
the Aisne were taken in a day, the
Germans pushed south across the Aisne
and the Vesle, turned westward and
began a new drive to Paris, one flank
resting upon the Marine, the other upor
the Aisne below scissors, which they
had retaken. .
A new and deadly crisis ensued
French numbers were failing, Aneri'
can numbers were still small, but II
this emergency the marines and tive
regular infantry regiments lmmediatel.
available were, put in about Chatea'
Thterry and along the roads north o
the Marine leading to Paris, They wer,
for the moment the sole barrier oil
the German road to Paris, but the Ger
mans were already weary with thei
efforts n in the first days OF jun
the lines again stabilized themselve
with scissors and Chateau Thierry II
. German hands,
I Meantime to the westward the Ger
/, in the first days Of June strov
! TO force their way southwark alon
, the Disc toward Paris, with Conpiegn
! as their immediate objective: In thi
effort they, for the first time, en-
E countered a severe check, indeed, to
ward the close OF the engagement Man
. gin started q counter-offensive on the
j flank which resained ground, This wa
lin my judgment, the turning point in I'll
T campaign, It was the first measure
9 able failure OF L~udendorrt and the I'M
$ tial return to the offensive Of Fool
$ ineonsiderable, TO be sure.
y Another month passed while The Ger
i mans renewed their strength for wha
q 1t was now clear, must be the fin'
. blow. since American troops we're a,
9 irving in great numbers, the seaso
c was passing and the German publ
was becoming FESTIVE. In this tin
d Austria vas thrown against Italy c
the Pave and suffered a disastrous d.
= feat. which had a great moral effe'
q On both sides OF the firing line. 4
d 1t turned out this was the beginnlr
Of the long series of allied success,
never again to he interrupted, but
a the moment il was the first CLEAN
IS sunlight after three months OF aRon
l. Finally, on July Is, Ludendorff flur
y his remaining reserves against q
= French and Americans holding the Iii
IS from Chateau Thierry to the Argonn
d His purpose was TO break through ca
\ and west Of Rheims, envelop and tai
Is that town and it's defensive position
l. behind, clear both banks of the Mar
and begin a wide swinging advan
8, upon Paris. 1t was the final effort
10 win the campaign and the war by
Is Nspoleopic victory, the Peace Storm
following the Kaiser Battle" to u
the German phrases Of that boast
In But by July is tho supreme effo
s. had failed on both sides OF the city.
At Rheims, completely failed batwe
h Rheims and the Argonne, whore Go