The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-08-10
NOW IS Time
FOR GREATEST
WAR EFFORT
SAYS MARCH
When You Get Enemy Going
Keep Them Going and Hit
Hard, Chief of Staff Points
Out.
U. S, CANNOT RELAX YET
(By Associated Prcss)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10. - The
Franco-British drive In Picardy has
put the enemy again in bad position
similar to the pocket which closed up
on him in the Aisne-Marne front,
General March said today in his week
ly conference with newspaper cores
pondent.
The whole line from Rheims to Flan-
ders is being Strengthened out and the
time had come for the greatest effort
General March said. Marshal Foch is
following the sound military principle
of hitting without relaxation, said the
General, when you get the enemy
going, keep them going"
Any suggestion that the end OF the
war is at hand should be discouraged,
the chief-of-staff said. But the time
has come to keep the enemy running
and to hit his hard. The greatest ad-
vantage to the allies is that they have
taken the offensive and can keep the
enemy guessing instead CT guessing
themselves.
Many Prisoners Taken.
The chief of staff read a confiden-
tial report showing that the British
had taken il the first days of the drive
more prisoners than they could handle
and also had captured all enemy artil
lery in their immediate front. The re-
port added that a German general
and his staff had been captured.
Although the British war Office had
announced it. General March had no
information that American troops are
participating in the drive in Picardy,
dx, hoc he
forces to bring the enemy's main line
of communication under gun fire.
Laying emphasis on the necessity
of pressing on vigorously and giving
the enemy no chance to rest or read
just himself, General March said. this
was the object of the war department
in seeking to raise the age limit of the
draft and to hurry to France ever in
creasing American forces.
Must Fight or Withdraw.
WASHINGTON. Aug. 10-Marshal
Foch through his new offensive in Pi-
cardy, his pressure upon the enemy's
lines in Flanders and continuation of
the stroke on the AisneMarne front
has issued, in the opinion of officers
here, a challenge to the German high
command to fight it out to decision
now or withdraw. The enemy must
accept the challenge at once, it was
believed
Reports available from the battle
areas today indicated that the strate-
gy of the allied command has placed
but the two choices before the en-
emy. All available German reserves
must be sent in to stop the allied ad-
vance on the three sectors or there
must be withdrawal to the lines held
by the Germans before last March 81,
when the first of the German often
sives was started. 1t is yet too early
to predict, it was said, the decision
of the German high command, al
though reports thus far received show
disposition on the part of the enemy
to withdraw. Bacy on the old lines
the Germans probably would attempt
to stay the allied onrush until winter
puts an end to operations and enables
the rehabilitation of their shattered
divisions
Illumination of the allied plans and
the possibilities involved as result
of the striking events of the past few
days was expected from General
March, chief of staff. today in his
semi-weekly conference with news
paper representatives.
ENEMY HOLDS HEIGHTS
AMERICAN ARMY HEADOUAR-
TIERS ON THE VESLE, Friday. Aug.
9.-Reuters.- may be the
ultimate intention of the Germans,
they have methodically thought out,
the problem of defending the heights
north of the Vesle and are strongly
discouraging all efforts to approach
them.
The Germans doubtlessly encourage
ed the Americans with the idea that
Fismes had been abandoned. because
when the Americans entered the town
they ran up against liberal supply OF
machine gun nests. The enemy dis
covered at Seicheprey, east of St
Mihiel, that 1t is one to thing to get
the Americans into trap and another
to get them out of it. The Germans
had the most unpleasant recollections
of Fismes in the end.
With Fismes occupied, the struggle
for the valley began. The American
crossing of the Vesle was a fine piece
of work and cody performed under
searching enemy fire.
Machine Guns Hidden.
1t was only when the Americans ad-
vanced to the foot Of the hills that
they realized the character of the Ger
man opposition. On the heights above
were hidden German machineg uns. It
was impossible to approach them
since they had a better field of fire
and as they were invisible they could
keep the Americans from 1000 to l.
500 yards away. Big shells then be-
gan to drop in the American lines an
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