Omaha daily bee., 1918-09-22
GERMAN man
POWER FAST
CRUMbLING
Kaiser's Offensive. Strength
Broken Definitely by Brit
ish, French and Amer
l%iGan Armies.

Of staff, that the news from
all battle fronts was "con-
tinuously good" and that
1,750,00O American troops
have now been embarked for
over seas service.
Just six months ago today the en-
envy flung his full military power
against the British lines in Picardy
in the great drive that was to end
the war in smashing victory. To-
day he was fighting desperately to
hold the lettering Hindenburg line
the defensive system from which
he struck that blow and back into
which he has been hurled.
Side by side, British, French and
American armies have broken def
initely the German offensive power,
in official opinion here. Already
the American forces in France are
more than half as strong as the
whole German army and the tide of
American fighting men toward
France is continuing at an even
pace.
Allies Winning On All Fronts.
The situation on the various bat
tie fronts was tersely summarized
by General March as follows:
News during the week has been
from all fronts continually and
continuously good. On the west
ern front our new line in Lorraine
was quickly stabilized. The enemy
has been hurriedly strengthening
his line Of defense, the so-called
Kriemhild line, which lies only a
mile or two in front of our new
line on front about 20 miles from
near Maizerary to the Moselle river
at Vandires. We are now 10 miles
away from Contains and IL miles
away from Metz.
In Picardy the British and
French renewed their advance on
the Cambrai-St.. Quentin front, to-
wards the old Hindenburg line. In
spite OF the concentration of the
enemy forces defending this sector,
they have made steady progress,
and the enemy is reported to have
lost very heavily. 1t is now Off
cially confirmed that 10000 prison.
ers have been captured.
On the plateau northeast of
scissors the French have continued
to force back the enemy's best troops
until they are now within half
mile from the junction of the Maui
Defge road and the Ghemin Des
Danes, and within 10 miles of Laon,
which is being shelled.
THE reports in the press about
the successful operations of the Ser
bian army on the Balkan front are
correct. The Serbian army attacked
the Bulgarians on front of Is miles
and drove them back about 20 miles.
According to official reports the
British have reopened the activities
in Palestine"
Battle Wall Rebuilt. /
The western battle wall has been
rebuilt by the allied and American
forces, according to observers here.
When the first American army
swiftly trampled out the St. Mihiel
salient, the last possibility of Ger
man strategic stroke passed. The
enemy faces now a straight line
from the North sea to the Swiss
border. There are no salients to
give opportunity for flank opera
tons. Even if the power for a coun-
ter-offensive should be foxnd--and
military authorities see no chance of
that-the German high command
would face the costly business /of
frontal attack. They have nothing,
It is pointed out, not a single strate-
gic position, to show for their great
drive.
But it is more than a restored Of
fensive line that faces them. ofti-
GERS say. Along the center of the
great sweep of the front, British and
French armies are storming ahead
night and day, marrying and harass-
ing the battered German divisions
without rest. Pershing's men stand
before Metz and Contains and
against that new threat the enemy
must gather reserves here on this
new front at the very time when
every available reserve division IS
sorely needed to meet the allied rush
to the north. Signs of further with
irawal are manifest along wide Sec
tors Of the German front. Il
Reduce Fighting Units.
In payment for their lavish ex-
penditure of lives in the abortive Of
fensive, the German leaders have
now been compelled by formal de-
cree to reduce the fighting strength
Of every infantry unit Instead OF
$50 men in each battalion, there are
now only $50 under the revised or
ganization. In no other way could
the drain be met. Military observ-
ers saw this means that the German
battalion or company must face an
allied or American unit Of the same
type that is at least IS per cent
stronger in fighting men.
There appears good reason to pc
lieve that the German losses IN pris,
oners alone since the tide turned
against them in July would reach
we'll upward toward 100000. The
losses in guns and other material
have not been computed.
With this steadily increasing su,
pcriority in both nan-power ana
war material at his command. mill
tary authorities here feel that per
haps the most striking asset Mar
shall Foch has acquired in his two
months OF swift and victorious coun-
ter blows is the power to take the
enemy BY surprise at will. No long,
e. need he wait for months or even
weeks "a organize an attack of more