Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-09-28

talk peace to the liking OF her eheih'cs'
The new offensive undertaken by the
! Americans and French on the 'front.' In
| Champagne Ia another phase OF the
American drive which freed Tho ~.
Nihiel salient. II has for its purpose
3 the loosening OF the grip OF the Ger
! mans Mt st. Quentin. where fresh Ger
! man divisions are being sent In con-
/ stnntly In the effort to hold this line
I A secondary object Of Eoch Is TO break
! thru the German line either north. west
| or east OF Rheims, thus segregating the
Hun armies now fighting In Picardy
and Flanders, leaving them isolated,
| cut off from their supply bases and
! confronted with capture or procip!-
| tate retreat to the Rhine. Such re-
treat under those circumstances would
end in rout which might not stop at
! the Rhine. Thus the situation at pres
] ent Is fraught with great possibilities
The accom- plishment of one Of these al
/ lied endeavors would hasten sincere
| peace discussion in the capitals Of the
central powers.
The point of attack selected by Mar
shall Foch In the American French ad-
vance now under way. caused no gerat
surprise, As far back as 1915 the
French strategists saw the Champagne
! front offered the greatest possibilities
! in repelling the invaders with the least
expenditure OF men.
There was fierce fighting that year
#on this sector, but the French lacked
the reserve power to press forward in
accordance with their strategic designs
! and were forced to settle back TO tao
/ teal operations and defensive meas
ures.
/ The French plan OF 1915 contem-
plated the driving of great wedge
thru to the line Of the Mouse. where it
skirts the forest of Ardennes near the
| Belgian border.
Resting on a wide base and sup
| ported by the fortresslo of Verdun on the
east, such a wedge would in effect de
vide the German army and in addition
menace the whole communication sys-
tenn Of the enemy forces in northern
France and Belgium. 1t would have
threatened the Belgian gateway into
France and it seems certain that a
hasty retirement by the enemy to the
Meuse line must have resulted.
\ The battle lines today are relatively
as they were in 1915 and the same
strategic factors hold good. For this
reason alone many officers. have be-
lieved Marshal Foch, sooner or later
would strike at the enemy from the
Champagne front.
The attack launched Friday by the
British is of equal Importance If 1t
succeeds. except that a lesser number OF
German fighting men would be cut on
from the battle lines as they now exist
The wedge beng driven into the Hin
denburg line midway between Cambria
and Douai for it's object the outfiank-
ing of the first-named stronghold, the.
pivot of the German defensive system
,, in the north and west. 1t is believed
the fan Of Cambria would compel the
Germans to evacuate all of the French
territory now held and much of Bel
GUM by forcing the ring flank of the
Tuns to fall back to the Meuge. This
development would transform the en-
! tire battle line from its present inclin-
alton westward to line running al
most north and south. provided the
Americans do not succeed in taking
Metz and advancing to the Rhine.
| Should Pershing's efforts against Metz
succeed and either the new Franco
American or the British drive attain
their objects, a general. retreat of Won
Hindenburgs forces to the Rhine
| would be forced and real peace offer
| would be forthcoming.
sas
The crushing of the Turkish armies
| III Palesiine is another event Of sup
RENE Importance. 1t brings for the
! first time a serious menace to the
/, gates of the citadel of Turkish power
which at present is of greater import
ance than the redemption of the sacred
lands of the east. The Cicilian Gates
are in sight. Their importance in the
eyes of even far away Berlin
is revealed by the fact that
/ the only German army in tle
whole Turkish empire stands guard
over them. The Cicilian Gates are the
opening from Syria thru the Taurus
mountains into the great fertile and
| easily fortified plateau of Asia Minor.
j 1t is the real home and last refuge Of
! the Turk. If the Turk felt himself in
/ danger here, all his ratalistic courage
would melt into water. The threat to
the Dardanelles and hence to Constan-
/ tinople. meant no more to the Turk
| than the foreclosure of mortgage
long overdue. He has felt himself
doomed in Europe ror generations.
Every delay in his impending eviction
is looked upon as temporary re-
pricve. He is, always packed up for
| MS inevitable hesira back to the nluun-
tains of Asia Minor. ..