The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1918-09-27
EXPERTS LUX
new ALLIED B[II
RHElMs-vERDuN FRop, :.
LY TO BE NExr
PUSHED BACK
70 FORCE NEW RE1IRf,,
Larger Movements in Pro-.
Completion of cIearir, :,
Fere and St. ouen.in--M.sl
Could Be Blasted ov

Washington, Sept. 2l.-a,,I
the battle situation in p,s.'
foreshadowed by the impend,,.
ture of st. Quentin and ,ha
OF st. Gobain forest indicated
unfaltering progress Of ,hs \
ana French armies to be only
ter of a few days. Both an.
American military officials y,
confident that new blows u.;n
mediately upon the German
them any chance to rpor,.n,.
battered units; but the ae,a.,
of General Pershing's FirS !.
for the moment completed n :.
task, having blotted out tho !,
salient and restored to allied \,
ways OF vital Importance In fm,,
eratiOns. In addition, the g.,
have established positions IN !,
entity of Metz which constituto !.
menace at that fortress, viii,
enemy cannot ignore. As yet 1.
there is nothing to indicate ii,
American commander has e,.k
on the far reaching campaign
would be necessary to attem,
capture of this German stroe,I
To Force New Retirement
For the moment, the allied ota
effort is concentrated on the n
tin-Ia Fere-Laon front. Thu
therefore, strong feeling bo,
larger operations which the 4,
commander may contemplate
immediate future hinge on III
the enemy's resistance in this
and forcing him to IA new retjrps
The Germans are knewa % h
ishly active in the preparatop
new line of defense along a wids
roughly paralleling the Hind
line and some eight or ten mix
Their to the east. Again behia
front, according to informatiou
they are at work on two ob
Tense positions. The extent Il
strong lines is not so fully knos
The capture of st. Quentn
clearing of st. Gobain forest, /
here, will almost certainly n
enemy main forces back to the
his new defensive positions.
when that movement begins d
moment for launching a new
sive effort will come, in The
of many observers here.
Throughout more than two
of unceasing battle since
Foch struck his first counls
last July. the RheimSIertua
has remained quiet. To the "a
PerShing has cleared up the Il
salient that impeded French
tons in this vicinity, and MAJ
GERS feel that IA thrust betEe
two French fortreSSeS Of RheH
Verdun which have stood
against the enemy, is now Y
Dected with the purpose Of
the whole German front to ~
and at the same time pave
for campaign against iae
Metz-ThiOnville stronghold.
There are enormous dlfllta
be faced in the bEeaklns
man grip on Lorraine ~ hs
ton of Metz. ii has been l"l
1t is not possible to resaIa
as single fortress Whlrh y
encircled and cut off. Nhea
mans insisted upon lnclu4a
in their booty after the rae
sian war. they had Il very
, conception of its value, y s.
they have made good III W
stone.
In effect. whole block o
some 30 square miles IN a
surrounding Metz and llll's
been turned into a vast l@a'
Officials here feel that tr
: can people should fuzzy e
great strength Of tbs NN'
not pin their hopes to any
paign by PershlngS me" ~
ture. The thing can Dc
said. because any fortillV'
$ can be blasted away by "
tillery, and with the la-F
. .heavy ordnance program y,
ward 10 supplement tpe
concentration Waulu
that could sweep away '"'
n selves. But it would iase
: Infinite labor. and iileie -
t ways OF reaching lhe >'"
e opinion of Mar>lial tN"