Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-08-03
lsy the News Editor of the Times

10y the News Editor of the Times
Republican.
It Is generally agreed among military
observers that the turning point in the
war has been reached as the result of
the victory of the allied.~nrmies under
General Foch in their counter offensive
and flanking movements north of the
Marine. This, the second, battle Of the
Marine, has developed disastrously for
the Germans and Paris again has been
removed from the Hun menace, as in
the first Marne Conflict. in which the
kaiSer's hordes sought to subdue France
before the armies of Great, Britain could
be brought to the continent. The bat
tle,I which has been in progress since
July Is, with almost no intermissfon.
has spelled disaster for Germany and
may yet end in a huge catastrophe.
In America there has been much dis
appointment. expressed because the half
million men comprising that part Of the
German crown princes army which had
driven to the Marine in the fifth phase
of the Offensive was not captured in its
entirety. The bagging of this army as
whole undoubtedly was not the, in
tention 'ors the hope of Foch and his
aides, altho this would have been ac-
complished II fresh divisions from the
army Of the BavaAan. crown prince had
not be- dispatched. hurriedly to the
tanks Of the salient to prevent the
narrowing of the opening Of the pocket
This opening. reaching from Rheims to
SCISSORS, q distance Of forty-one miles,
was sufficiently wide to permit fairly
orderly withdrawal OF the German
forces northward. The German casual
ties to date have been enormous and
are iconservAtively estimated at 100000
men. or half the total of the Teuton
force originally within the Rheims
Scissors salient. These, enormous
losses can not be replaced within year.
Also. the allies will not be COM
PEELED toSfeed this quarter OF a million
men. Many are beyond the necessity
OF being fed, whole others are so
GAINED they can not actively partici-
pate inthe>fghting for months to come.
General Foch's victory is sufficient
If he succeeds in driving the Germans
to the vesle river to which they are
today retreating and where they viii
make stand, reinforced by fresh re-
serves from other sectors. 1t is i'm
probable the allies will attempt to
Sdrive them farther at this time. The
immediate gain to- the allied cause
would not be sufficient to justify the
sacrifice OF manpower required for its
Foch's counter Of
fensive has accomplished great results
as it is and does not call for waste
of force which a continuation would
entail. The allies have
Driven the Germans from the Marine
to- the lines formerly held by them be-
fore the fifth drive in the great often
sive.
Removed Paris from immediate dang
er OF direct thrust which might have
covered a sufficient number Of the in
5tervening thirty-five miles to enable,
Won Hindenburg to lombard the city
with heavy artillery
Prevented for tho moment another
Offensive In Flanders with the channel
ports as the German objective.
l Depressed the morale OF the German
soldiers and of the people at home
Resulted In the killing. wounding or
.captdring iof a quarter million Of effec-
tive lighting men,;
80
! The mere gain Of territory by the
allies in this counter offensive, import
ant in itself. has, in the opinion of
army officers served its greatest pur-
spdse in proving to the enemy that his
armies are not invincible
It Ms a new lesson for the German