The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-06-16
General March, Chief of staff,
Makes Such Disclosure to
Newspaper Men.
u. S. NOW HAVE
100000 THERE
Prompt Engagement of Ameri-
cans in Struggle is Para
mount Necessity.

Washington, June 15.-More than
100000 American troops have been
sent 70 France and the government
expects to have a million there by
July /.
This disclosure was made today by
General Peyton c. March, chief of
| staff. at his first weekly conference
with newspaper correspondents and at
an earlier conference of war depart
ment officials with members of the
senate military committee
General March summarized the bat
tie situation as 1t stands today with
four distinct phases of the great Ger
naa offensive halted. but with its final
battles still to come. To meet the
emergency. he said. only lack of ship
ping facilities Is limiting the rush OF
American troops to the fighting front
Their prompt engagement in the
struggle, he said, is a paramount me-
cessity.
The newspaper conference was held
! in the rooms of the war council On
the walls were great maps showing
the battle fronts and as General
March talked he pointed TO the rows
of colored pins that marked each phase
of the fighting. He said that all four
OF the German drives thus far have
had common object and have been
only developing phases of the German
purpose TO drive their way to the
channel ports primarily and second
arily to capture Paris.
The lighting OF the last week, In the
Oise-Aisne salient, he demonstrated
was designed to straighten out the
German battle front rather than a
blow at a direct objective like Paris
Further operations of this nature It
was indicated. are anticipated before
| the drive toward the channel can be
resumed
Up to the present time the bulge
the Germans have made In the Allies
| line has added sixty-six miles of front
I to the Allies lines from Rheims to the
| sea and large numbers of additional
allied forces have been absorbed into
! the work of holding the lines. This
/ makes IL urgent, said General March,
that American forces be rushed for
ward without delay
General March would make no pre-
diction as to when American aid
might give the Allies superiority of
! numbers again. The time and size OF
| the east to the west. he said, could
not be estimated, nor could a day be
fixed when the Allies would have the
| .mastering superiority of numbers
which will eventually be theirs.
| The Italian front situation was not
discussed and General March indi-
Gated that the Russian problem was
still political rather than military.
General March told the senate mill
tary committee the situation of the
Allies Is now more favorable than it
has been for many months"
American military experts are all
agreed, senators said after the confer
ence. that the present German drive
has been stopped. for the present at
least, but It's renewal, possibly with
/ it's force directed more largely against
positions held by the Americans. is
expected.
The enemy's recent successes, the
senators were told. was due largely to
new uses OF gas The Allies, it was
said. soon will be ready TO cope with
the new forms of gas. Gas masks
now in use. the senators were tolc,
admittedly are not useful against some
forms of German gas. particularly
mustard gas. special tear" gas for
use against artillery. the senators
were told, has been developed by the
Germans.
The Allies. officials said. are prepar-
ing to match the German efforts IN the
use of gas and provide for the COM
plete defenses of their forces, as far
as possible before the next attack de-
velops.