The Washington herald., 1918-09-23
Allies Renewal CT Russian
Front Will Complete
Encirclement.
PRESS HARD VIA METZ
American Salient Points
Through Natural Gate
way to Hunland.

The military maps at the War De-
partment show that allied and Amer
lean armies. slowly but continually
advancing. are perfecting a ring Of
iron around the Teutonic nations.
On the Western front the American
and French field armies, by taking
position opposite the natural gate
way" into Germany via Metz, have
completed that part of the ring that
threatens Germany from the West
On the Italian front Italy, with re.
Inducements from the Americans and
allies. is a part of the ring. and is
standing ready to strike again.
On the Macedonian front the Serb
ians, backed by British, French and
Greeks. are cutting off Turkey from
the two German nations.
On Germany's eastern frontier q
cloud is gathering. which, with. the
assistance of the patriotic people of
Russia, will seriously menace Ger
many and her so-calIed liberated
provinces next TO the Russian west
ern border. The ring of iron from
the land sides will be actually q
military fact when. as heretofore
pointed out the Anglo French Amer
ican army moving southwark from
the Murmansk Peninsula meets and
combines with the Czecho-Sloyak
British. American and Japanese
forces which are steadily pushing or
towards Samara in the Province OF
Orenberg.
VIII Arouse Russiaas.
This junction, whose strategic
purpose and Importance is being
more and more revealed. will liberate
Russia proper and enable her 10 take
up arms again against the Central
Powers. The very appearance of an
international army threatening
Moscow from Samara in Orenberg
it is thought here, will cause the
rally of the people of Russia to their
old standard for the overthrow OF
the political elements which have
just been denounced sub5'antially
by the State Department as out
laws.
Thus for the first time since the
opening of the war with America
as fighting ally the vast project
of eueircffng Germany and cru ushing
her with a slowly contracting ring
is being visualized and realized as
well.
II anything were needed to COM
plete the military isolation of the
Central Powers IL is to be found in
two additional considerations:
First-The feet of France is hold
ing Turkey and Austria from the
Eastern Mediterranean and the
navies OF Great Britain. Italy and
the United States are barring the
Austrian ships of war from the res;
of that sea, while the Anglo-Amerf-
can feet has bottled up the German
great feet in home waters and has
made the cgress of the old Russian
Baltic fleet supposed to be now in
the hands of Germany. impossible
The greater part of this old feet
may have already Joined the Ger
man naval forces at KieL
Second-The revolutionary atti-
tude OF Rumania, the uncertain at
titude of the Ukraine, and the abb
sence OF any kind of commerce ex-
cept that which may be had from
already plundered provinces.
Resistance Must Break.
Commenting on the simple recita
ton of the accumulating weights
crushing the Central Powers from
within and the tightening of the ring
OF iron, one of the stafr said yester-
day that Germany could not stagcer
very long under her internal and ex-
ternal load.
As to the situation on the Western
front. it was pointed out today that
the Germans no longer have a salient
from which to launch an attack.
Besides this the Americans hold the
most important salient which has
been thrust into the German line op-
posite the old German salient of st.
Mihiel. For this reason and in view
of the daily reports that the Germans
are naturally concentrating for the
defense OF the highway into Germany
which runs by Metz, coupled with
the determination of Gen. Pershing
to advance on that road. military
opinion is crystalizing here into the
belief that the Americans and French
will soon swing beyond Metz, shell
the trenches from lines parallel to
them. and take them by assault
Meanwhile II is necessary to advance
along the Moselle towards Pagny
That advance. with artillery prepare.
ton, accounts for the frequent refer
ences to the ''bombardment of Metz. "