New-York tribune., 1918-06-01
Military Comment
By William L. Mcpherson

-,
front of between fifteen and twenty
miles. They reached the Marne on
a front of less than ten miles. This
shows the dangerous shape Of. the
salient they are driving. It will
soon be cramped at the apex and
open to awkward attacks on the
fianks.
The satisfactory feature of the sit
uation is the fact that the Allies
have been holding fast for two days
on both sides of the salient-from
Scissors down to the Marne and
from the Marine up to Rheims.
On the Scissors side the Germans
have crossed the -Hartennes
road at few points. They also
claimed slight advance yesterday
at Grand Rozoy, further down. But
in general the French withdrawal
on this side has been slight-only
enough to carry the line straight
down to the Marne near Chateau
Thierry. On the Rheims side the
line has undergone = very little
change, except below Vezilly. Thil-
lois, two miles west of Rheims, was
lost on Wednesday. Yesterday it
was retaken by the French.
Northwest of scissors the armies
Of Won Hutier made strong attack
yesterday on the Allied positions
along the Ailette River. These posi-
tions were lightly held, and the
French retired from them a short
distance to new line running north
west through Chavigny and Epagny
to Blerancourt. This operation was
intended to f1atten out the Allied
salient between Scissors and Noyon.
1t may be followed by other "nib-
bling" operations of the same sort
diversions with the purpose of in
terfering with the shifting of re-
serves from the Noyon front to the
new Marne front.
This Aisne- -Marne drive has again
strikingly emphasized the change
which has occurred in fighting tactics
in the last eight months. The change
has been coming on gradually, but
nobody suspected it's true character
and extent until after the Battle of
Cambria. In the old style offensive
against heavily held trench lines the
artillery battered the defences to a
pulp and the infantry then dashed in
for short gains. 1t was supposed
that the war Of movement had been
superseded for good by the war of
positions. But when the German de-
fensive tactics in the West were mod
flied, in 1917, because of the heavy
losses of prisoners, trapped in the
elaborate first line dugouts, the ne
cessity for severe artillery prnpara-
tion disappeared. The defence at the
front was thinned out. The real de-
fence was carried much further
back.
This system opened up tactics. It
offered an opportunity for breaking
through which the British at Cam
brai cleverly utilized, but didn't know
how to follow up. They got much
further into the German lines than
they had dreamed Of getting. but
they weren't prepared either to go
further or even to stay where they
were.
This was hint which the German
high command cleverly built on. 1t
worked out scheme not only for
getting through, but for keeping on.
No check for this method has yet
been found.
That is why we now have six day,
eight day and ten day drives. Open
warfare has been restored in a large
measure. Infantry has again become
the "Queen of Battles" War is
more dramatic, more complicated
and fuller of surprises than ever.
The accident of Cambria has intro
duced new offensive system which
has given the attacker the upper
hand and has imposed new and stag
gering burdens on the defensive.