Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-07-19
FRIDAY EVENING, JULY 10, 1918
GERMANS WERE OUTCENERALED

The Germans were outgeneraled by General Foch
some weeks ago. and they are now paying the penalty of
their blunder. This is the conclusion which may reason
ably be reached from a study of expert opinion expressed
Just after the advance to the Marine, and from observa-
ton Of the events which are now transpiring.
When the Germans undertook to advance southwark
from the Aisne every inch of their progress was Stubborn
ly contested until the Vesle river had been crossed, and
then. greatly to the surprise of very many people, they
moved rapidly and almost without opposition until they
had reached the Marine. Many of us were mystifed by
that easy and rapid advance to the Marine, and not a few
people were considerably disturbed thereby.
According to analysis of the situation by some we'll
informed military men, the French were forced to and
beyond the Vesle, greatly against their will, but, this
much ground having been lost, the French forces were
deliberately Withdrawn to and beyond the Marine, and
the German commander followed, going miles beyond
what had been his real objective.
The explanation is that the ground between the two
rivers is of such a character that it would be difficult to
defend, and that nothing was to be gained by defending
it. The French command, therefore, preferred to aban-
don it, and to conserve the Allied force by taking up new
positions where operations could be conducted to better
advantage The Germans, in their haste to pursue a re-;
treating enemy, evidently did not give proper considera-
ton to the facts that they were unnecessarily spreading
their forces over ground which would be difficult to hold,
and which. once occupied, must be held and added to
by further offensive operations. The French SET a trap
and the Germans walked into it.
It remained for the Allies to await their opportunity
ito take advantage Of this situation. The opportunity
came when the Germans were worn down to the point of
exhaustion by the futile efforts of the first half Of the
present week, and it was then that the Allies launched
their thunderbolt The Allied plans would have mis-
carried had they not been supported by unfinching de-
termination and some of the finest fighting material in
the world. 1t is evident that French reserves in large
numbers have been accumulated on the sector which
has been the scene Of the sensational counterstroke of
Thursday. Americans have been pouring into France at
the rate of 100000 a week or Whereabouts, and the front
lines have been augmented proportionately. The little
American force that was stationed weeks ago at the angle
in the line has grown until it has become a complete and
regularly organized army unit. And when the time came
for which all the soldiers had been looking, every man
did the work that was laid out for him, and did it in a
workmanlike manner.
The events appear to have born out the critics in
their views, and to have shown that on this occasion, as
on some others, the Wanted infallibility of the German
has been found not to exist. In the Marine sector he has
been both outgeneraled and outfought