The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1918-08-20
General March Says That Pres
ent Advantage Should BE
Pressed to Utmost.
HAVE GERMANS GUESSING
Chief of Staff Says Greatest
Advantage Has Been Change
of Allies From Defensive to
Offensive.

Washington, Aug. 19.-"This is
the time for the greatest effort; to
keep the enemy running"
General March. chief Of staff, sum-
married. thus to newspaper men the
| situation in France. Standing be-
fore the great military maps at the
war department that show clearly
where the German is being beaten
| back. he pointed out that the great
| battle front was rapidly being
Strengthened out from Rheims to the
sea.
They have not yet" he said
gotten back to the original Hinden-
burg line, where the German began
his advances this year We still
have some territory to gain. so when
statements appear that indicate the
war is over at this point, discour-
age it.
This is the time for the greatest
erort, to keep the enemy running.
Ihat is the reason the United
states is being called upon for in
creased man-power, that is the rea-
son we want the age limits for the
draft lowered and raised to get more
men
| THE greatest advantage OF the
whole thing has been the change of
the allies from the defensive to the
offensive, which is a great military
asset.
We have the enemy gussing now
instead OF GUESSING ourselves"
From a confidential report Cen
eral March read the following ac-
count OF the situation on the British
French front south of Albert:
"Allied troops found little oppo
sition and have captured more pris-
oners than IT is possible for them to
handle, including German general
and his staff, showing elements OF
surprise attack. British report their
prison camps back of Amiens so full
that it is impossible to hold more.
The allies have captured all the ar
tillery in this sector
Describing the effect of the allied
operations, General March said:
Surveying the battle line broad
| ly. you see that there have been a
| number of places where we have
been nibbling along the Vesle river
| front, acquiring foothold on the
northern bank. but have not vet at
tempted to go up the slope on the
north side where German intrench-
ments are supposed to be. That
part OF the line has remained sta
tionary.
AS the line has become station
ary. Foch has kept up his pressure
on the enemy, working on the per-
fectly sound principle, that when yOu
get an enemy going, you keep him
going; never give him a chance TO
recuperate or think it over, keep on
hitting him.
"On August 8. a combined British
and French force, commanded by
Field Marshal Haig, attacked on a
s..
This terrian is fiat, almost level. and
while some time ago there were
small clumps OF woods, all Of these
undoubtedly had been leveled long
ago by artillery fire. so we count that
country as practically level with
very little natural impediment to an
advance. There are a few valleys
perpendicular to the front of our ad
vancing armies instead OF parallel
to 1t. so that the advancing troops
can go right through the valleys.
THE enemy were apparently ta-
ken by surprise and made nosessen-
tial opposition in the center, confin-
ing their strong resistance to their
TANKS. Hitting the~big salient on n
1@-mile front we. pushed it in an av-
erage of~eight miles, andy a
t-erom AN outerssalient to aneinner ~
lient corresponding 10 the Marne sa-
lient and plsestthe enemy in bad
position. Che adyanceyrof the Brit
ish and Frencfss stxthf point comes
up so that thes nrs Betting into con
troll or threa4spIRt, the railroad
line of commgnIca tions which at
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