Evening star., 1918-08-11
TIME TO HIT HARD,
SAYS GEN. MARCH
Tells of Victories, But Warns
That War Is Not
Over.
GROUND CLEAR FOR GAINS

'This is the time for the greatest
effort. to keep the enemy running"
Gen. March. chief of staff. in this
fashion yesterday summarized Z to
newspaper men the situation in France.
Standing before the great military
maps at the War Department that
show clearly Just where the German
is being beaten back. he pointed out
that the great battle front was rapid
ly being Strengthened out from
Rheims to the sea-
They have not yet" he said. got
ten back to the original Hindenburg
line. where the German began his ad-
vances this year. We still have some
territory to gain. 90 when state
ments appear that indicate the war
is over at this point. discourage them.
This is the time for the greatest
effort. to keep the enemy running.
That is the reason the United States
is being called upon for increased man
power; that is the reason we want the
age limits for the draft lowered and
raised to get more men.
at is no time to talk about the war
being over. 1t is the time to hit hard.
Advantage in Offensive.
The greatest advantage <of the
whole thing has been the change of
the allies from the defensive to the
offensive. which is a greater military
asset.
I'VE have the enemy guessing now
instead of guessing ourselves"
From confidential report Gen
March read the following account OF
the situation on the British French
front south of Albert:
ALLIED troops found little opposi-
ton and have captured more prison
ers than it is possible for them to
handle. including a German general
and his staff, showing elements OF
surprise attack. British report their
prison camps back of Amiens so full
that 1t is impossible to hold more
Allies have captured all the artillery
in this sector"
Tells Eject Of Drive.
Describing the effect Of the allied
operations. Gen. March said:
Surveying the battle line broadly
you see that there have been a num-
ber of places where We have beer
nibbling along the Vesle riverAfron'
acquiring a foothold on the northern
bank, but have not yet attempted tc
go up the slopes on the north side
where German intrenchments are sup.
posed to be. That part of the line ha:
remained stationary.
LAS the line has become stationary
Foch has kept UP his pressure on the
enemy, working on the perfectly
sound principle that when you get ar
enemy going you keep him going
never give him a chance to recuperatt
Little Ground Impediment.
''On August 8 a combined British
and French force. commanded by
Field Marshal Haig, attacked on a
front of twenty miles. east of Amiens
This terrain is f1at-almost level
and while some time ago there were
small ciumps of woods. all Of those
undoubtedly had been leveled long
ago by artillery fire. SO We can count
that country as practically level
with very little natural impediment
to an advance. There are a few val
leys perpendicular to the front OF
our advancing armies instead of par
allel to it, 80 that the advancing
troops can go right through the val
leys.
THE enemy were apparently taken
by surprise and made no essential
resistance in the center. confinine
Hitting the big salient on a thirteen
mile front We pushed it in an aver
age of eight miles and reduced il
from an outer salient to an inner
salient. That gives US salient some
what corresponding to the Marine
bad position. The advance of the
British and French at this point
comes up SO that they are getting into
control of, or threatening, the rail-
road line of communications which
at that point runs up from the Mont
didier sector to Chaulnes.
'On the Flanders salient the enemy
on August 3, was Withdrawing on
the southern sector Of the salient
south of Merville. and British occu-
feet of these movements is straight
ening ont of the line everywhere"
Answering a question as to the 40
Divisions record, Gen. March said:
*Rainbows" Helped.
'The Rainbow Division had its COM
bat training in the Lorraine sector north
Of Luneville. 1t left that position to
arrive east Of Rheims. where. on July
attack When the French-American
counter offensive was launched on the
Marine salient the division appeared
there shortly in relief OF othr units
Our reports indicate the following:
I'm eight days OF battle the 42d Dr.
vision has forced the passage of the
Curcq. taken prisoners from six enemy
divisions, met, routed. decimated crack
division of the Prussian Guards, a
Bavarian division. and one other division
and driven back the enemy's lines for
eighteen kilometers.''
Asked II he could identify any Ameri-
can units with the advancing British
and questioned about specific American
divisions. Gen. March replied:
''No. we have not gotten any rsport
AS soon az 1t is indicated that Amer
lean troops are in there will give 1,
to you.
The 2sth Division was last reported
in Alsace sector, southeast Of Epinal
The 18th Division (the drafted men
including District of Columbia selec.
tives who trained at Camp Meade) il
still in the training area The s5th Di.
vision is just arriving overseas. The
infantry has all gotten in. but som<
of the artillery has not yet landed"
The eth Division. Gen March said
Is commanded by Maj. Gen. Organ
and when last reported was with the
British on the Flanders front.
The strength of an American divf-
sion il roughly 10000, the chief o,
star said. and added:
when you count in corps troops
and Army troops in order to get 9
multiplier for the whole Army, th&
Whole number 10 something Like
ENEMY HAS ONE NARROW