Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-09-13

To the Americans has been trusted
the delivery of an attack Of vast pro-
portions which, If successful, will force
the Germans to loosen their grip on
Belgium.
The British, French, and American
forces in Picardy and Flanders are
forcing back the Germans toward the
last line of defenses which block the
road to Berlin thru Belgium. The
American army under Pershing in
French Lorraine has struck, with
French support, to force the Germans
back to the sateways of the second
great highway to Berlin past Metz,
thru Luxembourg.
Seek 70 Blunt Wedge.
The preliminary objective was az
parent from news dispatches inter-
preted by general staff officers on the
war map. 1t is the wiping out of the
st. Mihiel salient, twenty miles wide
and fifteen miles deep. the reduction
of which would force the enemy to re-
tire out of practically all the occupied
territory Of France east and southeast
of verdun and might force German
retirement on a line from Verdun to
Metz.
Whether the present operation will
be extended to an attack on the
strongly fortified city of Metz is
question of military policy upon which
the general staff is silent.
The Notifications Of Metz are among
the most formidable in the world.
Great outworks form girdle around
the town and forts on the nedghoorlns
heights command the entire territory:
But great Notifications are tnefectual
against the mammoth guns OF the
American and the French forces. These
Notifications will fall, stan experts
declare, Just as the forts Of Antwerp
and Idege fell before the German guns
during the march thru Belgium.
Menace Germans' Flank.
Persring's attack menaces the Ger
man left flank which has been iisnty
held since the Germans failed at YER
dun and moved their reserve westward
for the futile attacks in Pcardy ana
Flanders. If the, offensive spreads on
the east into Alsace, whore Americans
hold the line, it is possible that q big
turning movement, to roll back ohe
German left flank, Will be attempted.
American forces before Pershins
present drive began were already N
German territory, and. as Generai
March significantly stated few weeks
asc, within twenty miles OF the
Rhine. -
But the direction Of the attack at
the opening of the offensive indicated
that it aimed at the Luxembourg gate
wav to Berlin. It has been always
recognized that the two great military
routes from Berlin to Paris were thru
Belgium and thru Luxemburg. Ine
Germans chose Belgium as the shorter.
Two Roads to Berlin.
Tho Belgian highway to Berlin :uns
from St. Quentin now held by the
British, to Givet, on the Belgian Dor
der, and thence eastward thru Ger
many, crossing the Rhine below COB
lenz.
The Gutenberg highway Is alons
the valley Of the Moselle. past Metz,
and following the Moselle to Cob'enz'
where the two roads meet,
While the Germans had reason u
fear an American attack on Their eft
flank, they, had no positive means OF
knowing of the large concentration ct
troops which Gen. Pershing has been
quietly bringing about, IN the mopin-.
zatton Of his First field army.
After the American divisions, in con-
junction with the French. had forced
the Germans out Of the Marine salient
to the vessle Gen. Pershing began NOV
ing these divisions east Of the Vosses
and the ST. MihieI district.
Marines in Big Smash.
The second regular division. includ-
ing the marines, which bore the brunt
OF 1.-THE first attacks in. the counter Of
fensives AROUND Chateau Thierry. was
one of the first divisions withdrawn.
The first regular division, which
shared honors with the second, also
was withdrawn. Those two divisions
are known toNbe in the st. Mthiel dis
trict. ~
The Eighty ninth national army d.
vision, which Maj. Gen. Leonard Wooc
traired at Camp Funston: the Eighty
second division from Camp Gordon,
Atlanta. and the Thirty seventh divi-
sion OF Ohio national guard troops have
been reported along the line near ST..
Mfriel. The Rainbow division and the
New England ndtlOudI+ Sudi Wv t"'o'i'
which scored heavily in the :-ne Or
fensive, have been Withdrawn from
the Picardy front and probably are
in the new battle area.
Gen. March refused today to identity
any Of the units positively because he
had no accurate reports from Gen Per-
shing and because it il the war de-
partment's policy to identify no troops
in the fighing which have not been
Identified by the enemy by capture OF
prisoners.
100000 Yanks in Drive!
Nor was It possible to learn accu-
rately the number Of American troops
engaged In PershinG's new drive. Gen.,
March announced Saturday that more
than 30 per cent Of the 100000 Amer
lean troops In France, or approximate
" 100000, had been organized into
strictly American units under Gen.
Pershing.
OF this 100000 approximately $780,
900 are combatant troops. That 10
the number that Gen. Pershing now
has to draw on, but several Of the
divisions are with the British in Fan
ders, and others, including the Michi-
gan Wisconsin .divis.on. are with the
French IN Picardy Other divisions.
among them the colored divisions and