Evening star., 1918-06-16

not merely out OF all high ground be-
tween the Oise and the Aisne. but out
of the wooded ground about Com
piegne. south of the Aisne, which ex-
tends along the north bank of the
Nonette about Senlis and offers the
last but one of the natural obstacles
to an invader approaching Paris from
the north. The last is the great for
est south of the Nonette. but from
the north bank of the Nonette the
Germans would be within range of
ety aayis sos %h ,s Their ssrdss ssss guns and the
Once the German right wing west Of
the Disc had passed the river. south Of
the Aisne. that 10. about Compiegne. II
would be possible for the center to ad-
vance and play its part, while at the
proper moment the left flank, between
Soissons and Chateau Thierry, prohting
oy the retirement of the French center
out OF the high ground and woods from
Niiiers Cotterets, south Of Soissons to
the Disc. could push on over the level
open country, which saw the great bat
tie of the Ourcq in September. 1914. As
they stood on June 5, when their main
advance was checked on the Soissons-
Chateau Thierry line, the Germans were
hardly dozen miles away from the
northern corner Of this battlefield.
which taxicabs brought French reserves
In critical hour.
Summary Of Situation.
You have then. in brief. the situation.
The first German attack. that Of March.
cleared the British and French out OF
the high ground west Of the Disc and
most but not quite all of the good posi-
tions covering the western roads that
come down from Belgium to Paris
through Amiens and St Quentin. The
German attack of May 81 cleared the
eastern roads. which come down from
Belgium, concentrate at Laon and then
continue to Paris through Soissons, bor-
rowing the gap between Rheims and
Soissons. At the close Of these two at
tacks the French wings had been thrust
the French capital and only the French
center, between Soissons and the Oise
below Noyon, still held on to a small but
vital fraction Of this defensive position.
And with this attack. begun hast Sun
day. the Germans undertook to turn the
French center out OF its position by ad-
vancing down the main roads to Paris
west Of the Oise and endeavoring to
force the crossings Of the Disc in the
rear Of the French center. Meantime
the German forces which had made the
drive across the Aisne from Laon con-
tented themselves with holding their
gains and organizing their strength for
new thrust, when their comrades west
of the Disc had temporarily shot their
bolt.
German Plan Clear.
But with the attack of last Sunday
the whole German conception began
to be revealed in unmistakable clarity
Other blows to the north were con-
ceivable. a side show toward verdun
might be looked for as an effort to
draw French reserves eastward away
from the environs Of Paris.
We may say, then, that any per-
sistence of the Germans in their drive
west of the Oise-and it is only in Its
first stages as / write these lines on
June Twill abolish the element of
surprise and put the allied high COM
mand in complete possession of the
necessary facts on which to base their
answer to German strategy.
At the moment / am most anxious
that my readers should grasp the
larger aspects of German strategy.
Now, as always. the allied armies
not Paris, nor any other fixed posi-
tion-remain his objectives
But the allies have put q price upon
Paris. In a word, they have decided
that Paris is worth so much to the
allied cause that 1t must be defended
to the limit. And this means that the
allies will oppose their main strength
to German advance between the pres
eAt front and the French capital