Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-10-05
new BLOW
BY ALLIES
EXPECT Ed
Franco American Advances
Threaten Elimination of
Pocket Occupied by Huns
East of Rheims.

Washington, Oct. 4.--Appearance
of American troops in yesterdays
fighting west of the forest of Ar
gonne suggested to some observers
here today the possibility that
new French concentration is in
progress and new blow is to be
expected at any moment. The
natural place for the stroke, it was
said, appears to be the Rheims front,
where the German lines have al
ready been weakened by the sur
render of the St. Thierry plateau.
The elimination OF the pocket oc-
cupied by the Germans just east of
Rheims, it was argued, is strength
ened by Franco-American advances
yesterday on the heights northwest
of Montpois and the simultaneous
forward movement of the French
northwest of Rheims. On the latter
sector the enemy is withdrawing,
closely pursued, and the advancing
French line is now we'll out into the
open ground north of Rheims.
Comparatively little advance by the
two wings of this pocket, it is
thought, should force hasty evacu-'
alton.
Thrust Nearing Vouziers.
|, The American thrust is
nearing Vouziers, a~rail junction of
IMPORTANCE to the enemy. On the
other side of the Rheims sector, the
French already are on the Aisne in
the vicinity of Berry-Au-Bac and
the pinching out of the pocket prob
ably would permit extension of the
line along the general course of the
Aisne- -Suippe rivers to a juncture
with the Franco-Americans in the
high ground between these two
rivers.
The result Of successful squeeze
operation against the Rheims pocket
is full of promising possibilities, for
the enemy would no sooner extri-
cate his forces from this menace
than he would find himself in an ex-
actly similar trap on a wider front
to the north.
Blows in Open Forecast.
Whatever Marshal Foch may be
planning, there is every reason to
expect immediate blows on various
sectors, in the open. 1t is now OBJ
vious that the advance of Major
General Liggett's army along the
Meuse has been halted under orders
from supreme headquarters and not
for lack of power to go ahead. Ap-
parently the far-reaching plans of
the supreme commander were salts
fed by the advance made by the
Americans in the first three days of
their rush. The Americans are now
engaged in local operations on this
front until the development of the
battle along the whole front again
calls for thrust in this vital sector
Of the enemy's position.
Armies Moved Quickly.
The outstanding feature of the
whole allied campaign has been the
wonderful hcxibility of the forces,
the rapidity with which whole ar
mics can be moved from sector to
sector, appearing on new fronts al
most over night. The enemy has
been surprised repeatedly and a
large part of the credit for the al
lied advance, it is believed here, is
due to the fact that increasing pre-
ponderance of men and material,
supplemented by vastly superior
motor truck equipment, have re-
stored the element OF surprise to
battle strategy.
German military critics have COM
mented enviously recently on the
speed with which Marshal Foch has
been able to move large forces back
and forth behind his front, admit
ting that lack of motor trucks pre-
vented the German leaders from
matching his moves. Allied super
iority in that regard is increasing
daily as American troops and trucks
pour into France.