The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1918-07-26
ALLIED DRIVE BEGAN JULY 1S
MAY End IN GERMAN ROUTE
Miles of Territory and Many Pris-
Oners Taken-Many Germans Sent
to Happy Hunting Grounds

The fifth German drive for Paris
began July Is and came to an end
July 18th when Gen. Foch decided
to make his counter drive against
the Boches. He may have gotten
generals who declined to take the ad
vice of Gen. Foch. He was in com
mand of an American division or
the Marne river in the Chateau
Thierry sector, and his men had been
compelled to give ground-been
driven back, and smarted under the
ordeal. Gen. Foch advised him to
allow his troops to rest before or
dering a counter offensive to recover
the lost ground. Instead he sent the
following message to his superior
French commander, destined to be-
come historic document;
"We regret being unable on this
occasion to follow the counseIs of
our masters, the French, but the
American flag has been forced to re-
tire. This is uncomfortable, and none
of our soldiers would understand
their not being asked to do whatever
is necessary to re-establish a stu
alton which is humiliating to us, and
unacceptable to our country's hon
or. We are going to counter attack"
With his men he did attack, and
gave the Germans a sound drub-
bing Took a lot of prisoners, many
guns, large and small, and several
miles of territory. The next morn
ing the great counter attack by or
der of Gen. Foch began. What has
been done since then is now history.
Every day since the 18th of July
the allied armies have made gains.
Taking many thousands of prison
ers, much war material and from two
to 18 miles of front some fifty
odd miles wide.
According to the latest accounts
gains were still being made, with
a possibility that a large number of
Germans in the vicinity of Scissors,
an important railroad center cap
tured by the Germans in March,
might fall into the hands of the al
lied armies.
One of the German soldiers cap
tured by the French was asked how
he thought the war would end and
replied: eve ought to win, because
we've got God on our side, but now
the allies have got the Americans.
I don't know how it will end"
The turn in the tide of battle
seems to have been reached. While
we never found fault with the tactics
and never lost faith in the strategy
of the chief, we yet Sc
cretly smarted under the long drawn
defensive tactics. Doubtless Gen.
Foch knew best. He probably de-
layed his offensive until he was sure
he had sufficient reserves to make
attacking safe. The fighting of
the past week seems to indicate that
he is able at last to meet the Ger
mans man for man.
There is a bit of grim humor in
the dispatches yesterday. One from
Berlin states that the Germans were
killing American soldiers by the hun
dred thousands. More than they
ever before admitted were in France.
That the toll taken of our boys will
be large we may make up our minds
to be told when the full reports
come in. We have, of course col
lected mortality interest from the
Germans, and that helps to assuage
our national grief. Best of ALL we
have convinced the Boches that the
u. S. troops can fight hard. Our
drive will not end the war, but we
have hopes that it will bring the end
nearer. In all probability it will not
end before next year Mr.. Baker
says we will have two million sold
iers in France before this years
fighting season comes to an end,
and to begin the drive next spring
we will have five million American
soldiers on French soil.
The tremendously heartening eff
feet of the allied drive can not be
underestimated. 1t has put new en-
ergy, new pep into every country
in the allied cause.