Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-08-06
WASHINGTON THINKS
HUH ARMY WILL FALL
BACK To AISNE LIVE
General March Shows His Ella
ton Over Decisive Defeat
Administered to Enemy by
American Forces

WASHINGTON. Aug. S.-The first
army corps, commanded by Major Gen
eral Hunter Liggett, is stan driving AZ
the center of the retreating German
lines and has reached Fismes, the en-
emy's main base for the AIsne-Marne
battle theater, according to the French
announcement tonight.
There was every indication, officers
here believed, that the enemy could not
halt his retirement short OF the Aisne
line. Within 4 few hours today, UNI
official advices showed that the whole
line had surged forward to the Aisne d.
Nesle front and thrown cavalry patrols
beyond it,
Genera: March. chief OF staff, hal
difficulty today in his conference with
the newspaper men in concealing his
elation over the decisive defeat admin
istered to the enemy. He announced
that General Pershing now had more
than a million men under his direct
command lin his own area" Presum-
ably he referred TO the section of the
front from north of Nerdun to the
Swiss border. where American troops
have been rapidly taking over the line
from the French. The first army corps,
first OF the major tactical American
units to be formed. probably represents
the mobile reserve to be contributed
serves plan and is counted as a part
of the million men.
Eight Divisions Fighting
There are eight divisions Of Ameri>
cans. or in the neiShborhood of SOC. 900
men now in the fighting zone, where
the greal battle is going forward and
General March pointed out that Cen
erai LiEEett had set his headquarters
in the center of the line where his six
divisions are assembled, together with
two additional divisions. General Liz.
gett is the first American officer to
command a wide section of the from:
and to his lot has fallen the advance
shat has broken the back of the Ger
man effort to halt his line within the
salient.
General March again described the
objective of the American and allied
drive as "the other army" 1t was APP
Darent that he expected it TO be pressed
vigorously and effort be made to de-
strcv asa much of the crown princes
fighting force as possible. He read
cabled report showing that vast guam
titles Of guns. ammunition and war ma
terial had been captured and that the
German dead arou01 Fere-en-Tardenol5
carnetesl the GROUND.
The principal portion OF General
March's statement follows:
Statement N Part
when / spoke to you last on
Wednesday. the two opposing lines
had been nearly stationary and en-
gagged in more or less desperate
fighting during July 80 and 81.
Since that time blows on both tanks
were re sisted by the Germans until,
On August l. heavy attacks by the
British and French on the Chadun
plateau. south of scissors and fur
Their southeast around the Deug
ncux. bent back the enemy's lire
at this point for a distance some
thing like two miles. The result
OF these blows on the tanks forced
2 retirement along the entire Ger
man front on August ..
-a- ION the west flank tie enemy had
10 retire across the Crise river and
the French walked into Scissors.
In the center, during the day of Au-
gust ,, the retirement covered an
average distance of from three to
four miles on front of thirty
miles.
On the east flank, on the heights
west of Rheims. our advance was
nnally on a four-mile front for a
distance OF about one mile.
Our line last evening ran nearly
parallel to the valley of the COM
bined Nesie and Ardre rivers, and
the distance from where we are TO
their position, which is a more or
less natural defensive position, is
only a little more than six miles.
The perimeter oE this gradually
diminishing salient has now come
down TO IS miles on August 2, from
"a miles at the start. The depth of
the enemy's retirement is now 16
miles.
During this advance, beginning
with TIE counter offensive, we have
had eight United States divisions
now engaged. First. Second, Third,
Fourth, Twenty-sixth, Twenty
eighth, Thirty-secoad and Forty
second. we have located definitely
the troops which engaged the
Fourth Prussian guards. They were
The Forty-second division-the Rain
bow division.
Objective EneIny's Army
The objective of our forces is
still the enemy's army, and the
success OF the advance is indicated
b. the confidential cablegram which
/ am going to read to you.
AN officer of General Muir's
CTwenty-eighth) division just re-
turned from Fere-en-Tardenois re-
ports that it does not seem possible
FOR an army to have gathered as
many guns, as much ammunition as
the Germans had abandoned in their
retreat which had been so hasty that
they had not time to bury their dead.
The ground was so covered with
corpses that il was impossible to
advance without walking over them,
and further than that the advance
/ of the Twenty-eighth division had
been extremely rapid in spite of