Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-08-13
ALLIED SUCCESSES
CALL FOR MORE MEN.
DECLARES GEN.MARCH
Chief of American Staff Urges
Quick Action on New Man
Power Bill and Cessation of
Hopes for Early Peace

! WASHINGTON, Aug. 1O.-Chief of
| Staff March's declaration today that
America must speed up instead of let
| up in its war effort as result of allied
| successes in France, is counted on in
| official circles to spur congress 10 quick
action on the man-power bill, broaden
| ing the draft ages.
March's statement was construed as
| a warning that nobody, least of all
! congress. should indulge in any idle
| hopes. or waste time III arguing over
| details OF war plans. The thing to do
| now, March forcefully declared. is to
put the maximum punch into American
! effort.
officials regarded his statement as in
| dicating plainly that the allied war
| chiefs. from Marshal Foch down, have
put it up to the United States to throw
such a force into the field as will com
| plete the establishment of the Ger
mans, already well begun by the
achievements of American fighters who
have gone against the kaiser's crack
legions.
March's statement of the magnificent
work of the Rainbow division also was
construed as evidencing the fact that
| Foch knows now that American troops,
| be they green" or seasoned, are
match for the best the kaiser has.
Military officials said that the result
of the test of the Rainbow division.
made up of green men from 90 states,
| undoubtedly helped convince Foch that
| the right kind of help had arrived to
enable him to keep the initiative. Elk
| perts here said it is not numerical SUI
periority alone but the fighting qualities
of the available forces that count
| strongly in the success of a sustained
| offensive movement.
Time for Greatest Effort
This is the time for the greatest Ell
| fort; to keep the enemy running
General March, chief of staff sum.
married. thus today to newspaper men
the situation in France.
Standing before the great military
maps at the war department that show
| clearly just where the German is be-
ing beaten back, he pointed out that
the great battle front was rapidly be-
| ing Strengthened out from Rheims to
| the sea.
They have not yet" he said, gotten
back to the original Hindenburg line,
where the German began his advances
| this year. We still have some territory
to gain, so when statements appear thai
indicate the war is over at this point,
discourage it.
This is the time for the greatest eff
fort, keep the enemy running. That
is the reason the United States is be.
ing called upon for increased man.
power, that is the reason we want the
age limits for the draft lowered and
raised to get more men.
"It is no time to talk about the war
being over 1t is the time to hit hard.
THE greatest advantage of the whole
thing has been the change of the allies
from the defensive to the offensive.
which is a great military asset.
I'VE have the enemy guessing now in
stead of guessing ourselves"
From a confidential report General
March read the following account OF
the situation on the British-French front
south of Albert:
ALLIED troops found little opposition
and have captured more prisoners than
it is possible for them to handle, in
GLIDING a German general and his staff,
showing elements of a surprise attack.
British report their prison camps back
of Amiens so full that it is impossible
to hold more. Allies have captured all
the artillery in this sector"
Describing the effect of the allied
operations. General March said:
surveying the battle line broadly, yea
see there have been number Of places
where we have been nibbling along the
VesIe river front acquiring a foothold
on the northern bank, but have not yet
attempted to so up the slopes on the
north side where German entertainments
are supposed to be. That part of the
line has remained stationary.
Foch's Policy
LAS the line has become stationary,
Foch has kept up his pressure on the
enemy, working on the perfectly sound
principle that when you get an enemy
going, you keep him going; never give
him a chance to recuperate or think it
over; keep on hitting him.
ION August combined British and
French force, commanded by Field Mar
shall Haig, attacked on a front of TWEEN
| ty miles. east of Amiens. This ter
| rain is flat, almost level, and while
some time ago there were small clumps
of woods, all of those undoubtedly had
been levelled by artillery fire, so we
can count that country as practically
| level with very little natural impediment
| to an advance. There are a few valleys
perpendicular to the front of our adj
vancing armies instead of parallel to
| it, so that the advancing troops can go
right through the valleys.
1.-THE enemy were apparently taken by
surprise and made no essential resist
ance in the center, combining their strong
resistance to the flanks. Hitting the
| big salient on a thirteen-mile front, we
| pushed it in an average of eight miles,
| and reduced it from an outer salient to
an inner salient. That gives us sa-
| lient somewhat corresponding to the
/ Marine salient and places the enemy in
| a bad position. The advance Of the
| British and French at this point comes
ur so that they are getting into control,
| or threatening. the railroad line of com
| 1punications which at that point runs
up from the Montdidier sector to Chaul-
| mes
"On the Flanders salient the enemy
| on August was Withdrawing on the
| southern sector of the salient, south of
| MerviIle and British occupied that terri
! tory, The general effect of these move
ments is Strengthening out the line ev-
| erywhere."
Rainbow DIVISIONS Work
Answering a question as to the Forty
second divisions record, General Marco
| said
THE Rainbow division had its combat
| training, in the Lorraine sector north or
L,uneyiiIe. 1t left that position to ar
| rive east of Rheims, where July 10 II
belped break the main German attack
When the F'rench-American counter Of
! fensive was launched on the Marine sa-
| lient the division appeared there shortly
| in relief of other units. Our reports in
| dicatc that the following:
! "Tn eight days of battle the Forty
second division has forced the passage or
the Ourco. taken prisoners from six en-
! emv divisions. met, routed, decimated
:, crack division of the PrusSlan guards,
| : 1.-o-;-, diviSion and one other diVi-