Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-05-31

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London, May 81.
SoME eXcisions which the censor
~ thought it necessary 20 make in my
last article. the first dealing with the
present battle. made my comments
appear to have a more optimistic tone
than ! had intended see no reason
at present to alter the opinion nN.
pressed that this offensive Of the
Crown Prince is preparatory to an.
other and heavier blow. But. as the
extent of the attack and the force
/ employed show il is serious ,rroua.
ration, and it has met with great SrIc.
cess.
We learn from Sir Douglas Haig's
reports and from tn" dispatches of
correspondents with the French and
british armies THAI rather less than
the right half Of the front attacked
was held by four British divisions. all
of which had he"n heavily engaged in
| tho battles Of last March and in the
| Flanders fighting Of April They were
possibly below strength may have con
tained q considerable number of the
fresh drafts. and cannot have been
| long in their new POSITIONS on the
new ground, with which they had not
had time to become familiar, they were
AT disadvantage in meeting the sur
prise attack in greatly superior force
and it is great tribute to their valor
that they held their hattie positions
on a great part of the front until com
nelled by a break in tho center. where
as usual. the enemy was I'm greatest
force, to fall back to positions in the
rear.
We have not heard from the French
how their part of the front was held,
hut it may he assumed from its length
that they had also about four diVi
sions in line against these eight divi
Sions. The Germans probably had on
this front. before the concentration
for the hattie began. about eight or
nine. Reports from France intimate
that tho Crown Princes attack was
made with twenty five divisions. as.
sisted by considerable number of
tanks, and this force may he. and
probably has been, increased since.
We do not vet know how far the
enemy owed his success to the sur
prise employment Of tanks on the
lines of our tamhrai attack Of last
November: hut rUmOrS were rif" he
fore the German offensive of March II
that the enemy was bringing up tanks
in numbers, and they did not make
| their appearance on any scale in the
subsequent llElllIlE. II may lI'fl
well be that the enemy was not ready
then. that he has been using the last
two months To complete the tuning up
of his machines and the training of
their crews, and has now put his new
weapon for the first time to a serious
test.
With tho exception OF inns one un.
certain factor, nothing that has been
disclosed shows any novelty in the
cuemy's methods or important
changes in his dispositions The
armies of Won Bnehm and Of Fritz
Won 1ielOW are in their normal places.
1t was known that the Crown Prince
had a number of Guard divisions
under his orders, and. therefore, tho
report of the appearance of til" part
of the Guard in the present hattl" Is
/ in no way surprising. similarly,
! identificatiunS of German divisions
| defeated in the attempt on the Locre
front are those of divisions which we
should expect to find in Flanders.
! Now. if we take the largest estimate
! yet received of the force with which
/ the Crown Prince began his attack.
/ namely. twenty-five divisions, against
! the Franco British eight or nine, this,
while giving him an important super
! iOrity on the battlefield Of more than
! three to one, would only require the
| employment Of some sixteen divisions
from his reserves, the other eight or
. nine being already on the front.
The latest estimates We haN" received