Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-11-17
Rapid Retreat in Third Week.


We had, then, in the third week Of
October the rapid retreat Of the Ger
mans behind the Scheldt. with the
evacuation Of, the Belgian seacoast, OF
the cities Of Lille, sRoubaix. Tourcotng,
Douai. After this the line tended to
still fighting doggedlY toward the
second line between the Mouse and
the Argonne: Goufaud held up west Of
the Americans and south of the Aisne;
Rerthelot's army, now COMMANDED. by
Guillemat, check ed before the SisSone
to get across the Serre. and Debeneys
army still halted on the west bank OF
the Disc.
To the north the main British forces
the armies Of Rawhnson, Horne and
Byng-steadily fought their way
through the third German Line be-
tween the Scheldt. and the Sambre.
getting clean through by the Begin
ming Of the fourth week of October.
They had now before them only the
fourth line that starting at the
Scheldt and crossing to the Sambre by
moment Debeney forced the Disc and
pushed eastward, driving the Ger
mans out Of the region between the
Disc and the Serra But the effect OF
this thrust was limited again. by the
switch line stretching from the second
German position on the Serre> 70 tine
third line at Hlroon-
Just before the end OF October, then,
we had this situation: From the Dutch
frontier right down to Valenciennes
the German was in his last line. Be-
tween the Scheldt and the Sambre he
held some elements Of his third line;
east of the Sambre he held his third
with the Serre switch line, which con-
nected him with his second line, which
was intact all the way from the Serre
to Metz. 1t was, moreover, essential
for him to hold this line as long as
possible, because it covered the Metz
es-Maubeuge railroad. the only
double-track lateral line Of commune
cation left to him and the vital line for
eyacuating material and supplies, now
that he was forced to quit Belgium.
Double Disaster Came.
But on oyember 1 the Canadians,
operating with the British first army.
took Valenciennes, thus breaking
through the fourth German line at the
point where it touched the Scheldt,
while the Americans drove through
the second German line between the
Meuse and the Argonne. The conse-
ouences Of this double disaster were
patent. The whole line Ct the Scheldt
could now be held for only brief
period Of time, by making use OF nat
ural obstacles like the Mons canal.
which enters the Sche1dt between
Journal and Valenciennes: the whole
second line between the Disc and the
Mouse would have to be evacuated
and the Germans could only stand
temporarily behind their third line
from the Sambre to the Meuse and
thence to Metz. They would have
to quit all of France. save narrow
belt along the frontier. and they could
no longer use the Metz-Mezieres-M Maui
beuge railway.
To all practical purposes the deliv-
erance of France. west Of the Mense,
was thus accomplished, and the free
ing of Belgium west of the Scheldt
was achieved. Valenciennes. which
fell on Saturday. November 2, was
the last French city of any size to
remain in their hands. They had in
less than two months lost rather more
than 6,00O square miles of French ter
ritory and were bound to lose an
other thousand square miles in the
next few days. Within their new po-
sitious they would hold less than
1000 square miles. as against nearly
5000 occupied in July; they had, Do,
lost all the Industrial districts, to-
gether with all the considerable cities.
Not Rout In Narrow Sense.
After the first days Of November
tho story is ono OF swift and relent-
down the valley of the Sambre through
Maubeuge and across the Belgian
frontier, until they stood on the