The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-09-30
OBSERVERS SEE
COLLAPSE NEAR
4 Ft#
s-.ss-s ~ II
Enemy Must Withdraw to
Belgian Frontier or Face
Disaster
FOCH NOW HOLDS
SHARP ADVANTAGE
Manpower is Great Enough so That He
Can Send an Army Through When
ever the Line Cracks of
Thrust of Pershing's Army.


WASHINGTON, Sept. 30.-Continued
and increasing pressure by Marshal
Foch along virtually the whole battle
front from Verdun to the North Sea
has brought the Germans face to face
with a critical situation, in the opinion
of observers here. With the enemy
main defense position, the Hindenburg
| line, shattered in several places, his
secondary line to the east, the Kriem-
hid position, punctured, and his own
official reports admitting Withdrawals
on all fronts, there is growing possibili-
~. it is thought, of serious disaster
An examination of the map tonight
showed that the Hindenburg line had
been smashed in at least six different
places. There seemed no possibility
that the Germans could cling to the
fragments that remained for more than
a matter of hours. Cambria, st. Quen-
tin. La Fore, st. Gobain Forest it
seemed, might be engulfed by the tide of
allied and American soldiers at any
moment. although it may prove neces-
sary 10 pass them for later occupation,
as it has been German practice to fill
evacuated towns full of gas.
While the center of immediate atten-
ton was the French sweep toward Laon
now in plain sight of Cen Mangin s
men who have cleared the wide plateau
on the western end of the Chemin des
Danes and hurled the enemy down
through the valley beyond, of even
deeper significance is the continued
swift progress of Pershing 5 forces
along the heights of the Meuse and or
a wide front to the west of the river.
To most observers this thrust has the
greatest potential menace for the enemy
and the whole titanic offensive now
raging from Eerdun to the North Sea is
viewed as single battle in which the
Americans ON the right are relied upon
to carry forward threat of such q ma,
ture that the enemy dare not hnger in
intermediate defence positions, but must
ma ke all haste back to the Belgian Dor
der or face the encirclement of large
portion of his forces.
The probable immediate effort of the
enemy, is was suggested, would be tC
get back his forces on the north to thu
first of the series of secondary defence
positions he is known to have beer
building ever since Marshal Focl
launched the surprise attack in thu
} Marine salient in July. In a genera
way this line is supposed to lie parable
to the Hindenburg line for long dis
! lance and probably with its main fight
ing positions not more than ten mile
or SO. behind the present front TIL,
! maintenance of that line, however. vii
depend on developments both north an,
south of it's known extent, and the be
: lief is here that there is no position
;, short of the Belgian border that coul,
. be relied to block the wide flankin,
, movement indicated by Gen. Pershing
swift advance.
From every angle the German hig
r command appears to be faced with pos
e sibilities of crushing disasters. If, as i
thought, they already have ordered
e general withdrawal the slightest hite
: in arrangements would mean a seetio
r of the army cut off and annihilate(
: Marshal Foch has shown that he ha
available the forces 10 strike on ar
n front or on all fronts simultaneously
n This means that he can launch surpris
drives at any weak link in the Germa
C chain as it gives ground and a brea
through at any point might develop int
II n rout.