Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-29

also TO open the Disc route to Paris
ana to push southwark until his
neaVy artillery could pound Paris into
runs or surrender. This was a great
program, but for it's realization Luden-
dorn had concentrated the ultimate
resources of Germany and he Vas to
miss success by the narrowest mar
gin.
The Blow Falls.
On March u the blow fell. ON 4
trent Of thirty miles forty German
DIVISIONS fell upon fourteen British
after a brief artillery preparation un-
e&ied in fury and reinforced by
gas shells in enormous quantities.
me surprise was complete in it's eff
iect. a fog deprived the doomed eth
Army of the advantage of most of its
preparations. it's support lines were at
nest IN poor condition and in the first
ia! Oh the attack the line was pierced
at TOUT places. Yet through this day
ana the next the army fought on
oossedly, retiring slowly, but main
tanning Its front intact,
BY the third day, however. the
ruin was complete. the 5th Arm, ,,a 4
olssoived into gallant fragments. a
Ereat gap was opening between the
hrltlsh and the French and continued
70 widen for several days, during
Whicn all the French reserve armies
Mnicn had been awaiting a German
@1o h upon their own front at the
Slemin des Danes, were rushed nm
and thrown in. w
u lnis Time the German host pushed
reIeHtlessly on. passed the Somme
crossed the battlefield of 1916. reached
me -ancre. took Albert and south of
me Somme approached within ten
mihes OF Amlens, the vital center of
M
.he nood reached and passed Noyon
touched the Lassigny highlands and
extended to Montdidier. 'o
Allies Decide on Momentous Stem.
In the midst of the disaster E,.,o.
and Britain, with AmeEca decided
upcn momentous step. Gen. Foch
Vlctor or the Marine and of tho yser
was caiied to supreme command He
zane when the first fury of the Ger
man storm had worn itself out.
IN me last days of March the Ger
mans mad finally been halted inst an Ct
or the main Amiens-Paris raiiwsy ean !,
JUST north of the Lassigny heights tho
Iost Junction between British and
french armies had been restored
6ut Z trem endous defeat had in
vowed the loss of 10000 prisoners
mainly britlsh, and more than 1000
Iidu not merely re-
gained the ground lost in the erea+
retreat of 1917, but had Approached
Anlens and broken new ground
when had not seen the invader since
September. 1914.
while Foch reorganized the situa-
non s11 IN Picardy a new German blow
iell in Flanders. Failing to stir The
Sd British Army, which under Rvne
heId the ground north of the 5th
and about Arras, the Germans had
turned north and breaking the front
of Horne's list British Army in a sec.
TOT held by the Portuguese, had flow
ed over into the region soutb ~
Ipres. taking all the famous fishtinp
ground, the "Whitesheet" ridge. pass.
caaendaele ridge and finally Mount
KENNEL, the key to Ypres itself.
Again Head for Calais.
once more, as in 1914 the German
drive was headed for Calais and in
the last week of April Haig issued a
final appeal to the British army
"hghting with it's back to the wall"
IN this critical situation the line
held. French reserves arrived. the
situation stabilized itself, following
a bloody defeat of the Germans on
April %, which, in reality closed the
German offensive efforts in Elan
ders.
From April 90 to May q a long
pause ensued. The allies had suffered
frightfully. the British loss alone ex-
ceeded 100000. there was still no
chance of taking the offensive, and
the allies uttered <despairing appeal
to America to drop all other prep
arations and send men. The campaign
became, in Lloyd Georges words, a
race between Wilson and Luden-
dorff." 1t was to be won by the for
mer. but not before September could
Foch expect large American numbers.
sufficient to give him the advantage
in this respect.
After a delay incident to refitting
their machine, the Germans struck
again. this time against the French
at the Chemin des Danes, and again
won n great immediate success All
the enormously strong positions north
of the AisLe Were taken in a day,
the Germans pushed south across the
Aisne and the Vesle. turned west
ward and began new drive to Paris
one flank resting upon the Marine. the