The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1918-09-13
AT THE HINDENBURG LINE

We are now very near, if we have
not already reached, the beginning Of
a new phase of the great battle in
France. Up to this time it has been
a continuous retreat, on the part of
the Germans, from the farthest point
of their offensive advance, back toward
a definite objective, the Hindenburg
line, from which they began their Sc
ries of drives in March, and against
which the Allied armies battled in
vain throughout the previous year.
Now they are again behind the line
on almost the entire front and the
question becomes, are they going to
stay there or are they to be forced to
move on? 1t is great question, but
the answer, we believe, rests in the
hands of General Foch, not in the Ger
man high command. That is to say,
if Gen. Foch has decided that this is
the time to drive tc Germans out of
France, and his declaration of Sim
placable pursuit" seems to indicate
that he has, then we take it that the
Germans will have to go, willy-nilly.
For Foch now has the advantage in
every particular, and we have not the
slightest doubt that he will use every
advantage in his possession to the
fullest in order to keep them going
while the going is good.
But let us not imagine that the
progress from now on for while will
be plainly discernible on the map. For
several days the advance has been
slowing up because we have been
reaching tie German centers of re-
sistance, the points where they must
stand, and fight with the utmost des-
peration, if they have any serious in
tention of holding to a defensive po-
sition on the Hindenburg line. 1t may
be that they have no such intent. 1t
may be, as the Ire at La Fere would
seem to indicate, that they have given
up hope of maintaining successful
defense along that line, and will use it
merely for temporary shield to check
the progress of the Allies while they
are effecting withdrawal to, per-
haps, the line of the Meuse, which is
at the edge of France. The statement
in the Berlin communique that I'VE
are now in our new positions" is no
indication of the plans of the general
staff. Whether they intend to move
on or to attempt to stay they would in
either case make some such announce
ment as this.
But unquestionably they will make
some sort of stand along these we'll
tried defenses, and we must expect for
a time hard fighting that may show no
appreciable results on the map. The
severest struggles are likely to center
about Cambria, St. Quentin and Laon.
To the north the British are already
pressing toward Cambria through the
breach in the Acknowledgements switch,
and further south are against the line
near St. Quentin. The French advance
up the valley of the Disc is pressing
the line below st. Quentin and Man
gin and his Franco American troops
are assaulting the heights and fast
nesses of st. Gobain, the shield of
Laon and the strongest point in the
German defensive. 1t would seem
that the time is near for the American
army to be put into the fray at some
point and in some way to make it i'm
possible for the Germans to maintain
their hold anywhere upon this front.
That is the surely winning card that
Gen. Foch holds in his hand. 1t may
be that he will hold it for later and
even more decisive movements, if it
is not imperatively needed now, but
the chances are that it will come into
conspicuous action soon and in way
to make Germany and the Germans re-
member the Observation-Disclosures.