Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-09-30
WHOLE GERMAN LINE
IS FACING COLLAPSE
Increasing Pressure Sure to Bring
Disorder; Belgium May First
be Freed of Barbarians.

Washington Sept. 80 Continued
and increasing pressure by Marsha
Foch along virtually the whole western
front from Ncrdun To the North Sea has
brought the Germans face To face with n
critical situation, in the opinion oi OBJ
servers here With the enemy main de
Tense position. the Hlndcnburg inc
shattered in several places; his secondary
line To the east the krcimhilde position
puncturcd. and his own official reports
admitting Withdrawals on all fronts,
there is a growing possibility, II Is thought
ot n serious disaster
French troops are over hchhhdeS-
Danes barrier on wide front, ana ms
they arc now pressing ON the hank ot inc
rctrratlng Germans to the south ana
west the situation IN tho centre oi the
great German defensive arch appeared
to observers ms most critical. The collapse
of thc " hole Laor hastion, ON which the
vast Hirdenburg line hangs for support.
was believed ia hr forcshadowcd
Further North British. Belgian. and
American troops are smashing through
interviewer trench systems and across
canals and ot her naturally strong positiors
az a rate that shows the desperate straits
OF tho enemy TO find men ia meet the
drive. No help for Iiaon can be looked for
from that direction
Kremhldc Line Broken.
To the west. General pershlne's First
Army apparently has broken tho new
kreimhlldr line with the capture OF ibo-
magpe The IIindcnburg position IS al
ready behind the Americans on thelr
whole front, and to their lett tho l'rpcnh
also have swept over tho enemy dcienscs
on = wide sector.
An examination of the map tonight
showed that the Hindenburg lire had
been smashed al the fcwest, in SIX dh-
forrnt places There seemed no possibility
that the Germans could cling to the trag
mcnts that remained Tor more than
matter ~ hours Cambria, 81 Quentin,
Ia Fcrc. st Gohain Forest. II seemed,
might I've ongulfcd hv tho tide Of allied
and American soldiers AZ any moment,
although u may prove necessary To pass
them for later occupation. rs 4 has been
the German practice 10 tlil evacuated
towns full Of gas.
" hilc tho centre OF immediate atien-
ton was tho French sweep toward Laon,
now III PLAIN sight VI General NangIn
men. who have cleared tho wide plateau
on the western md Of the thcmln -dcs-
through tho valley bcvond, Of even deeper
significance Is the continued swift pro
gross of Pcrshing forces along the
heights Of the Nctsc and on a wide front
to the west Of the iivrr
Ia most observers. this thrust has tho
greatest potential menace for th" enemy,
ard the whole titanic offensive now rag
ing from NerIun 10 the North Sca IS
viewed as a single battle IN which tho
Americans on the right are relied upon
to carry forward a threat If such
nature that the enemy dare not llngcr ~
intermediate defense positions but must
make all haste back 10 tho Belgian border
or face the encirClcmcnt ot largo part
Of his forces
Germans Secondary Line.
The probable immediate effort Of the
enemy, Il was suggested would he f.
get back his forces on the north Of tho
first Of the series Of secondary defense
positions he Is known to have been
building ever since Marshal foch launched
the surprise attack in the Marine salient
IN July In general wav this Inc Is
supposed to lie parallel to tho fiundcn-
burg line for q long distance, and pro-
badly with IFS main fighting positions not
moro than ten miles or 50 behind the
present front The maintenance OF that
linc. however. will depend on dcveio-
mcnts both north and south of its known
extent. and the belief here Is that there
is no position short Of the Belgian border
that can be relied on certainly 10 block
tho wide thanking movement indicated 10y
General PcrshingS swift advance.
From every angie. the German high
command appears TO be faced with pos
e IL i
thought the enemy leaders have already
ordered a general withdrawal. tho slightest
hitch in arrangements would mean a
section Of the army cut of and annIhilated
Marshal Foch has shown that he has
available the forces TO strike on any front
or on all fronts at simultaneously. This
means that he can launch surprise drives
at any weak link in the German chain as
it gives ground and break through At
anv point might develop into a rout