Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-17
eliminating Battle of War
May Be, Fought on
Meuse
REACTION is WEAK
Germans Virtually Without
Reserves as Foch Rains
Relentless Blows
By WALTER DURANTY
peciaI Cable to Epening Public Ledger

with the French Armies. Oct II.
"sambre and Meuse"--the title of a
famous French marching song-is the
watchword of the Allied effort today,
The Irresistible pressure Of Foch's
armies is forcing the Germans back upon
the fatal triangle where the eliminating
battle of the war may take place.
on the extreme left the drive Of tho
british. French and Belgians is aimed
direct at Mons on the right the Ameri-
cans and French, pushing toward Sedan
and Mizieres, are steadily driving the
boches before them toward the reg on
between the Sambre and Meuse. The
future is big with promise. for as the
hattie progresses the increasing weak
ness of the German reaction becomes
apparent.
Germany is now suffering from the
Inherent faults of Ludendorft's strategy
in the spring and early summer, and the
srperiority Of Foch's methods of at
tnck subsequently. Ludendorff had
prornised victory by the use Of shock
divisions formed by emascuIation of the
rest of the army, Attacks after attack
was pushed hume to the point Of ex-
baustion, but always the Allies were
able 10 bar the road ere IL was too late
Foch Gives No Respite
Finally Foch judged the German army
to be sufficiently exhausted and struck
IN turn. Since then the enemy has
had no respite. Instead of intermittent
Offensive, launched after long prepara-
ton. the Allied attacks have been con-
tinuous The dispirited Germans to
whom a victorious end OF the war has
been promised before August. have been
hammered ince:antly salient after
salient created has bitten holes in their
-sine and sooner or later compelled wide
and costly retirement. Even now, after
the Laon pocket has been reduced there
has been a bulge In the defense line in
the region between the Oise and Serre
and another equally dangerous north Of
Lille.
While the Allies have been advancing
victoriously in the north. the pressure OF
the French in the center and the Amcri-
cans on the right prevents the enemy
from transferring troops to the point
most threatened.
Already on October 10 II was known
that the Germans had at the outside
twelve fresh divisions as total stra-
tegic reserve. Perhaps as many more
were being refitted behind the lines
but these will be incapable for two or
three weeks to take an active part in the
battle. In the last five days the demand
for supports must have been tremendous
in f;he hard-pressed German army, and
today there can be but dregs in the
: bottom of the reserve bucket
- No less serious is the shortage OF ma =
4riaL Numerous captured orders bear
ttness to the lack of munitions The
Uords ''strictest economy" recur with
n ninous frequency. Though many ar
kllery units have been actually sun
'ressed, 1t has nevertheless. been also
'<1ecessary to reduce the number Of guns
per battery from four to three in many
cases. In three months the Allies have
. destroyed or captured more than 5000
cannon-a full quarter of the total ar
tiliery force OF Germany At the same
time the forced "combing out" of work.
men from the factories has seriously
lowered production. and this weakness
Grows daily more pronounced and dam
gerous.
Losses Inside Lines"
Hardly less important are the conse-
quences of the WITHDRAW wal from the Iaon
massif Hitherto the enemy position in
france gave him inside" lines of COM
munication. The Allies. attacking con-
centrically. could be met by a displace-
ment Of troops over an infinitely smaller
area Now the jamming of the boches
back upon virtually the sole two good
lines Of communication that remain
via Hirson and Mezieres-renders ap-
gressive reactions upon anything but a
local scale. impossible
Add to all this the inevitable disnav
spreading throughout the army in CON
sequence Of the total dscredt OF the
fnilitarist party.
The last ray of hope on the German
horizon was an attempt to divide the
Allies by an appeal for an armIstica
President Wilson has nullifed It utterly
Nothing remains to save the enemy from,
dlsaster or complete surrender. in tht
opinion Of many military experts.