The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1918-08-01
CALM AFTER STORM
CAUSING COMMENT
AMONG OFFICIALS

Washington, July 3l-An odd calm
fell over the isne-Marne battle area
today only the thunder of the guns to
tell of new and more terrible gusts Of
the war storm to come. Paris and
Berlin both noted it, The infantry
had paused for breath while the ar
tillery pounded new roads of advance
for General Foch's victorious armies.
Just what the lull may prove was
not apparent. Possibly the enemy is
already on the move after the decisive
defeat he met in the battle which be-
gan Saturday and centered on the
American positions along the north
bank of the Ourcq. Here the Amer-
can third division and the now famous
forty-second division, the Rainbow di-
vision, composed of former National
Guardsmen Of many states, have made
good their positions against the en-
emy's best fighting units. They have
met, outfought and forced backward
by their fierce ardor picked Prussians
and Bavarian divisions brought fresh
to the field with orders to hold the
line of the Ourcq ut all costs.
i nat line Ids DetH DTOkeH. lHc
American spearhead driven forward
again and again, finally broke the
fighting edge of the enemy defense.
When supporting columns surged for
ward across the Ourcq to consolidate
the ground so valiantly won and held
by the first rush, enemy hopes of
clinging to the present line dwindled
Holding the apex of the allied line ut
the center, the Americans had paved
the way for the dashing capture of
Chalmont Butte to tho westward by
the Franco British forces. Allied guns
now dominate the enemy's lines from
this height foretelling new inroads to
his positions and the strong proba-
blity that he will be compelled to fall
back to the Vesle line
The victory was given new signifi-
canoe today by General March, who
told the newspaper men at his mid
week conference. that each army now
was bent on the destruction of the
other; all lesser strategic objectives
having been swept away on both sides.
The mission of each is to kill; to de-
stroy the fighting power of the other.
1t is the ultimate military objective
that both are seeking and there can be
no hating short Of the goal.
As General March never before has
talked at these conferences in gen.
eral terms, when he turned today from
the pin-dotted map where the turn and
sway of the battle was outlined in de-
tail, and for the first time disclosed
the true significance of the struggle
in the narrow confines, his words car
ried conviction to his hearers.
"v'hatever the enemys objective
was ut the start of the drive" he said,
picking his words carefully, "and what
ever our hope was in the counter Of
fensive on the flank, of this salient.
it is now perfectly evident that those
aims have been set aside.
"The objective of each army is the
other army; each one of them wants
to kill as many of the others as pos
sible.
"The holding back of the jaws tof
the SALIENT by the Germans at Sois-
sons and near Rheims, has made it
practically impossible for US to ex-
pect bag. They have had two weeks
now to withdraw from the dangerous
points down near the Marne, and the
objective of each army is the other
army"
The chief of staff had prefaced this
new conception of the great strugg. ?
with careful outline of the battle po.
sitions, showing that since last Sat-
urday, another 10 miles had been cut
out of the length of the battle line by
allied successes. 1t is now barely 5d
miles around the flattened salient in
which the enemy has massed virtually
a million men as against "a miles when
the counter assault was set M notion
From Chateau Thierry the Americans
have made the maximum advance. COW
ering IA miles to reach the positions
where they rested today, preparing
for new advances.