Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-07
GERMANSUNABLE
T0MAKEA
Gen. Foch's Offensive Likely
to Force Enemy to Bel
gian Frontier.
RESULT OF MONTHS DRIVE
BY FRANK II. sIMONDS.

BY FRANK II. SIMONDS.
Today completes the first month OF
Foch's great offensive. It sees the
Germans in their last ditch in north
ern France. with every prospect OF a
long and dangerous retreat ahead OF
them-a retreat to the Belgian from
tier, which will. on the map at least,
restore the situation Of August, 1914.
liquidating every German gain since
the earliest days Of the war.
Since Napoleon was defeated at
Leipzig and began his final retreat to
France in 1913, it may be questioned
If any other month has been of equal
Importance in military history. Just
as Leipzig broke the Napoleonic
legend of invincibility. shattered the
illusion created by Austerlitz, Jena,
Friedland and Wagram. these bat
ties. almost too grandiose to be meas
ured by place names, which have un-
rolled over the length of lle-de-
France. Picardy and Artois. and are
extending to Flanders and to Cham-
pagne. have, after four years, broken
military machine which in the period
between August, 1914, and July, 1918.
carried its victorious standards from
the English channel to the Gulf OF
Riga and from the Baltic to the Black
sea.
Victory Not Yet Measured.
The measure of Foch's victory is
not yet to be had. The greatest fruits
remain almost within the hands OF the
British and French armies now ad-
yancing over the ruins Of shattered
defense systems. and broken German
divisions. We have taken , more Inan
struck the first blow on August =.
We have taken more than 10000
prisoners and 2,200 cannon since Man
gin turned the final German offensive
we have liberated 1900 square miles
Of French territory. and in the north
are advancing over ground untrodden
by allied troops since the retreat from
Mons. forty-nine months ago.
best news, the best progress. since
the offensive began. This offensive has
had three phases, and Is approaching
a fourth. The first was the victory OF
Rawlinson. which determined the
It abolished the threat to Paris and
to Amiens and definitely put the Ger
mans on the defensive. But 1t left the
problem Of whether the German could
remain where he had stood in AL the
time from September, 1914, to March,
1917.
Mangin Delivers Blow.
The second phase was the blow of
Mangin south of the Oise and north OF
the Aisne, which drove a wedge be,
49, a
those west of st. Quentin along the
old Noyon salient. After Mangin
struck and advanced the retreat to
the Hindenburg line was inevitable.
But this opened the new problem
could the Germans stand on the helm. Hin
stood from March, 1917. to March.
1918, when they launched their
grandiose offensivef
The answer to this question came
last week in tho blow Of Horne. fol-
lowing the blow Of Byng in a previous
carried the British from Arras and
Albert eastward to the old linden
burg line from the battlefield OF Cam
braf in 1917 to that of Loos in 1915.
But It did more than this. Horne's
blow cut right through the linden
burg line. the Drocuurt-Queants switch
line, the wotan Nne-the >nomencla-
ture is confused; the fact is not In
two DAYS British troops were, and are.
advancing upon Cambria and upon
Douai, and possession Of these cities
will mean a German retreat to the
frontier. And as I see it, the retreat
is already become inevitable.
Two Great Facts Established.
After all, two great facts have been
established in the last week which
seem to me more important than any
gain Of territory. The breaking OF
the Drocourt-Queantl line demonstrate
ed that lines, all lines and defense
systems, have lost their earlier ap-
proximate impregnability. It was a
mans to hold this line. It's impor-
tance has been patent on the map to
the least militarily informed observ-
er. for at least q fortnight The Ger
mans had time to prepare-they
brought up reserves and ARTILLERY
lost lost the line and 10000 prisoners with
Il in forty-eight hours.
And this reveals the second great
fact German morale Is breaking
down. Go back to the days of the
Somme and recall that from July to
JIIy is Haig advanced two miles on
=. front Of seven at a cost. Of moro
than lUU,VUU CdSAoASAS eAAN =
canture Of not more than 5000 Ger
mans.
,;nson began his attack from CONNIE
court to the Somme, he had not ad-
Sonced seven miles. But since August
81 Ryng has made twenty miles from
the west bank Of the Ancre to tho Canal
dn Nord and Rawlinson twenty-five
from southeast Of Albert to Peronne.,
Real Area Of Interest.
TODAY tho real area Of interest is
chat east of Arras and Lens and west
~ Do,,ai. and Cambria. Here tho Brit
s.h are close to the arteries that feed
IN the little veins along the whole Ger
man front from Lille to Laon. II these
arteries are severed. then all the front
they serve by means Of the veins radiat-
ing from them VIII be starved-de-
stroyed-and before this happens the
Germans must retire to the frontier.
Nor is this threat to Cambrai and to
Douai the only menace. In the past
two days Mangin has been at it again
driving northward against the St Co
balm forest, against the very keystone
of the arch of German power in France.
tween Cambria and Lille. Mangin 10
at the keystone before scissors and the
Americans and French about Rheims
are driving at the other abutment
Unless the Germans bring Horne,
Byng, Rawlinson and Mangin to .
CONTINUED on Seventh Page.)
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