The Washington herald., 1918-03-28
The Line Holds.

The stiffening of the British and French line,
indicated in dispatches last night, puts an entirely
aspect the great struggle on the Somme and
Disc, and it is not too much to hope now that the
deadiest part of the enemy's onslaught has been
met and countered.
OF course more desperate efforts are TO be
made by Hindenburg and Ludendorf, for it is inn
possible to believe that they will let the offensive
stand where it is today without a final, supreme
effort Perhaps it is premature to assume that the
drive has lost its forward thrust that it is now
definitely stemmed All the news coming through
in the past eighteen hours is OF the most encourag-
ing character, however and the world awaits the
counter thrust which the British and French have
promised.
There is no doubt that the Germans have eX
tended the spearhead of their drive in the center Of
the line in the direction of Amiens, altogether too
far for safety. The only question is whether the
allies are in a position to take advantage OF the
rather hazardous German position. Along the
Scarpe and along the entire northern angle OF the
offensive the drive was held and stopped three days
ago In the south it was making furious progress
until French were flung into action. Now
the Boehe thrust seems definitely stopped in that
sector or at least slackened to point where
complete standstill is certain Only in the center
of the line has he advanced in the past twentyfour
hours.
For that reason an attempt to pinch" the center
and attacks upon the flank is the logical form for
the first counter offensive to take and already there
is hint that the substantial French and British
serves brought up to the battle to undertake
an operation OF this character. Clemenceau says:
1--WE will be masters OF the situation in another
twenty-four hours" and there is to believe
that he was talking by the card. The Germans
have now advanced to point where to sustain un-
diminished the force OF their thrust is mechanical
az we'll as human impossibility As we'll expect the
muzzle velocity of shell to be maintained
broken in the parabola of its flight Not only is
the process of rushing into the gaps made
by allied guns slow and dangerous one, but the
artillery must be now considerable distance be-
hind, and with ground to traverse that must be
mass of torn ground and shell holes.
There is reassuring word from both Paris and
London that reserves in ample numbers are now
getting into action and that the full power OF allied
resistance is just beginning to be felt by the enemy
This leads US to believe that Hindenburg fully
pected to puncture the British line and destroy the
British lines long before the present state of the
struggle was reached; but the British lines
broken and the retreat has been orderly and
unflurried as the German retreat on the Somme
in the spring OF 1916
A study OF the offensive to date gives real
light on German psychology in starting t-save
only the theory that the militarists gambling
on the chance OF destroying the enemy armies and
OF forcing German peace without delay. In this,
of course they have failed conclusively. What will
be the next STEP A new peace propaganda by
Germany, based the preposterous assumption
that the morale of the three Western democracies
has been shaken by the show of Teuton power? 1t
seems probable. Either that a drive upon
Italy when spring sets n with the object Of crush
ing the southern arm OF the iron ring"