Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-07-20
CUT ENTIRE SALIENT
GEN. FOCH'S PLAN
S,,nreme Commander Proposes
Great Encircling Sweep with
Rheips as Centre.


steadily increasing for just such counter
| stroke arc being brought into action on
the sides Of this salient
Eight divisions Of Americans, mum
bering 2OS00O men, are already enc
gagged IN this tremendous bnttle. with
more American divisions IN the reserves
! being brought MP This docs not IN
| clutlo American divisions ON other sectors
not involved in The present offensive
| twelve American divisions IN all being
on the battle line
W uAsIIiNGroN ~ SLATED
| With American troops engaged to TINS
extent, official Washington held ts
| breath to-day, while the great battl'
went on and reports continued to come
IN showing the offensive of the Allies
still making gains 40
| tlatlon over the fact that the Allies
had wrcstcd the initiative from the tier
mans by the aid Of the American forces
poured INTO range IN the last lew months
waa sull the dominant topic
! The fall of Soiseons is believed 10 DC
| imminent The development If the al
hcd offensive into an enclrclng move
lncnt wns Indicated to members ot the
House military committee IN confer
cncc at the Wnr Department, whlch
| served 10 increase the interest with
| which the battle IS being followed
opIr,.r ia TO cur orr FoRcF
Tha, the object Of the Franco Amer
can drive is nov TO cut of the Germans
along the Narnc WAS nlao Indicated ~
a statement dictated bv Secretary 3aker
late this afternoon
The statement follows
Tho attention o( the world. of course,
| ii fucilssed on the tremendous counter
blow being delivered ~ Cen Fuch
Gradual extension ~ these operations
ID The east j. Indicated IN the press dls-
patches hut ~ vet II IS not ofhcaliN
confirmed The gain on tho trout IT the
original counter thrust hos been de"p-
oncd narrowing the salient and making
Tho position uf its German occupants
less and less tenaalc
We have 10 report concerning ~als-
sons Int tho hattic has been raging -
that part ~ the front and the fall nt
Snias,,us scencd to hc Indicated ly the
progress made n The tlmo u tn" latest
etIlclal dispatches
sruo~a rvoreH 70 ArrAct
The Significance ot thla movement
hcg ii the fact that the suprome com
n,aItdrr evidently lccl~ that the allied
forces arc now sufficiently strong f. !u-utt
4
Was distlaecd tnjaN ~ alilod dll'
lornatir clr,Ict that the foch counter
! stroke had not l,ccn suddenly doternnnce
,inon but had been quietly ~ prolara
par fpr a week or mprr toeh is cred
Z, {trd IN vru informed quarter hrrr wit
Z having ~ rcnnrkn Il provision. d"trr
mIuc,i that tho rsNt dr'vc 81 the ''cr
!, mans would ic directed toward the cn
\ -,rrlcmr,t of Rhciwa and planned IN
G counter stroke accordingly
Q Is -rcn here the drive ot the trencl
, and Italians uc1t 4 Rheims fodAy aI'
: the rccapturc II towns between Rh"lln
. and the Marine Is All par II the sal"
= movement aImc,, - cutting aif the Ger
mans ta thc south
~. ,,nlN have German r3n3mu ic Z
tion huf~ ruumuc from Scissors to ia
Niaruc been lroHght un!cr llrt. and som
~ the lines nctgaiiA cui nut the ntti
Il The ~allrnt his alread> been M
7 rowcd
CRAVE TERFi FOR GERMANS
J Further progress hy the AlIles +"
s eithcr side VIII involve huge Germa
q force, IN the graveSt peril With thci
T communication lines sever q, their r.
tlrerucut would he matter OF grea
= difficulty
o Military experts here regard the con
q hat now gong on a. the greatest BATH
Is ~ maua.uyrcs since the Maruc, VT
u the advantage nov plainly on the sd
q nf the Alllcs I'm offensive b. the Bri
q Ish ls expected hy many, though natH
e. ally the plans Of the supreme allie
command with regard = other parts {
the front. are being kept a deep secret
That the Germans, seeing their PER-
will bring up al possible reserves,
70 regarded as a certainty by the eApcri
here. and the expectation OF the BrtIs
u offensive Is based largely on kccpin
ID these reserves down to their minimum.
- rrRsHr<G coNMANDs IN PERSON
Q Gen Pcrsnng is conducting oper;
,e lions Of the Americans IN person, Il
o cording to reports here This explain
No tine fact that only a few messages hay
j. come from him since the battle startc
J. II IS thoroughly realized by the Pres
o dent and Secrctary Baker that tt
s american commander IS too busily e.
r. gagged to furnish them with anythlr
of but the most meagrc reports
As stated III The Sun this moTniI
the troops now engaged include Il
Rainbow Division which means th
New York troops Of the old Slxty-nint
al are taking part in the counter offensiv
=" DRAW On SECOND CORR 3.
~ Not only are all OF the six division
:. Of the new First Army Corps, und
-. ~ Maior-Cicn. Hunter Liggctt, now e
az gagged. but some Of the divisions of ii
- Second Army Corps have been broug
IN into the fight
=. 80 The divisions known to be cngag,
:; - here are tic First and Second Divisio
= OF Regulars and Marines, the Twent
IL sixth New England National Guard
~ - vision under Gen Clarence r. Edward
ii the Rainbow Division under Major-(e e
''u Charles Manoher, the Forty-frst, ma
IL ,!p of National Guard troops from {
~ ~ Pacific coast and the Thirty-secon
N made up Of troops from Michigan al
Wisconsin
Ill 1t was disclosed today by Gen Mar
~ that recently the Americans had be,
- firing % 900 shells daily
AS indicating the increase in the III
power at the disposal Of the allies
n.y. turning the tide against the Germa
Inc it can be stated that the America
ere now have 100000 men either in FraI
" or on the way and 324 900 combatal
1hb at the front.
NJ According to military experts here
was not to be expected that toda
advance on the Slissons Chatc;
ier, ! Tbierry side of the salient would ma
nd tain the same pace as that of yesterd
ust This pace was so swift, it was poin
IT out that II would be necessary to G.