Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-17

Montmedy, or in getting them under
full gun range, or II the French should
try to and succeed in taking Mezieres,
the Germans would literally be In a
bottle, with Liege as the mouth. Would
hat gateway be capable of supplying
the millions of men Germany has in
France or Belgium, or would it be
capable Of handling a forced withdraw
II? German actions would indicate
they believe it would not.
have said that the French are
twenty-five miles from Mezeres and
the Americans some twelve miles from
Stcnay. which means about fifteen miles
from Montmedy. on the front in this
direction are arrayed the Fourth French
Army and the First American Army.
The First American Army IL astride the
last organized defense system the boche
has between IL and line running di-
rcctly before the Mezieres- -Montmedy po-
sition. We are either beyond oi on the
EriemhildStellung on the entire front
Of the First American Army. The
americans are up against this line on
the positions to which the Germans re-
lred after our reduction Of the st.
Mhicl salient The German reserves are
about exhausted. while American re-
serves are far from exhausted.
The First. Fifth and Third German
armies are before the First American
| army. against which General Won Der
Marwitz according to captured order.
demands successful resistance on which
the future of Germany perhaps de-
pcndS"
The state of mind shown in the Won
Der Marwitz order explains the frantic
resistance of the Germans opposing our
advance. As an instance of this fact
| the enemy has used four or five Prussiar
| Guard divisions, the flower of the Ger.
| man army. against the First American
Army. IT has been explained that our
advance threatens the railroad which Is
| the feeding point for the German from
| from the vicinity Of Laon eastward be.
yond the Meuse Gripping of the trans
portation in this great sector would i'm
peril the whole German front
VIII Fight All the Way
When we attacked on September &c
we hit the Hindenburg line. In bloody
| fighting we have driven the enemy back
| 20 the second line of defense. the Kriem
bild line. which is now pierced In num-
Der Of places The third line Of defense
in this sector runs from Stenay to Sedar
and thence south to Mezieres. When thu
| British broke through the German sec
| ond line in the west the enemy at once
| fell back toward another line. But tC
| fall back to the Stenay-Sedan-Me Mezierc!
| line before our army would place MeZi
ereS under easy fire of our artillery
| Knowing the vital importance the Ger
man command attaches to the Argonne
Meuse sector. it is believed the boche in
| tends to fight desperately all the wa.
| back to his third line of defense.
II Is interesting to make certain com
| PARSONS between the German resistance
| in the Cambrai sector and in the Ar
| gonne- -Meuse sector. When we attacked
| on September 26. between the Aisne AM
the Meuse. the Germans had four divi
sions in line on this battlefront. Sine
then they have had thirteen whole divi
sions and equipment of two more divi
sions. making a total of fifteen extri
divisions. of which eight were fresh an,
two were rushed from the Champaign
front. despite important progress beinl
made there by the French Fourth Army
| On the Cambrai front the enemy ha,
in line twenty-six divisions when tn
British and French started their attack
which the boche expected. Since the
the enemy has thrown In thirty-four di
visions. nine OF which were fresh.