Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-09-04
ALLIES WILL FORCE
HUNS FROM BELGIUM
Capture of Hindenburg Switch
Line Expected to Cause
Fall of Lille.
MASTERY WILL THEN PASS
No Longer Question Whether
Pace of Allies Can Be
Kept Up.

WASHINGTON. September s. The
I European war news to-day indica ,es
TO officials that the liberation OF Bel
gium will come by force OF allied arms
rather than by any belated offer from
I Germany. for a dcliverance Of dipIo-
macy
Tho general opinion among military
men of all of the belligercnt nationai,-
ties, is now that the capture by the
allies Of the Hindenburg line sw,tc:,
line will cause the fail or Lille. an,
with the fall of Lille. the German
mastery Of Begium will pass.
II is no longer question whetne.
the pace OF the allied armies can be
kept up The presence or reserves be-
cans in ample numbers ~ a guarantee.
military experts say. tnat there will
be no slowing down OF the forward
incidentally il is pointed out, that
everywhere on the nortn. center ana
south of the line of battle facing tine
ltinde burg line. The statement or the
United States Army authorities rev
days ago that tho Hndenburg line was
by the capture Of the northern emo OF
the line. but by the carrying of the
much -vaunted irresistible Drocour,-
Queant sector. which is the most I'M
portant factor in the operations or the
past twenty-four hours.
The other highly Significant item OF
mcnt. is that the American troops nave
continued TO advance nortn of the
Aisne, lin spite Of strong resistance
OIL the enemy, and have taken the viii
laEe of Terny Sorny.
GENERAL PERSHING TELLS
OF AMERICAN SUCCESS
In, his message reciting the exploit
of the Americans in this sector. Gen
In the operations of yesterday tMon-
day) in this region. our troops cap
tured 5!2 prisoners. two 105-caliber
guns and seventy-eight machine guns"
The capture of prisoners and guns
shows that the American troops made
Il dash with the bayonet and captured
outright the whole German position at
Terny Sorny.
General Pershing also notes that the
american troops are being attacked
mans were repulsed, with loss.
the high pressure of the battle is
Stili centerinS, at and across the Hin
denburg switch line and the sector in
front OF Juvisny. where the Americans
are driving ahead commensurately with
the British on the northern end OF the
iiindenburg line. The presence of
battle line seems to dispose OF the re-
cent report that General PershinE had
Withdrawn all his men who had been
brigaded with the British TO consoIi-
date and unity the whole American
force in France. 1t is verified to-day
mat the Americans arc assisting the
they were in the hand-to hand fight
ing that must have preceded driving
1he Germans out OF the Queant switch.
The trenches of this switch are stated
to be cemented 10 a dcpth Of twelve
feet, and the same is said to be true
OF the line all the way to points op-
poSite Rheims.
GERMANS WITHOUT ANY
FIXED POINT OF RETREAT
Inc oird S-eye view of the situation
to-day. in the light of the general ad-
n ~ bat
tnat' conversely, II is general route
or the Germans, with no fixed point
or line as the prepared position" to
rectify the retreating and disorganized
units.
For the present the specific attention
OF me military observers is being di-
Lille. o oui'u
The British drove against this area
two years ago with fixed objective
II was proposed then. as it is now.
TO get possession of the city. as the
center of al! German potentialities for
resistance behind the Hindenburg limo
and In connection with IL.
The possibilities of resistance Law in
the use Of Lille as railway and tram
munication in the north OF Belgium
between the Germans in the field and
the cities Of Ostend and Zeebrugge
Both of these have been put out of com
mission as submarine centers by the
brilliant exploits OF the British navy,
but it is equally necessary to take
tnem now. to prevent the concentra-
tion Of German armies there to flank
the British in their thrust around
Douai.
It is noted that the British are ex-
tending their salient which they pushed
into the German lines east of Arras
some further extension would mean
he an impossibility, and permit the
British left to rest in the near future
probably in a line south of the Ger
man submarine bases 1t is these con
siderations. bracketed with the con-
stantly increasing American thrust TO
the south. which warrant the opinion
that the liberia tion OF Belgium is not
a remote event, and may be accom-
piished by the force OF arms alone.