The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-09-14
ST. M|H|EL BLOW
JUST A PRELUDE.
Washington Observers Look
For Big Encircling
Movement @
PRESENT GAIN OF
| VAST IMPORTANCE
Pershing's Objective Believed to Be
the Fortified City of Metz, one of the
.Buttresses of the German Front on
the Western Border.

the Western Border.
WASHINGTON, Sept. Incomplete
elimination of the St. Mihiel salient
by Gen. Pershing S army. and. cooper
ating French forces, many army Off
Gals here believe is only the entering
wedge of operations of far larger scope.
Official dispatches still We're delayed
fand the full scope of the victory won by
the Americans in their first independent
action could not be gagged last night.
1t was regarded as probable, however,
that Gen Pershing's men were still
pressing forward to get in touch with
the new line the enemy hopes to hold.
+ Until definite news comes as to the
line across the mouth of the destroyed
,salient which the Americans now hold. |
officers here will be unable to form |
opinions as to the most probable course |
future operations in this theater will |
/ take.
There is a strong belief, however, that |
the reduction of the st. Mihiel salient
| will be made the cornerstone of a great
/ encircling movement aimed at isolating
the German fortress of Metz, the cen
ter buttress of the whole German front
from the North sea to the Swiss border.
The strategic Importance of General
|. Pershing 5 smashing victory can hardly
be over-estimated, in the opinion of
. many observers 1t is out of all proper
ton to the extent of the territory re-
gained or the forces employed, it is said,
for the removal of this menace in the
rear of the French citadel of Verdun
has released the French armies from
that point to Rheims for active often
sive operations 1t also liberated the
railway line from Verdun to Commercy,
Toul and Nancy which will be of the
utmost value to, Gen. Pershing and to
the French armies on his left in sup
porting future operations along this
front.
1t was the loss of this railroad. sew
, cred by the, Germans in 1914 with the
capture of St. Nfihiel, which placed the
) Verdun FORTRESS IN gravest jeopardy
! and brought. on the battle Of Verdun,
where the Germans met a bitter and
? costly defeat at the hands of the
+ French. Ever since then the German
grip on the heights around Ncrdun has
4 held the French in this region and 70
the east and west of the salient chained
i to defensive operations. The numerical
: strength of the French army was not
Il sufficient to permit an effort to drive
c the enemy off without weakening the
: lines elsewhere.
Gen. Pershing now has signalized the
2 entry of the American army into the
z war by smashing the enemy s only re-
II naming salient on the whole battle
|. front. and smashing it in less than two
II days of fighting.
= Early reports fixed the number OF
d prisoners taken by the Americans al
c - 900, and these probably represent the
wreckage Of at least three enemy dl-
Il visions. No estimate of the war booty
= captured has been received.
> Since the new line across the mouth
), of the old pocket is far shorter than
The old front French and American
troops heretofore held fast to the de-
fence of the salient are now available
'. for other duty
As the lines were reported last night
g there was nothing to indicate that the
American advance had stopped.
The German official statement was
g that a new line had been prepared, but
= the nature of the country where the
k Ameflcan troops StoVd ltlC last hlSh' ~
y dicated that the German defence posi-
% ton must be farther back toward Metz
\ where better natural obstacles are avail
able. 1t was expected here that Amerl-
% can patrols would push forward to feel
; out this line before 4 new advance IS
undertaken.
4 The German statement that the sail.
~ ent had been evacuated without serious
: interference caused much amusement
- among officers in view of the number OF
i prisoners captured. 1t has been csti
= mated that seven divisions of the enc
= my were in the salient, including those
!, standing guard at its TANKS
Probably not more than four divisions
have at any time been in the depth OF
j, the pocket, and of these more than one
fourth have been captured. Officers say
that retreat effected at such a cos
= hardly can be considered as a success
full evacuation, and they are inclined Il
accept the German statement as promul
gated for home consumption.
e IT was said that for the high com
mand to acknowledge that the frs
eerr American blow had blotted out in les
he than two DAYS salient that had beer
by held for four years, and also cost tht
&c Germans moro than 10000 prisoners, il
dy addition to their dead, might furthe
as agl1ate the German civil population.
~ AT the same Time. it is not doubte,
of that the German leaders expected tn
i stroke and made such preparations a
in they could toward getting their mai
,ur forces out of the salient
tie The swiftness of the American &c
me vancn on the tanks however seems t