Evening star., 1918-08-15
TO HOLD DESERT I'M ,PIGARDY
NOW LUDENDORFFS PROBLEM
Devastation Wrought BY Huns in 1917
Retreat Now Comes Back to Plague
..... Them in Hour Of Disaster.

f1culties lie Ia the hatufS of the eouri-
try Behind Aim. But. these difficulties
are even more, seriops than those
WHICH threatened Rim from the tanks
n where Luaendsfff row stands he
has behind him. at distance Of six Or
eight miles. the deep and difficult val;
ley f1of the -,uBper Somme, through
which the river flows In a SERIES of
almost impossible marshes, The few
causeways and bridges betwsen Pc
hrs. Of allied artillery and have been
greatly damaged by allied savfators.
To stand on such a front and risk a
later attack would seem to be to in
Nfte disaster. and to. invite it without
any adequate justification. for the old
Somme line offers no particular ad=
a question OF military prestige can
weigh with Luflsndsrif now as against
the Solid reasons of military exps-
ment. e
Again, Hindenbure. in his, great re-
treat IN the. Spring of 1917, trans
foEmed all the country for twenty
miles in. the Eear-of Ludendorff's pres=
sent position. into an absolute desert
villages were razed, every tree was
cut, HERE is absolutely no cover OF
any kind. and AN army suddenly
position on which to. rally and main
Istain itself Until 1t reached the Hin
dsnbure lif1et 1t was fer this purpose
that Hindsnbarg devastated Picsfdy
and he subsequently profited when
iutier attacked Cough last spring
ana threw his army back from the
Hcheidt.to the Avre ana the Ancre.
May Use Peronne-Noyen Line.
: Every consideration. then. that one
! can now perceive would seem to point
toward withdrawal OF Ludendorff to
the Peronne-Noyon line within a brief
period Of time, exactly as he withdrew
from the Oufcq to the Vesle in the later
phase OF the Marne fighting. But sucn
retseae would be gradual and orderly
; w1tndraWal. having a fixed limit and
postponed, long enough TO enable the
Germans to prepare q thoroughly ade-
quate defensive position behind the
somHie, which Is itself considerable
military obstacle. The fianks would rest
SCENE of the great Somme battle of the
British. and upon the even more con
siderab bic elevation above the Oise be-
tween Chauny and Noyof1.
In word. such war of movement as
was possible has come to an end. a
rupture. of the German lines, followed by
r. pursutt~of q dozen miles, has brought
the British to a new German position
before which both. British and French
forces have been temporarily checked
ana must hereafter fight. if at all, in the
old way. What remains to be deterr,in-
ed Is whether Ludendorf has decided 10
stand on the old Somme line or to &c
pack to the new position already in
dicated
Meantime. there is a mournfui farnil.
iarity about the present line from Arras
TO Ribecourt. Anglo French armies are
racing German armies on the lines on
which both stood from October, 1914, tc
July. 1916. Between July 1, 1916, and
the present date nearly two millions Of
casualties have been the price of allied
advance and German recoii, of German
advance and allied recoil. and finally OF
this new turn, which has brought a sec
ond German retirement. After, nearly
four years there is not, between the
Searpe and Aisne. a change Of three
inaes anywhere in the opposing posi-
lo4fS.