Evening star., 1918-03-30
BY FRANK H. SIMONDS.
Copyright, 1881


pletely and the offensive which began
as an effort to crush the military power
of Britain is diminishing to the level OF
q gigantic raid against Amiens, with
the two-fold object Of separating the
British and French armies and destroy
ing the British communications with
Havre and Rouen. their principal bases
on the south.
While the main German drive has not
been checked, 1t has been contained be-
tween the Ancre and Somme rivers on
the north and the Avre on the south.
Actually the German wedge is narrow
ing every moment and If the present
allied effort to hold the Germans be-
tween these two rivers continues. the
German advance may end In q oiino al
ley just east Of Amiens.
For the past two days the Germans
have been thrusting between the Brit
ish and the French armies and toward
while the British and the
French. holding the crossings OF the
Ancre. the Somme and the Avre. nave
been shepherdtnS the Germans toward
the west. They have not been able to
check the full force of the German
thrust by frontal counter-attack as
yet. although they have slowed 1t down.
but they have canalized 1t. as it were.
Wedge May Reach Amiens.
The possibility that the extreme point
of the German wedge may reach
Amiens survives. The chance that the
Germans will be able temporarily to
occupy Amiens and destroy this hne
old capital of Picardy. as well as all
the British military material stored
= y~}1x 10 "a the Prit-
ish and the French forces. remains. but
even were this to occur now. 1t would
be but a passing detail. for unless the
German can widen his front he will
soon have to retire to avoid being
caught between the two mtllstones OF
British and French armies.
1t was the realization of this danger
that led Germans to begin on Thurs
day their desperate attacks upon the
British line about Arras. They sought
to break the northern or British hinge
Of the allied front. just as their dash
at Montdidier was blow at the south
ern or French hinge. North and south
they failed to make any but local
gains.
In pursuit of the limited local object
i've. which Is Amiens, the Germans be-
gan on Thursday to make desperate
efforts just south Of the Somme to clear
the old Roman road running west from
st. Quentin to Amiens. This road Is
their most direct route to Amiens, now
some twelve miles distant from War
which they reached
on Friday. At the same time they
pushed southwest into. Montdidier in
order to keep open the Noyon-Rope-
Amiens highway. which is their only
other road to Amiens.
The danger that one or more British
armies could be destroyed and that a
great British disaster result ended on
Thursday, when the British had pulled
together from the scarpe to
the Somme, from Arras to Albert. and
were standing frm. The arrival Of
French armies on either bank Of the
Disc between the bend near Lafere
and Noyon and along the Noyon hills
to Paris. Thus the whole problem was
One Menace Remains.
: Now the lesser crisis, which involves
the safety Of Amiens, will be reached
in relatively few hours. and the Ger.
man advance between the Somme and
the Avre is the one remaining menace
In the next ten miles on
the rapidly narrowing front between
the Avre and the Somme the German
wedge must be checked or the city will
be in deadly peril. But on the other
hand. II the Germans cannot widen the
their own position will be extremely
# Amiens is to be saved the natural
method of ha1ting the German advance
hank attacks. The push
north on the Lasstgny-Noyon line by
the French on Thursday had many
signs Of being the long expected coun-
ter offensive. but 1t died out after
achieving only local successes-that is.
after it had eased off the pressure upon
the French line west of Montdidier.
which had just been lost.
Nevertheless, II there is going to be
counter offensive from the south and
the French have not used up their mo-
bile reserves in filing the gap created
by the collapse of the southern end of
the British front. 1t Is to be expected
between Noyon and Montdidier and will
threaten the nank and communications
of the Germans in the narrow wedge
which Is pushing toward Amiens. In
the same way, II there Is to be British
offensive, one would look for 1t
between Albert and the bend Of the
Ancre on the other side of the German
wedge.
In any event. we are almost at the
solution of our last strategic problem.
Unless some new and unforeseen factor
enters into the calculation in the next
few hours. probably by Sunday at the
latest Amiens will have been saved or
lost and the Germans will have reached
the limit Of their push. The colossal
offensive which aimed at destroying the
power of Britain will be ex-
pressing its disappointment in the
sacking Of Amiens or its rage in bonn
the noble old cathedral from
the outskirts of the town above the
of the Somme and the Avre
The first phase OF the battle of Picar-
dy was lost by the British Friday,
March %. After that day there was no
more question of holding the old Brit
ish line or even Of checking the Ger
man advance within moderate limits.
For nearly a week the single question
was whether the German would be able
to turn his initial victory into a genu-
inc triumph as he had at the Dunajec
against the Russians and at the Isonzo
against the Italians. HindenburR and
Ludendorfr in the second phase were
aiming to dispose of the armies Of Hate
as those of Dimitreff had been disposed
of or to sweep forward in the gap that
had opened between British and French
armies and repeat the captures of the
Venetian victory.
Strategic Struggle.
The second phase was by no means "a
successful for the Germans as the first
As at Verdun the beaten forces held out