The Wilson times. [volume] (Wilson, N.C.) 1896-19??, 1918-05-07
THE ALLIES IN
BETTER SHAPE
They Now Have One Front
Under One Supreme
Command
PLANS OF THE GERMANS

| Just six weeks have passed sin
the great German offensive, whi 4
was to end the war and give th
world German peace. was launcl
led. 1t may be divided, so far, int
three phases: (1) the general offe,,
|sive of the Seventeenth, Second an
Eighteenth German Armies between
1.-THE Somme and Disc, lasting from
the 21st to the end Of March, C.
marked by local actions at the cen
ter and on the two wings lastin.
from April 10 s, and (3) from
April 9, the development of the "
fensive in Flanders from a diyisio,
between Armientieres and the Ly,
to drive against the bulwarks ,
Ypres, with hard local actions al t:,t
Franco-British junction south Of thu
Somme.
While the armies have been fight
ing their information bureaus have
not been idle. We know very inuci
more about the first tage of the Of
fensive, it's aim, plan, and means ~
operation, than we did month ago
i have therefore brought my note
books down from the front to a Qri.
ct place in order during his further
pause to look at the affair as a whole
and attempt to outline some If its
features that We're hardly apparent
lat the time o! my carrier telegram,
in this position.
The first of these features to de
mand appreciation il, of course, th..
remarkable accomplishment of the
French armies directed by General
Petain under the co-ordinating infiu
ence and latterly the allied CON-
mand of General Foch. 1t may he
admitted now that there We're in the
the fiji st phase of the battle ho.rs o.!
most desperate anxiety for the
French as we'll as tho British corr
manders. No blow has been struck
in this or, needless to say, in ap!'
previous war comparable for mass,
speed, and skill with that of the las;
ten days of March.
Up to March 20 the sector of -,
tack had been held ny seventeen
German divisions. BY the night o.
the 21st thirty fresh divisions h d
been thrown in, and in the next nine
days another thirty-six were aide!
Give the devil his due. Most SOL
diers would probably have said tina.
the direction Of a torrent of eight.
three division, or scme 100000 men.
on a moving front, expanding from
eighty or nluety miles in ten days
would be Impossible. 1t was met
ciless plan, but its will and power
may all the more be readily granted
because this is the best measure of
the heroisni and success of the allieu
armies. ...
On the evening OF the 21st Gener'
al Petain learned that Coughs d..
visions, overwhelmed in numbers
and material and fallen back t"
Eprey and behind the Crozat Canal
After telephone communication with
the British Headquarters he gave
orders at II y. ~. for three Frelch
divisions under General Pelle TO re
sent to the region between the Disc
at Noyon and the Crazat Canal
The 9th and 10th Infantry Divis
ions and the 1st Division of ds-
mounted cavalry entraincd at noC.l
on the 22nd and reached the
ground in the course Of the night
They had no artillery with them, no
horses for their machine gun Sc =
tions, and only such supplies and
ammunition as they could carry
They did not know where the eIerHy
was, or where the English were, ann
the roads we're encountered viii h
masses Of retreating troops and civ
ilian refugees.
The pressure increasing, moro
French troops were ordered eort',
and. on the morning of the. 23rG Brit
ish and French Headquarters agreed
that Gen. Humbert, commanding the
the Bid Arnly-the first to intervene,
take in hand the troops &c
manning in the region south of Ham
and reform their. with his owr @nits.
for the most part, as General Pel'c
reported, the infantry we're 80 ex-
hausted that they needed rel'ef, but
the artillery continued to rerder vai-
CONTINUED on page four)