The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-10-05
The DECISIVE BATTLE
CONTINUED from Page one-)

long range fire. had kept the line intact
Then came the period which history will
l think. regard ~ tho most curious eX
ample OF bad strategy in the hands al
competent. even great. generals which
was ever known
The Germans in the west having LOST
very heavily in the delivery of this Erca,
blow. which should have been decisive
began to strike a. random. There is Mt
other word for it. At that time each
blow was so heary--for there was still !
great superiority in numbers and still q
superiority in the tactical Instrument
| it affected the opinion Of the military as
| we'll as the civil.
! The British commander in chief talked
! Of the army as having been pushcd"b X
north of Flanders on April Q. Paris was
! appalled, when the Chcmin dos Danes
gave way far to The north and the enemy
came right into the heart of France At
came the end. with series OF trcmen-
| dous convcrginE attacks east and west
| of Rheims. upon q front of fifty miles.
! the last effort of the German armies. II
| failed and was countered.
Thre days later. on July IS, just at n
| moment when the tide in numbers was
! turning. when the French and American
| forces launched an unexpected coulter
offensive between scissors and Chateau
Thierry, the enemy still had tho advan-
| tage In numbers. But it was like Il tide
! which. having raced up At its flood is
. Drumming to slack water and In a very
few weeks the cbb must begin. This was
the supreme Importance OF the date and
was the meaning of July Is.
! The American power OF organization
and the astonishing elasticity of the AM
erican military system in sending quite
, unexpected numbers to Europe. and do
March. Meanwhile another element en-
tered the field-the new tanks which
owed their origin to the mechanical
genius OF tho British Finally came the
ccaus persistent efforts in the hands Of
| French masters OF strategy.
The initiative being recovered. the
numbers hei,g about TO turn. with new
and invaluable tactical instrument being
now In Allied hands. there appeared q
certain plan. which from that day to this
J has heen consistently followed. The huge
battle at which we are now assisting Is
but its latest development.
Let us appreciate that battle. The
enemy stood in a great salient running
from the north to It's apex AT the Forest
Of ST Gobain and the nclGhburhnod of
through the Argonne Forest To Eerdun
He had massed his troops as was wS"
for the purpose of attack within that
great salient. The counter-attack caught
him now congcstnd within the bulge and
therefore in 4 bad posture for dCfeIS':..
The problem was how TO keep The
enemy cnngcstrd within the angle Of Ar
! ras. ST Quentin and ST. Gnbain. Rheims
| reinforcing the now dangerously thin
line to the south and cast of Ncrdun and
! keep him in this bad pnstur" while thu
American forces We're growing FOR SLY
, weeks, all through the latter part Of
July and the whole Of August. III. prob
lem was successfully solved by the SyS-
tom Of gradually extending attacks
which ran from Rheims northward and
westward to Arras.
Foch made no attempt nj a rupture in
the enemy line Far from IT. His whole
object was carefully to pin the enemy
and prevent any general retirement; {"
keep up the congestion into which the
enemy had fallen. with il fun half Of his
armies in the hundred miles hetwrcn
Arras and Rheims and with thrc"-Quar-
tcrs of them between tn" ArGonnc and
TIL. North Sea. He struck first upon the
Marine pocket into which III" enemy had
thrown all the available men in In"
neiphborhood TO avoid disaster: then 81
August in front Of hmicns with SlnI.
lar effect: then on August 81. in the SEE
tor Immediately to tn" M north Of f thnt,
Arrns to tho north again.
Meanwhile he exercised Il continuous.
uninterrupted preSSur" against the apex
at ST. Gobain. Il pressure which began IN
August and is continued Ia this day, 50
that the enemy is not abb" To- wit hdra W
from that position. =" vital To our plans
and he has put int" II. first and last. III"
equivalent Of. say. twcnl y-four divisions.
In the last Of these Operations the
British. on September =. in n most bril-
liant action. forced the last permanent
artificial line north nc Qu"nut and COM
PEELED he enemy /" adopt IL new water
line against tho tanks. covering Dnuai..
Then came n sort Of n lull. Those who
did not understand tn" naturcI Of the
plan thought perhaps that tho enemy
had boon driven hack to the liindrnhurs
line. or some other nonsense Of that
kind.
What really happened was that he had
b VII forbidden To reinforce the weak
sectors Of the south and had lost in
prisoners alone all the results Of his
Gr.iN.n In .fha Snri N nun a nd