Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-30
PARIS QUESTIONS
FOES STRATEGY
Seeks Hindenburg's Motive
for Retirement on Line
of Battle
COUNTER TO AMERICA
Allies Now Face Task of
Crushing Cermany's Sec.
ondary Defense
COUNTER TO AMERICA
Special Gable to Erening Public Ledger

toPyrJ0hf. i5is. by Nrtr Yorl: Times co.
Parle. Aug. 80.
Tn" fall of Roye and the continued
victorious advance of the French and
british troops along the greater part Of
Ihe whole battle front has caused orn-
''" her" to focus itself closely on Ger
man plans for tho immediate future.
II IS noted that satisfactory as is the
'''t that the apex of the famous
'hauInes-Roro-Ncs1c triangle. tho same
powerful rcdoubt in the German centre,
mas again fallen into the hands of the
.N''ea. yesterday mornings official COM
''uh'que reports merely that the French
nave "'ccnrjod' Royc. That Roye was
mentioned simply as one of eight places
which have been similarly occupied is
not without deep siEni ncance. and IT is
held hero to indicate clearly that the
enemy has NV definitely decided ,n hes
tate no lonErr and that his undisgulscd
. retreat to the powerful defensive posi
u'ns Of the old Hindenburg line has
already begun in good earnest
seek hcaI Motive for Retreat
students of the situation who look be-
Fohd the present are asking what can
'' the underlying motive for the far
reaching decision the Germans appear to
nave taken. 1t is fully realized here
mar the encmy's reason for taking the
similar step at the beginning of last
year was not merely to escape the i'm
mediate pressure of the Allies conquest
on the battle Of the Somme, but had a
FAR deeper reason.
The Russian front was then still n
very serious obstacle in the enemy's
path The Germans. notwit hstanding
their advantage of being able to fight
on interior Ines. were faced with the
laCt that they were between the Franco
british devil and the Russian deep sea,
and that they were in imminent danger
# an almost immediate attack from the
former. which gave every indication of
probable success.
Hindenburg dec ded on an immediate
retreat to such a distance behind that it
would take the Allies at least six months
to reorganize their offensive front on the
wide stretch of ruined and devastated
country he left behind him, during
which time. safe in his new, carefully
prepared defensive positions. he would
the eastern front and settle the Russian
danger once and for all
The situation in many respects is
widely different today. but the cooler
headed and more far-seeing students of
! German methods here who realize how
successfully Hindenburg carried his plan
! through last year are asking what may
be the probable underlying motive of
the enemy's new retreat. The grim fact
which emerged from last years great
German retirement on the western front
was that it resulted in the almost COM
plete destruction of one of Germany s
principal enemies. Russia was ''downed
and outed' and no present advantage
can accrue from blinking at that hard
fact.
Seek Counter to L. $. Strength
Obviously. what Germany is seeking
and has been seeking for more than a
year past is some counter-weight to
cancel the ever-growing advantage to
the Allies of Americas huge army. Up
till now the enemy has been working in
the belief that victory for him depended
on a successful race against time. His
series of desperate offensives in March
and July proved he was animated by
the belief that unless the French and
British were deCsvely defeated before
lne anlrlCanS we're reauy, MS doom was
sealed.
Foch's victorious assumption of the
initiative, and from the German point of
view, the miraCulously successful offen-
sive Of the Allies. have completely revo-
lutionZed the enemy's ideas as to the
time factor. Given sufficient breathing
time Germany. 1t is believed in many
quarters here, is now convinced she can
draw large enough army from her
Russian conquests to offset America y
millions, and If because of other factors.
she cannot now hope ror complete VIC
tory. she can prolong the war long
enough to weary the Allies into consent
ing to stalemate peace that will still
leave her in a position at least to share
in the domination OF Europe and per-
haps recommence her struggle for a
hegemony In few years time.