The Washington herald., 1918-09-01
TURN OF FATE IN
JULY WAS VITAL
BLOW TO GERMANS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE TWO.


forcing the river between Chateau
Thierry and Dormans, but without
the help OF the other half of the
pincers their position was not envi-
able.
And on the third day of the battle
Foch in turn attacked. and in two
days of fighting between the Aisne
and the Marne completely wrecked
German hopes of winning this war.
Captures of prisoners and guns In
the salient since that time are Of no
Importance beside the great and
overwhelming truth Just stated. In
order to avoid the loss Of a quarter
Of the German field armies. threat
ened with suffocation In the salient,
Ludendorff had to rush reserves
from all over his front and abandon
all thought Of prosecuting further
his attack.
Two weeks after Foch had struck,
one of the most important an
nouncements OF the war was made
in London. 1t was officially stated
that the allies now have more fresh
reserves than the enemy. II was
also stated that the transfer Of
German troops from East to West
has stopped; that q division re-
Gently in the West has been iden-
titled in the East, and that the
enemy has only POI divisions on the
Western front instead Of 2o4 which
were there two weeks ago.
1t is therefore not conceivable
that Ludendorff, his own reinforce
ment at an end, his fresh divisions
used UP while new American d.
visions appear every week against
him, can piece together his broken
offensive and get 1t going again.
1t is as certain as anything can be
in war that Germany has now re-
nounced her attempt to get a de-
cision on the main front. Attacks
in the future will be local attacks
with local obiectives. ana the great
est peril that has hung over ciyilI-
zatlon for centuries within the past
few weeks definitely has been re-
moved.
Views Of An Expert.
One OF the leading authorities In
Europe, whose views I have often
been able to present, and whose an
alysis OF military affairs L. notori-
ously sound. has given in detail a
comforting explanation OF the great
strategic victory Of Foch and the
predicament the enemy now finds
himself in. This statement I give be-
low:
"Emphatically the snemy's dscisios
to evScuats the Afarne pocket has
to be attributed less to the allied at
tack Of July 1s upon his flank than
to the defeat OF his reaction against
lha attack The dAfaaf
action was as bitter as dfsappoint-
ment and at least as great as surprise,
as the crushing repulse OF the assault
on July Is. We are absolutely safe
in concluding that the reaction would
not have been attempted had there
not existed confidence that the situ-
alton could in that manner be re-
trieved In a word, the allied move
must have been considered smart
rather than formidable; as the sort
OF maneuver which. II met by an
equally smart, though really formid-
ably reply. would inevitably be
worsted.
1T is certain that before JULY Is
they underestimated both the strength
and the fighting value OF the Ameri-
cans. There is certainty on both
points and neither is in the least
conjectural, because OF the character
Of their scheme.
They had tried to rupture the
allied front on the Somme; they had
driven at the Juncture OF the French
and British armies; they had tried
once more to turn the allied left in
Flanders; they had attempted deci-
sively to break the center Of the