El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-08-10
FOCH FOLLOWS GERMAN TACTICS,
USING THEM BETTER THAN ENEMY

IITHE putting in the finishing strokes Of wiping out the
w Marne salient generalissmo Foch startles the world
and especially the enemy by delivering lightning blow IN
the Amiens salient This viii be remembered the zone OF
operations when the Germans launched their long heraded
offensive March o. This part Of France IS known as
Pcardy 1t was along the old line IN TINS region lna W
Germans struck their mighty blow which was to carry them
first the important railroad junction Of Amens, and
thence to Paris
Using new tactics featured By machine gun barrages,
absence Of artillery preparation the front line Smelling
Of the back areas long distances and extraordinarily
long reaches Of the infantry without relief the Germans
broke through British Fifth army commanded by Gen
Cough and the allies experienced anxious two weeks
while the French and British forces falling slowly
back fighting rear guard actons Inc mole leIt ny me
Fifth army plugged by pickup force OF clerks AeI
engineers and straggers from other commands al
gathered together by BRUSH general VINO saw disaster
imminent and the only means at hand to avert II
The allies brought Hindenburg to d halt eight miles
from Amens but he had created great salient which has
avss beeu fuII Of menace After making this salient he
created another IN Flanders in the hope Of breaking through
the separating the British and French armies
Then he made his salient down to the Marne in the hope
Of reaching Pans.
me Marine salient has been almost bloted out and now
Foch the elimination OF the Amens salient, with the
British troops taking chief part N the assault under com
uand and personal direction Of the British commandeTin
chief, Sir Douglas Haig.
The first DAYS operations brought the allies five OF six
miles Of terrain along front Of about IS miles, together
with about 10000 prisoners and many guns The enemys
surprise was indicated by his feeble resistance and his bur
ned withdrawal It not until operating divisions had
been brought up Tenoroents that the Germans began
real resistance Even that insufficient and early
maximum penetration Of the allies south Of the Somme had
been miles, that tanks infantry and powerful forces Of
cavalry still further blowing into the German lines
and that the number Of prisoners had been increased to
about 1900
Foch is pursuing the German strategy Of striking at
point and then at another above indicated There IS this
difference: There hiatus Of weeks between the German
blows in Pcardy and those IN Flanders and in the Cham
payne district Between the French blows there has been
interval whatever The Germans evidently needed the
time organize their assaults FOch has been able
ganize a assault while carrying the old one.
The German hope was TO draw all Foch's reserves TO
point and then break through another It failed
Fochs plan apparently the Observing doubtless
that most Of Gerany had been concentrated be-
Reims and Scissors to prevent bTeakthrough in
the terrain between the Vee and Ches des Danes Foch
struck out from Aens The Of his effort indi
that the German line there held the usual
massed strength IN fact the Germans had already with
drawn few days previously, miles from the vicinity
Of Mont Didier, TO ground more easily defended
The German high command may be expected 10 explain
that the loss Of ground before Aiens due to retire
ent executed for Of strategy and that in the
operation loss Of and material may have
cured but the allies know better.
It IS too early to prophesy regarding this operation
Probably the allied forces yet strong enough to
break through the enemy line completely and start the roll
ing up process unless the Germans weaker in this par
dcular than generally supposed But any this
salient viii be blunted like that Of the Marne.
The crisis IS past Germanys numerical superiority
Of men, obtained through the collapse Of Russia, has