Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-14
PARIS IJNSHAKEN
AS BATTLE RACES
Calmly Confident Foch's
Army Will Stem the
German Tide
PIN FAITH ON AMERICA
Spsctst Cable to EVening Public Ledger
copsrtoht. 1913. BY Ne,o York Times Go.

Spectst Cable to Evenins Public Ledger
cossrtoht, 1913. BY New York Times Go.
.s,-,ss. Paris. June IA.
Faris, IN all her early summer beau
~, - smiling under a brilliant sun.
sssmpefed with a cooling breeze. and
NE IN the city apparently iss as
normal as IL no such thing existed
ne tremendous battle for its pos
session less than fifty miles away.
News of the brilliant success of the
EFcnch counter-offensive acted as a
tVnic and confirmed the unshaken con.
= Aoence France has in Foch and his
nlen. Another stimulant has been
1ne cables reporting Secretary Bakers
statenient that more than 100000
american troops are already here and
the concrete evidence of their quality
~ the form of news of the smart
work OF the American soldiers in clear
1ng Belleau Wood and capturing pris-
ohers and material --..'
The faith of France in the ability
o. America TO tip the, scales in favor
cf the Allies is growing daily. and so
Tar nothing has occurred to show that
this faith is likely to prove unfcunded.
opinion here was never steadier or
more free from illusions. The feeling
thts morning may be summed up IN
the words OF one Of the papers:
The battle for Compiegne Is neither
( won nor lost. but still in progress.
and we shall not know till later which
eide really improved its position"
Psris Doesn't Fear Bombsrdment.
It IL enough fer Paris to know that
until the enemy can bring his heavy
guns within twelve. or fourteen miles of
the city there is no need to fear bonn
bardment The German troops are still
forty-hve miles away. and their guns
still further. s
In the minds of Paris the Big Bertha
long ago ceased to be anything more
than an irritating nuisance.
"Although some papers in neutral
countries call the present struggle a bat
tie for Paris,p says Major de Civrieux,
military expert Of LIE Matin; "the term
appears to be at least premature. The
Germans have yet to win aLgood many
fights and sacrifce many new and
enormous hccatombs of men before they
viii be able to deliver, il they ever will
be. the supreme battle which will &c
down in history as the battle of Paris
And between now and then what heaps
Of German dead will lie on the fields OF
France"
According to Marcel Hutin Of the Echo
de Paris, German prisoners say the
enemy confidently expected that Won
Sehoeller's Cavalry of the Guard Would
have attacked and carried Compiegne
on Sunday evening. 1t is also asserted
that the Emperor was waiting at safe
distance in the rear to witness the
triumph Of his troops.
Counter Offensive Begun
IAN excellent day .1br us sums W
Captain Vidal, the practical soldier who
v,.klt ~ nj xyo
Our counter-attacks yesterday" h,
Adds. indicate, in my opinion, that oul
counter.offensive has begun. We may
& now expect violent German attacks a.
other points on our 'front.' and also q
display Of aggressive initiative by Foch
I. now that the danger points on our from
are well covered. and he has also tn,
Advantage of being able to maneuvei
on interior lines with Paris in the center
Of his feld."
The advantage to the Allies of beini
on the inside Of the great salient be
tween Montdidier and Noyon must moi
b overlooked as full factor in thi
8 battle
Henry Bidou, in his customary sobel
summary OF yesterdays fighting in Il
Journal, summarizes the situation BY
saying:
Tuesdays results on either side bal
anced one another. While the German
gained ground on our right. We gained
on the left. Such day obviously show
the balance of advantage in favor Of tn,
defense"
After pointing out that the German
are for the moment held on the posi-
itons they won during Sunday, Monda.
and Tuesday on the heights of Las
slgny, Bidou remarks that at the SAM
time they held these heights fully an,
entirely. This factor, he suggested. can
not but have a repercussion on tn
French positions on the other side Of tn
oise. Nevertheless. the further tn
enemy attempts on Compiegne from
Bethancourt and Antheuil, the more h
French guns on the wooded heights o
Aieue forest on the one side and tn
EStreeS st. Denis plateau on the other.
f'Iooking at the situationiin regard +
Compiegne, which IL evidently the en-
emy's objective" Bidou continues, "w
note that the Germans are six and
oaufter miles from that town at An
theuil on the northwest and the sam
distance away at Bethancourt on tn
northeast. The Germans. therefore, al
approaching In two converging direc
\ fions,- one along the valley of the OILS
ana the. other along the valley Of tn
Afonde. which combine one and one
quarter miles north or Comptegne.
ss.while Compiegne is being more dis
tinctiy threatened on our center an
right the French counter-attack on tn
left onsa front Of seven and quartz
miles &preciably throws back the er
amy IN the south Of Montdidier. Th
sector lis formed by two distin,
plateaux, one carrying the village I
Pioyron and the other Merry The la
ter is especially important for. the er
erny, as It covers from the west h
center. which passes at the foot
tia plateau. The side which holt
Merry plateau Therefore commands Il
eommunications of the German cente
The> loss Of this plateau is a serio,
check for the enemy, as his right win
has been thrown back and has expose
Ms center to the French attack fro
the rear''
POPE MISJUDCED, HE SAYS